International Guest Performances in Dance, Theatre, and Performance Art
Transkontinentale 2026 brings together international dance, theatre, and performance productions at the Humboldt Forum. Artists from Cameroon, China, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Brazil explore themes of natural and cultural heritage, water, forests, and the earth, offering new perspectives on the museum’s collections through their performances. The festival opens on 30 September with the premiere of Luftmasse, a co-production by Tian Gebing.
Image gallery
Aufführung des Stücks "ON MY WAY HOME" von Reinaldo Reibeiro und Lucia Oiro
A group of people from Cameroon dance with nature, led by Mami Wata on the drums. Europe is at war with China, the Greenland ice sheet is melting and the seas are in revolt. Trees, spirits and wild animals from Aotearoa / New Zealand get up to mischief to the sound of European Baroque music. Dancers from Lagos, Nigeria, dance their city as R.A.V.E. = Radical Audio Visual Experience.
Through dance, performance and theatre, the artists invited to Transkontinentale 2026 explore cultural and natural heritage, water, earth and forests, as well as personal and collective ownership of history and stories. Some of the selected productions take place amidst the ethnological collections at the Humboldt Forum, offering new perspectives and direct access to the museum’s themes.
The festival opens on 30 September with the premiere of the co-production *Luftmasse* by Chinese director Tian Gebing, based on a text by Alfred Döblin. The performance premiered at the *Theater der Welt* festival in Chemnitz; the spatial concept was designed by Ai Weiwei. The wordless dance piece “Shel We” by the Māori choreographer Tigafua is suitable for everyone aged 4 and over. Performances by the Brazilians Reinaldo Ribeiro and Lucas Lacerda / Daniel Weyand take the audience on a journey through the Humboldt Forum, its halls and exhibitions, and through shared and personal memories.
Following the guest performances, there will be Q & As with the artists.
The full programme will be available here soon.
- Saal 1, 2, SAF 2, Foyer, Ethnologisches Museum, Rooftop Terrace
- 30.9.-4.10.2026
