It is our distinct pleasure to announce that ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, 2008, as an institution whose aim and work is dedicated to contemporary dance in presentation, research and education. On this occasion we have not only the opportunity to celebrate this special event with all ImPulsTanz supporters, including the great talents, dancers, choreographers, teachers, performers, musicians, the wonderful audience and the entire ImPulsTanz staff, but also to thank everyone who believed in us.

In the past 25 years it was an eminent concern of ImPulsTanz to anchor contemporary dance in public and political perception, and we take it as a great success, that the acceptance by politicians and political institutions has increased throughout the last years. Thus it is a major honour that this years’ 25th anniversary festival is under the honorary patronage by Dr. Heinz Fischer, the Federal President of the Republic of Austria.

In this anniversary year ImPulsTanz is proud to announce the expansion of the festival‘s [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series from 8 to 12 trendsetting productions of tomorrow by emerging choreographers from all over the world. Furthermore for the first time the Prix Jardin d’Europe, part of the newly created European joint venture Jardin d’Europe, will be awarded within the frame of the festival.

In looking to our past we find the directions to our future!

To open this special festival, we invite you to the exceptional concert of the “The
Manganiyar Seduction”, a caste of 43 musicians and singers who traditionally
performed for the kings of Rajasthan. The concert is staged by Indian director
Roysten Abel and will be presented in the court of Vienna’s MuseumQuartier.

We invite you to join the celebration!

Karl Regensburger