School of Experience

Pina Bausch Centre under construction, Bundesallee 260, Wuppertal 

At a time characterized by acceleration, digitalization, and increasing social isolation, people are simultaneously more connected to one another than ever before. And yet, many experience loneliness, alienation, and a loss of community.

The fourth edition of the School of Experience will take place in Wuppertal and Düsseldorf from November 5 to 8, 2026, taking this tension as its point of departure. This year’s guiding theme, What about Connection?, places questions of connection, connectedness, coming together, and belonging at the heart of the program. As in previous editions, the series of events brings together perspectives from academia, the arts, and somatic practice.

The program will include keynote talks, a focus on artistic work featuring performance, dance, and a concert, as well as opportunities for encounter and exchange. The artistic program in Wuppertal includes the performance ″HOLY SHIT″ by Ben J. Riepe, a participatory dance project by Patricia Carolin Mai, the Hamburg-based choreographer and researcher exploring movement as a somatic and empowering practice, as well as a concert by Icelandic composer and double bassist Bára Gísladóttir. In Düsseldorf, among other projects, a choral project by Ari Benjamin Meyers will be presented. Ari is an artist and composer and currently holds an interim professorship in sculpture at the KunstakademieDüsseldorf.

Guests participating in the theory program include, alongside representatives from the participating universities, musicologist Bernd Brabec de Mori, who specializes in the ethnomusicology of Amazonia as well as music and healing. A wide range of sessions exploring dance, singing, music, and rituals will make community physically tangible. Together with the other elements of the program, these sessions come together to form a ″Choreography of Experience″.

As in previous editions, the event is aimed both at students from seven disciplines at five universities in North Rhine-Westphalia and at members of the interested public. The so-called ″Campus″ for participating students will be a closed event. Public program items will be clearly indicated as such.

November 5 + 6, 2026

Pina Bausch Centre under construction Wuppertal:
Opening, sessions, talks including Bernd Brabec de Mori, Performance ″HOLY SHIT″ / Ben J. Riepe, dance project / Patricia Carolin Mai, concert / Bára Gísladóttir, and many more.

November 7 + 8, 2026

Künstlerverein Malkasten and FREIRAUM, Düsseldorf:
Sessions, talks, choral project / Ari Benjamin Meyers, and many more.

The full program is available at
www.benjriepe.com

An event by Ben J. Riepe, supported by the Kunststiftung NRW, the Cultural Office of the City of Düsseldorf, and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and in cooperation with the venues.