We are excited to announce that Anneliese Monika Koch, director of Vis à Vis Tanztheater will be holding a masterclass at the Laban Guild International Festival 2026, a five-day in person event honoring a legacy that has inspired innovation, reflection, and transformation across artistic and academic fields, bringing together international artists, scholars, educators, and practitioners.

About the Masterclass

Welcome to Ausdruckstanz, a dynamic practice driven by creative energy. Why do we move? Because something within us is already in motion. Guided by this inner voice, we will dance, improvise and create to speak the "Language of Movement“ from within—"a language that transcends words and speaks directly to the heart“, as Rudolf von Laban described it. From guided improvisations choreographic images will evolve, written by the script of our own bodies.

Our training draws from Expressive Dance and European Tanztheater practice and focused breath work to awaken movement awareness, bringing greater depth and presence to our gestures. The use of props, objects, and sounds will stimulate the imagination and encourage lively interaction with each other in space.

Vis à Vis Tanztheater

Founded by Anneliese Monika Koch, Vis à Vis Tanztheater is a community of artists that embraces the vision of Dance Theatre as a space for healing and transformation. Influenced and inspired by Hilde Holger, their work evolves from her approach, exploring dance theatre as a path to creative expression, inter-arts research and education.

Anneliese Monika Koch

After studies of literature at Bremen University, she trained and performed in London with the expressionist dancer Hilde Holger, originally from Vienna. She also studied at Trinity Laban London, and theatre direction with Anatoly Vasiliev in Moscow. Her extensive teaching experience includes lecturing in the MA Programme at Trinity Laban London and for the Dance in Education Programme at the University of Vienna. She has presented her works at European festivals and has received awards for her performance labs in the past. As director of Vis à Vis Tanztheater, she leads annual performance labs and a Dance community for children, developing her own holistic practice of art education through dance, movement, and play, as well as offering professional training courses.

Schedule and information for all events of the festival here.