WORD OF WELCOME

Simone Schulte-Aladağ und Andrea Gronemeyer

Artistic Direction THINK BIG! Festival

Dear Audience,

Thinking big sometimes starts very small: with a single step, a glance, a question. Our festival presents artistic works in dance, music theater, and performance—genres that still find far too little space in Munich, especially when aimed at young audiences. And yet it is precisely these works that often open up the greatest spaces: spaces where people don’t just watch, but think along, feel along—and, more and more often, participate.

This year’s program reveals a clear trend: more and more artists are opening up their work to genuine interaction. They turn the audience not only into empathetic observers and active thinkers, but into active participants. Because theater has a secret: it only works when we’re in it together. Audiences have always filled in the blanks, spun thoughts further, and imagined the rest of the scenes. Interactive theater starts right here—and goes one step further:

Why not play together right away? Why not share decisions, try out different moves, and help steer the action a little?

This sets not only bodies in motion, but thoughts as well. And sometimes a spark carries over into our homes, mingles with everyday life, and poses questions where answers once lay—or vice versa. This is particularly significant today.

As a living medium of direct encounter, theater creates spaces for exchange, for shifting perspectives, and for shared experiences. In doing so, it naturally builds on its role as the birthplace of democratic practice—perhaps today

with even a little more joy in the process.

The artists of this festival take this promise seriously—and at the same time lightly. They invite you to get involved, to try things out, to rediscover yourself and others.

And along the way, skills develop that can’t be learned in school but only through experience: creativity, the courage to engage with others—and the desire not to just sit still all the time.

So think big. Think big, experience it together—and maybe shift reality just a

little bit.

We look forward to celebrating together.

With warmest regards,

Simone Schulte-Aladağ & Andrea Gronemeyer

Marek Wiechers

Head of Cultural Affairs of the City of Munich

WORD OF WELCOME

Marek Wiechers

Head of Cultural Affairs of the City of Munich

Dear audience members!

This summer marks the 11th edition of the international dance and performance festival for our young audience: Think Big! presents avant-garde performances by top-tier companies from Germany, France, and Belgium. And I am very pleased that Munich-based artists Alfredo Zinola, Anna Konjetzky, Ceren Oran, and Léonard Engel will also be participating. “Think Big!” means presenting a wide variety of dance styles that appeal to young audiences through aesthetic originality and a rich array of themes; offering workshops for professionals, dance practitioners, amateurs, children, and teenagers; seeking new collaborations within the city; and fostering connections.

This year, several schools are once again participating in artistic processes through workshops and research labs, including the Mittelschule am Winthirplatz and the Klenzegymnasium.

This approach makes Think Big! unique. It is the only festival that presents contemporary dance to children and young people in an age-appropriate way. In doing so, it opens doors to aesthetic education and enables participation in the city’s cultural life.

And as the cultural affairs officer for the state capital, I can proudly say that Munich is the only city in southern Germany that promotes and raises the profile of dance for young audiences: both through “Think Big!” and through “explore dance”—the network for dance for young audiences. Once again, the program features two productions from the Explore Dance network: “Tie Break” by Constantin Trommlitz and “Main Character:Lost” by Miller de Nobili.

“Think Big!” has now become a brand in its own right within Europe’s rapidly growing contemporary youth art scene. And finally, “Think Big!” also serves as a model for how a “player” from the independent scene—the “Fokus Tanz” association led by Simone Schulte-Aladağ—and a municipal theater—the Schauburg under the artistic direction of Andrea Gronemeyer—can

work together: The Schauburg is both a venue and a cooperation partner.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Andrea Gronemeyer and Simone Schulte-Aladağ, the festival’s curators, and their team for this wonderful collaboration.

I wish you, dear visitors, an exciting time at Think Big!

Marek Wiechers

Head of Cultural Affairs of the City of Munich