Making a Difference

OPEN CALL: Residency for a disabled, Deaf, or chronically ill artist

WHAT AND FOR WHOM

Making a Difference and tanzhaus nrw are offering a residency at tanzhaus nrw in Düsseldorf for one disabled, Deaf or chronically ill artist from Berlin or North Rhine-Westphalia. Please apply with an idea for a piece. It does not need to be fully developed and may include several phases of research. Making a Difference and tanzhaus nrw are interested in a longer-term collaboration.

Within the framework of this open call, we will only consider projects led by disabled, Deaf or chronically ill artists. We place particular importance on projects that integrate access as an integral part of their artistic concept.

TIMELINE

25 August → Arrival
26 August to 3 September → studio time, 8 days (Mon–Sat)
4 September → Departure

WHAT WE OFFER

• 8 days of studio time (between Monday and Saturday)
• Fee for 10 days for 1 person: €2,500
• Support from an access or communication assistant on site (scheduled upon agreement)
• Coverage of travel and accommodation costs, as well as per diems
• Technical support upon agreement

WORKING SPACES

Various spaces are available depending on prior arrangement:

• Dance and workshop studios with daylight (partially blackout-capable)
• A larger rehearsal space (approx. 150 m²)
• A small black box / proscenium stage

The tanzhaus nrw building is step-free and has an accessible restroom.
Doors are not automatic.
The forecourt has cobblestones and old tram tracks.
Parts of the building do not have a tactile guidance system.
A kitchen is available; the kitchenette is accessible via two steps, but a step-free dining table is provided.
There is an in-house restaurant offering discounted lunch options (2–3 choices), as well as water and coffee for artists.
The venue is located in an urban environment with nearby streets, tram lines, and residential activity.
Workspaces can be adapted according to individual access needs.
Click here for the directions to tanzhaus nrw.
Click here for the description of directions in german written language to tanzhaus nrw.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Travel and accommodation will be provided in consultation with Making a Difference, based on individual access needs and preferences.

APPLICATION

Please include:

• A short project proposal (including any desired/required studio setup or access needs)

• A short bio

• Information on existing project partners or collaborators

• Optional: an access rider (What are your access needs?)

You can submit your application as:

• PDF text (max. 3 pages: proposal + bio)

• Audio (max. 7 minutes)

• Video (max. 5 minutes)

DEADLINE

Submit applications via email or download link to: mad@uferstudios.com
Deadline: May 1, 2026, 23:59
Subject line: “Residency tanzhaus nrw”
Applicants may expect a response by May 30.

QUESTIONS AND CONTACT

If you do not fully see yourself reflected in the conditions of this open call, we encourage you to get in touch—we are open to conversation.

For access-related questions or to discuss your needs, please contact Making a Difference:
Email: mad@uferstudios.com
Phone: +49 30 460 60 887

WHO WE ARE

Making a Difference (MAD) is a Berlin-based network that, since 2018, has been working to address gaps in training and artistic development for disabled, Deaf, and chronically ill artists. The network organizes workshops, residencies, peer-to-peer labs, and co-productions, and actively centres Disabled expertise in artistic leadership and advisory roles.
In collaboration with partners from Berlin’s dance scene and beyond, MAD develops models for transregional collaboration and for increasing the visibility of Disabled, Deaf, and chronically ill artists.

tanzhaus nrw, located in a former tram depot in Düsseldorf, is an internationally recognized centre for contemporary dance, with eight studios and two stages across 4,000 square meters. It functions as a performance venue, production house, and academy. The program spans diverse choreographic practices and focuses on the body as a site of artistic inquiry, including themes such as body politics, digitality, urban dance cultures, sustainability, and new forms of community.
tanzhaus nrw is committed to ongoing collaboration with Disabled artists and actively engages with Aesthetics of Access through performances, co-productions, residencies, workshops, discourse, and artistic research.

Open Call in DGS:

Audio flyer in english spoken language:

Further funding through TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund

Making a Difference has once again been selected for funding in the fourth round of applications for TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund! Over the next three years, we will continue our work to empower disabled, Deaf, and chronically ill artists in dance!

We are particularly pleased that our network will continue to grow in the new project phase: with HAU Hebbel am Ufer / Tanz im August and Radialsystem, two important Berlin institutions are joining us. At the same time, we are establishing permanent collaborations in five other federal states for the first time with Kampnagel Hamburg, tanzhaus nrw, Theater RAMPE Stuttgart, Festival Theaterformen/Real Dance Festival Hannover/Braunschweig, and the University of the Arts in Social Work, Ottersberg.

The aim is to make the approaches developed in Berlin for barrier-free production and presentation processes accessible nationwide on a sustainable basis. Together with these partners, who already pursue inclusive programs, standards for barrier removal, fair working conditions, and long-term prospects in artistic work are being developed. Residencies, co-productions, guest performances, and knowledge transfer go hand in hand with peer-to-peer empowerment, awareness-raising, and mediation formats.

In this way, we are continuing on our path of not only demanding structural change, but also actively implementing it—and continuously strengthening the visibility of a growing community.

We look forward to the next three years!