“It was a great privilege for me to have the opportunity of a secondment at Tanzfabrik Berlin over five weeks coinciding with their Open Spaces Festival in February-March 2019. I would like to thank the Goethe Institut for their generous support to facilitate this fellowship as well as the ATSA team for the smooth facilitation of this process, that made my time in Germany comfortable and enjoyable.

I would also like to extend my deep gratitude to the entire team at Tanzfabrik Berlin, for their warm welcome and giving me access as a fellow team member and sharing their time, space and resources with me. It was special to be able to be immersed in their organisational environment during a busy Festival season, and I am particularly grateful to Mr. Ludger Orlok, Artistic Director of Tanzfabrik Berlin, who was always so very encouraging and inclusive. My conversations with him were always very rewarding and inspiring especially in light of the way he has developed and curated the Festival and shaped the organisation over the years. I appreciate also the contribution of Mr. Juan Gabriel Harcha, Ms. Felicitas Zeeden and Mr. Vincenz Kokot among several others, who shared their valuable expertise with me and enabled me to understand more about their respective roles within the fields of production, press/communication and organisation at Tanzfabrik Berlin.

Being at such a pivotal performing arts organisation in Berlin, with a history of over forty years, it was a very enriching experience on many different levels. There were so many impulses and insights that this is something I would like to keep reflecting on. There are more than a few immediate gains that I know I can implement in my work with Dance Bridges in India in the coming months for the next edition of our Festival in 1st-5th August 2019. Over time though, I believe I can put into practice even more from the knowledge and tools acquired through this secondment, particularly in developing our future plans and vision for an arts space of our own.”

-Vanessa Maria Mirza ( Director, Dance Bridges Festival)