Dance students visit Berlin for UK's first dance-specific education abroad

Nine students attended the Summer Dance Immersion in Berlin July 5-23 2024.

Dancers pose in front of Cabaret sign in Berlin Germany

Nine UK dance students, and lecturer in dance Laura Neese, traveled to Berlin, Germany, in July 2024, for two and a half weeks of dance, culture, history, and performance. This was the Department of Theatre and Dance’s first dance-specific faculty-directed education abroad program supporting dance students with credits towards their dance majors/minors while immersing themselves in Berlin’s unique and vibrant culture.

The program was established in honor of former dance faculty member Stephanie Harris, whose vision planted the seed for a Dance-specific Education Abroad program to Berlin. An inaugural cohort of nine students ranging from freshman to senior, along with faculty director Laura Neese, traveled to Berlin to participate in the b12 festival, an international contemporary dance festival in which students trained alongside professionals, and took classes from established international artists in contemporary dance, somatics, and dance film. Students were challenged to expand athletic and artistic limits, and to broaden their perspectives on dance, choreography, media, and performance.

In addition to rigorous training at b12, students took in a wide variety of live dance performances, ranging in styles from ballet, to interdisciplinary dance theater, contemporary modern dance, and musical theater.

When not training and viewing performances students visited multiple cultural and historic sites. Students encountered the brutal history of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, explored ancient Near Eastern and European History at the Neues Museum, traced the development of 19th through 21st century German Art at the Berlinische Gallery, and engaged with the unique history of the East German Republic at the DDR Museum. They visited the murals on remnants of the Berlin Wall at the famed East Side Gallery, and explored history and culture at the Jewish Museum Berlin.

"As a faculty member I am inspired by the students’ growth over the course of the program," Neese said. "From arrival to departure, students immersed themselves not only in their dance studies, but also in the cultural dynamics of Berlin as a vibrant, complex, and cosmopolitan city. Yes, I witnessed remarkable transformations in the way students discussed and engaged with dance and performance, but more importantly I saw a shift in how they carried themselves - with confidence. What a privilege to facilitate such a meaningful and joyful learning experiences!"

FA 501: Summer Dance Immersion: Berlin 2025 Jul 1-22, 2025

Accepted students will participate in two weeks of workshops at the b12 International Dance Festival in Berlin, Germany. This contemporary dance festival includes rigorous daily training in contemporary dance and somatics, as well as opportunities for professional networking, moderated panels and discussion, improvisation, and live performance, in a vibrant multicultural community. Students will learn to navigate Berlin with confidence as they commute to and from festival activities. All classes are taught in English. In addition to the dance festival, students discover Berlin through several guided and independent cultural activities, including historic sites, museums, performances, and events. Sites from the Brandenburg Gate to Checkpoint Charlie, and the Holocaust Memorial to East Side Gallery, introduce Berlin’s rich and complex history. Through cultural excursions including to Berlin’s famed Museum Island, students explore intersections of global heritage and art history.

More Details Here

How to apply: Interested students should reach out to laura.neese@uky.edu to begin their application and/or ask about the program. The application is a two-step process, first students apply to the b12 festival, Neese will support students in compiling their application materials. Students accepted to b12 then apply directly to the UK program. Students do not need to be a Dance major or minor, to apply, but should have some experience and interest in dance and/or dance film.

Scholarships: Interested students can apply for UK study abroad scholarships, even before formal acceptance to a UK EA program.