About - Making a Difference Berlin

Project presentation in German Sign Language with German captions.

Project objectives

Since 2018, Making a Difference has been dedicated to promoting an independent and visible community of disabled, d/Deaf and chronically ill artists in the Berlin dance scene. The network offers dancers, choreographers and performers high-quality, accessible training opportunities through a wide range of workshops, as well as the conception and realisation of their own artistic works through residencies and co-productions. Since 2018, about a dozen disabled, d/Deaf and chronically ill artists have been able to visibly position themselves in the Berlin dance scene. The work of Making a Difference has a far-reaching impact, that encourages institutions and cultural workers throughout Germany to make their work more inclusive and accessible.

The guiding principle of the project is to fill all artistic and non-artistic leadership positions with disabled, d/Deaf and chronically ill people. Only if they make the decision and create work themselves, they can equally participate in cultural life as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 30). They are also the experts in the artistic use of access tool, such as audio description, relaxed performance or sign language(s).

Since 2022 we focus on these Aesthetics of Access in our programme of workshops for local artists to support them in developing their own inclusive practices.

In addition, the transfer of knowledge and thus the sustainable development of the partners’ competences in inclusive and anti-ableist cultural work is an essential part of our work. The best-practice knowledge gained in the project is passed on to all network partners in the form of consultations and workshops. The aim is that all training, education and advisory services as well as the production and performance platforms of the network partners will be as accessible to disabled, d/Deaf and chronically ill artists as they already are to non-disabled and hearing artists.

Project in transition

The funding for Making a Difference as part of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund ended on February 29, 2024. The project’s administration was also passed on within the network in March 2024, moving from Sophiensælen to Uferstudios.

Since July 2024, there has been a new project direction team consisting of Leo Naomi Baur (they/them) and video artist, and Juli Reinartz (sie/ihr). They can now be contacted at mad@uferstudios.com. If telephoning is more accessible for you, please contact Uferstudios by phone and ask us to call you back. The number for Uferstudios is: 030 460 60 887.

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Juli, eine weiblich gelesene Person, Anfang 40, mit dunkelblonden langen Haaren und heller Haut sitzt auf einem lila Sitzsack und schaut frontal in die Kamera. Sie trägt ein weißes, kastig-geschnittenes Hemd mit kurzen Ärmeln und eine helle Jeans, ihre Ellenbogen stützen sich auf die Oberschenkel, die Hände kreuzen sich zwischen den Beinen. Rund um sie herum wachsen Pflanzen, rechts stehen Gräser mit kleinen weißen Blüten, links steht ein Baum, der mit einer Rankpflanze überwachsen ist. english: Juli, a female read person in her early 40s with long dark blonde hair and light-coloured skin, sits on a purple beanbag and looks directly into the camera. She is wearing a white, boxy-cut shirt with short sleeves and light-coloured jeans, her elbows resting on her thighs, her hands crossed between her legs. Plants are growing all around her, grasses with small white flowers on the right and a tree overgrown with vines on the left. — Juli Reinartz

E-Mail: mad@uferstudios.com
Tel: +49 30 460 60 887

Leo, eine trans* nicht binäre, weiße Person Anfang 30 mit kurzen Haaren, einem weißen kurzärmligen Hemd und heller Hose liegt seitlich auf einem lilafarbenem Sitzsack. They stützt das Kinn auf eine Hand und schaut gerade in die Kamera. Die andere Hand liegt auf dem Sitzsack auf. Beide Unterarme sind tätowiert. Im Vordergrund wachsen hohe grüne und hellbraune Gräser mit kleinen weißen Blumen, der Hintergrund ist ziemlich dunkel und komplett von grünen Pflanzen bedeckt.

english: Leo, a trans* non-binary, white person in their early 30s with short hair, a white short-sleeved shirt and light-coloured trousers is lying sideways on a purple beanbag. They rest their chin on one hand and look straight into the camera. The other hand is resting on the beanbag. Both forearms are tattooed. Tall green and light brown grasses with small white flowers grow in the foreground, the background is quite dark and completely covered by green plants. — Leo Naomi Baur

E-Mail: mad@uferstudios.com
Tel: +49 30 460 60 887

The Network

Sophiensæle

Tanzfabrik Berlin

Uferstudios

LAFT Berlin (Performing Arts Programm & Festival)

Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin

TanzZeit e.V. / Tanzkomplizen

Zeitgenössischer Tanz Berlin (ZTB) / Tanzbüro Berlin

Associated partners

Diversity Arts Culture

Funded by:

From 2018 to February 2024, the Making a Difference network was funded by TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion/Co-Financing Fund. Since March 2024 the project is funded by the Berlin Senate Departement for Culture and Social Cohesion.