Workshops
There shall be dance – not only on the stage: Steps artists will hold workshops during the festival in which they provide insights into their work.
Some formats are are open to anyone with a desire to move, while others are aimed at professionals.
We organise these workshops with our partner theatres, who set the pricing.
valse, valse, valse - Johanna Heusser (CH)
As part of Steps, Basel-based choreographer Johanna Heusser transforms her existing piece valse, valse, valse into a 15- to 20-minute duet that takes place away from the traditional stage.
Followed by a participatory workshop of around 40 minutes, this short version offers a playful approach to the art of waltzing.
A mini dance lesson for everyone aged 6 an up.
11th of March 2026: Dampfzentrale Bern
14th of March 2026 Gessnerallee Zürich
28th of March 2026: LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura
Breaking Battle at the Nebia Biel
Steps, Nebia and Groove’N’Move present a Hip-Hop All Style Dance Battle at Nebia, that opens the theatre to urban dance culture.
In the Exhibition Battle, the dancers face each other in one-on-one encounters. The action takes place in a cypher – a circle amidst the audience, that creates closeness, exchange and direct interaction. In short, successive rounds, improvised solos emerge, characterised by music, individual style and precise control of movement. The audience and the jury follow the flow of the battle and decide wo wins and advances to the next round.
8th of March 2026: Nebia Biel
Introductions & Post-Show Talks
A piece begins before the first dance step,and doesn’t end with the last: Through our introductions and post-show talks, you can discover the background, themes, and creative processes of the productions.
Whether through conversation or in movement, these formats create points of access, encourage exchange and make dance tangible — before or after the performance.
HORA says
A digital introduction that takes a new approach: instead of being created by dramaturges, the introductions come from people who themselves take to the stage.
Members of Theater HORA – one of Switzerland's most renowned independent theatre, dance, and performance groups – have watched the pieces of the Steps 2026 program and share their personal impressions in HORA says. They talk about what moved them, what they perceived and understood – or perhaps didn’t.
School & Dance
The Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps offers children and young people a contemporary approach to contemporary dance. Through more than 70 school workshops in all parts of the country and seven school performances by Belgian Compagnie Circumstances, the programme 2026 is aimed at participants aged ten and above and combines artistic practice with a shared theatre experience.
Since the introduction of school mediation in 2004, around 30'000 students from German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland, and Ticino have already benefited from it.
