Projects

Making a Difference launched in 2018 with a wide-ranging programme. In previous years we offered workshops for artists, a research group for dance teachers, workshops in schools, dance vouchers, research labs, residencies, co-productions, an international conference, teacher trainings, online dance classes and conversation series. You can find brief descriptions of all events from 2018 to 2021 in our archive.

With the continuation of funding from March 2022 to February 2024, the project now centres around two areas:

1. the promotion of artists through residencies and co-productions as well as workshops.

2. the further training of the partner organisations of the Making a Difference network in the field of anti-discriminatory cultural work.

Residences and Co-productions

The stage photo from Rita Mazza's piece Dandelion 2 shows a large, black cassette recorder from the 1980s. Rita's arm reaches into the picture from the left. Ritas hand with its neon blue and orange fingernails rests on the device and seems to be pressing one of the buttons.
Rita Mazza: DANDELION II © Mayra Wallraff

Since the beginning of the project, Making a Difference has offered at least one residency to Berlin or international artists every year. Except for the year 2021, the residency is followed by a co-production financed by Making a Difference for all Berlin artists.

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Artist-Workshops

On a bright red postcard is written by hand in black marker: "What is a Relaxed Performance" - "Was ist eine Relaxed Performance".
© Touretteshero

Several times a year Making a Difference organises workshops on artistic accessibility tools for disabled and d/Deaf dance practitioners in Berlin. The workshops are led by local, national and international artists who have firmly anchored forms of aesthetic accessibility (Aesthetics of Access) in their practice. These include Sophia Neises, Chisato Minamimura and Jess Thom.

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Training and Knowledge Transfer

The terms digital accessibility, audism, accessible event planning, access as mindset, Relaxed Performance, audiodescription and anti-ableist cultural work are listed in different colours on a light blue background.
© Making a Difference

Since 2022, Making a Difference has been focusing on intensifying the collaboration with the network partners. Joint as well as organisation-specific development goals are pursued, paving the way for an inclusive restructuring of the Berlin dance sector. In order to ensure the sustainable visibility of artists after the end of the project in February 2024, investment our partners‘ structures is crucial.

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Conference

A screenshot of four zoom windows from a video conference. The two festival curators Kate Marsh and Noa Winter and the researcher Carrie Sandahl are all lying down. The interpreter Oya Ataman smiles at the camera.

Between the 1st and 5th of September 2021 disabled artist-curators, Kate Marsh and Noa Winter invited to conversations, practice, safer spaces and public sharings. At the core of this invitation was the aim to come together in ways that make space for all. Over five days the curators invited international artists not only to share their practices, but to bring in those conversations that they always wanted to have.

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