Dance Festival
in the
Volkswagen Company KraftWerk (Power Station)

Autostadt
StadtBrücke, 38440
Wolfsburg

through May 31, 2004

Doors open at 19.30HRS

the gala

The Gala at the Movimentos Festival celebrated the most talented modern ballet companies, dancers and choreographers.   The dance was spectacular and the final performing company - The Tokyo Ballet (Japan) company can still be see at KraftWek Wolfsburg through May 31.  Their interpretation of the music of Bolero is unmissable! 

Following the overwhelming support for the first Movimentos last spring, the Volkswagen company’s Autostadt, announced its commitment to a second Movimentos Festival for International Dance. 

The dance festival underpins the Autostadt’s commitment to mobility in all its facets.

A star in its own right, the Volkswagen Works’ KraftWerk again provides the breathtaking backdrop for this year’s Movimentos Festival.

The festival is under the artistic direction of Bernd Kauffmann, and features not only choreography from different continents and diverse cultures, but includes some of the world’s most prestigious dance ensembles.

Performances include works by the Brazilian Balé da Cidade de São Paulo, the Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company from New York, the Taiwanese Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and The Tokyo Ballet.

This year’s Festival features not only the most significant productions of these companies, but also hosts a number of premieres, the most notable of which will be the world premiere of a work created especially for Wolfsburg by Bill T. Jones. The close collaboration between the Tokyo Ballet and their long-standing associate Maurice Béjart reaches its apex in the inimitable performance of the Japanese ensemble.

A new innovation in 2004is the International Movimentos Dance Prize which will, in collaboration with the ZDF and ARTE television companies, be awarded by the Autostadt.  Dance -  a pinnacle of mobility, is not only given significant support in the creative process, but a viable forum for performance.

Artistic Director: Bernd Kauffmann

Creative Director: Dr. Maria Schneider

Managing Director: Otto Ferdinand Wachs

In a time that is culturally challenging, the Autostadt is opening the door for dance theatre and dance. The second Movimentos Dance Festival clearly demonstrates its commitment to art and culture, not only for the Wolfsburg region, but also for the world at large. If ‘art anticipates the world to be’ (Karl Kraus), then the Autostadt’s commitment to this is unequivocal.

For a large industrial company to commit itself to the staging of a cultural event of this magnitude, is the exception rather than the rule. Often public declarations of wanting to contribute to the cultural ethos of a society remain just that, declarations. But actions speak louder than words! The Autostadt, true to its philosophy, is honouring its commitment and is taking the initiative to present the second of its International Dance Festivals.

"The Movimentos Festival underlines the Autostadt’s belief that globalisation does not have to mean assimilation. Part of the objective of this year’s International Movimentos Dance Festival is to show the value of cultural variety, thereby actively opposing cultural equivalence in the face of a threatening globalisation of the imagination. To underscore global multiplicity means to affirm the indispensable civilising function of tradition and cultural identity. In a world that is growing ever smaller, now more than ever, only art and culture seem able to endow a community with the identity it needs to retain its unique character.

With this in mind a programme was created that has, as its guiding principle, cultural diversity. The KraftWerk of the Volkswagen Works will be the powerhouse in which the different traditions of contemporary dance theatre meet, performances reflecting the ‘new’ within the constraints of an own, unique and natural tradition.

The 2004 Movimentos Dance Festival is an invitation to the public to participate in a unique experience of art and culture, to allow themselves to be moved, delighted and inspired, and to combine this enthusiasm with a confident demand for more."

May 5-9: Balé da Cidade de São Paolo (Brazil)

May 12 - 16: Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company, New York

May 19 - 20, 22 - 23: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

Festival Gala and Award on May 26 

May 27 - 31: The Tokyo Ballet (Japan)

The Tokyo Ballet Japan, Bolero

Travelling to the Autostadt in Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg can be reached comfortably by car, or by rail.

Travelling by road: take the A2 Autobahn Hanover – Berlin. Turn off at intersection A39 – continue to exit Wolfsburg-West. The way to the Autostadt is well signposted.

Rail travel: Train connections to Wolfsburg are so frequent and convenient that getting home after the performance should not present a problem. The ICE train station is a 7-minute walk from the Autostadt.

Travel to and from Hanover takes about half an hour, and to and from Berlin barely an hour.

Ticket prices per person

1^st category 2^nd category 3^rd category

Friday, Saturday, Holidays
35.00 * 20.00 * 15.00

Sunday
31.00 * 17.00 * 10.00 *

Wednesday, Thursday
26.00 * 14.00 * 8.00

Gala on May 26, 2004
50.00 * 35.00 * 25.00