March 3, 2024

Co-directing an International Festival | Wieland & Poulinas

What does it take to stage a dance festival? Have you ever wanted to initiate an international platform with long-term sustainability? Despite the overwhelming number of contemporary dance festivals around today, very few have peaked at the level of a Deltebre Dansa, ImPulsTanz or Jacob's Pillow. However, B12 has managed to achieve such status in an even shorter time, which makes their story doubly more remarkable. And the secret to all of this? A stellar management team of course!

Johannes Wieland and Evangelos Poulinas are co-founders and the brains behind this project, with both having had successful performing and choreographic careers prior to transitioning into critical management roles. Johannes was once artistic director for the Staatsheater Kassel in Germany while Evangelos on the other hand, co-directed the One Small Step festival in Greece.

Kickstarting a brand new season and month of Dance Management, this episode tells a story of the many challenges in establishing an international dance platform, building a competent team and the unique experiences of co-directing as project leaders. Ready to discover the manager within you? Join us as we foreground dance in the background!

Soundtracks:

Birds - Tyler Twombly
Poison Ivy Yard Work - Uncle Milk
Something Elated - Broke for free

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Chapters

02:15 - Introduction

18:52 - Find people that can support you and your ideas

28:32 - Stay positive and retry

37:21 - Think big and know that you are able to do many things

Johannes Wieland

Artistic Director / Choreographer

Conceived in Lisbon and born in berlin, Johannes Wieland completed his BFA at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, and worked, thereupon, in various companies with an extensive array of choreographers. After performing with the Béjart ballet Lausanne, he relocated to New York City, where he received his MFA in contemporary dance and choreography at NYU/ Tisch School of the Arts.

While running the company 'Johannes Wieland' in New York, he built from scratch what, for 15 years, has been known as the contemporary dance company at the state theater of Kassel, Germany, holding positions as a resident choreographer, artistic director and director of the dance department. his continued cinematic interest led him to making short movies. creating multi-disciplinary work through his berlin company mind eraser/johannes wieland is his newest playground and aside from being commissioned from companies and teaching for universities, his critically acclaimed pieces have been invited to tour internationally to festivals and events.

Johannes is also directing and curating b12 - the festival for contemporary dance and performance art (www.b12.space), which runs annually in berlin. he is a 1st prize winner of the Kurt Jooss prize, and has been awarded numerous other prizes, recognitions, scholarships, and grants. Johannes was a nominee for the German theater prize der Faust in 2016 for his creation you will be removed. he works on non-categorizing art.

Evangelos Poulinas

Dancer / Choreographer /Educator

Evangelos Poulinas studied dance in Athens and in New York . his choreographies have been presented in the USA, Europe and Asia. he danced in pieces by J. Wieland, M. Doyle and W. Vandekeybus, and was the director of the annual one small step festival, in Greece, from 2010 to 2018. he teaches contemporary techniques in Europe, the USA and Asia. he is a founding member and artistic director of the annual b12 contemporary dance and performance art festival in berlin. (www.b12.space)