BUNDESTREFFEN26 – Don’t Stop Me Now!

Under the motto “Don’t Stop Me Now,” BUNDESTREFFEN26 brings together artists from across Germany, as well as representatives from academia, politics, and professional associations, to collectively focus on the independent arts themselves: their unique working methods, artistic practices, potential for innovation, and aesthetics. 
What forms and experiments are currently emerging most prominently in the independent performing arts? How can knowledge of one’s own craft be used in the future to draw energy to keep going—and thereby preserve art that celebrates humanity, diversity, and beauty, and envisions a shared future? What techniques and aesthetics are the independent performing arts using to respond to shifting perceptions of reality, shaped by AI-assisted art, “Instagrammable” looks, and large language models like ChatGPT?

Two Days of Shaping the Future

BUNDESTREFFEN26 aims to explore these connections, both sensually and through discourse: through an artistic and practical experiential journey, as well as in panel discussions, artist talks, and roundtable discussions.

With contributions from, among others: Azadeh Ganjeh, Eva Meyer-Keller, Rainer Mühlhoff, Brigitta Muntendorf, Ada Mukhina, Esther Pilkington, Theresa Reiwer, the Kaleidoskop Soloists Ensemble, Hans-Werner Kroesinger & Regine Dura, Nina Tecklenburg, Shlomi Moto Wagner, Rosa Wernecke, and Christoph Winkler.

Don’t Stop Me Now
NATIONAL CONFERENCE of the Independent Performing Arts

September 25 & 26, 2026
HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin
Program and registration starting in mid-August 2026