How a Ripple Becomes a Wave

The same criteria have guided the decision making of the Partners since 1996

1. The work is propelled by a good idea
2. Choreographed with an originality motivated by this idea
3. Which has the confidence to omit the superfluous
4. With a clear and sturdy structure
5. Danced with clarity, verve, commitment and assurance
6. That will look good presented under limited technical conditions
7. From a company that has not toured much abroad
8. But whose experience might be enriched through Aerowaves
9. And that will have a future

Over 30 years, Aerowaves has supported more than a 1000 emerging choreographers. Many of them are now the highlight of major festivals and seasons around the world.

AAA:

The Academy is the gateway – a short, intensive and mentored review-writing programme
The Assembly is the route – an annual gathering of writers and a local festival
The Alliance is the field – co-operations and partnerships with third parties, drawing on the Springback network

AAA broadens a lively, non-academic discourse about dance, its content and context. It is not about promotion. It is about making the form legible to the people who already love it, and welcoming to those who could come to do so.

Every autumn, the partners gather for the Annual Meeting and select the 20 artists that are presented at Spring Forward.

The Startup Forum enlarges the circle. Young curators bring dance to peripheral regions where dance infrastructure is yet in development. 

The Artist Encounter provides networking and professional development opportunities for emerging choreographers – a unique space to gain connections and international skills.

A choreographer in Athens, a presenter in Luxembourg, a programmer in Paris. Aerowaves connects them — and the connections are personal, not transactional. Spring Forward brings programmers and curators from across the world into one city to see twenty works in four days.

When COVID-19 closed theatres in April 2020, Aerowaves was online within weeks. The Show Must Go On-line reached 1,436 registered viewers, with an average 200 people watching at any one time. It wasn’t an emergency measure, so much as an acceleration.

There are towns all over Europe with no dance infrastructure but a room that can fit twenty people and a headset. Springback Ringside has since recorded 12 works in VR.

Documentary project On Record registers impressions, voices and stories from dance festivals and platforms.

Over the years, connections have been developed with dance professionals and organisations beyond Europe – including Québec, Japan, and several other Asian countries. 

With initiatives like Moving Borders, Aerowaves has explored how dance contributes to welcoming and engaging refugees.