Folkwang Dance Archive

The Folkwang Dance Archive's collections not only document the history of the Institute of Contemporary Dance, they also reflect the history of the founding of the Folkwang University of the Arts itself in 1927.

Kurt Jooss collected and filed newspaper cuttings containing reports of the founding of the then School for Music, Dance and Speech.   In the course of time, this collection was expanded by the substantial and stirring activities of the dance department, which included performances, summer courses, guest performances and photos, programme booklets, posters, sheet music as well as music and film bands.

The image of the Dance Archive is also improved by the bequests of Hans Züllig and Gisela Reber as well as the kinetography archive, which includes notes made by Albrecht Knust dating from his teaching activity at Folkwang. 

The Folkwang Dance Archive's tasks today:

  • Documenting the current artistic work at the Institute of Contemporary Dance
  • Processing for use in practice, research and teaching
  • Reorganising the collections and developing a media centre
  • Archiving and digitalising the past holdings of Folkwang Dance
  • Collaboration with the library of the Folkwang University of the Arts
  • Collaboration with dance archives in Cologne and Salzburg