Since the seventies of the last century, dance has become a striking source of inspiration for artists seeking forward-looking means of expression that transcend the confines of genre. It had a profound influence on the theatrical avantgarde.

The multimedia installation Transforming Acts by the artists Penelope Wehrli and Detlev Schneider, developed in 2013, explores this influence. For the installation, productions by exemplary artists such as Pina Bausch, Lucinda Childs, Merce Cunningham, Jo Fabian, Jan Fabre, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Johann Kresnik, Thomas Lehmen, Alain Platel, Einar Schleef, Meg Stuart, Robert Wilson, VA Wölfl, Xavier LeRoy were used, which were made available and organised by the ITI Germany and its Media Library for Dance and Theatre, in collaboration with the Akademie der Künste and the Tanzfilminstitut Bremen.

This installation was shown over five years, 2014-2018, travelling to international festivals and exhibition venues. These included Tanz im August, Maribor Theatre Festival, euro-scene Leipzig, Internationales Sommerlabor Frankfurt/Main; Theaterfestival Basel, Tanzquartier Wien, Tanzwoche Dresden.

The Transforming Acts archive can be viewed in the Media Library for Dance and Theatre.  

The project Transforming Acts was funded by the Dance Heritage Fund/Federal Cultural Foundation.