The German Dance Award is the most prestigious prize for dance in Germany. It has been presented annually since 1983, accompanied by an award ceremony and dance gala held at the Aalto Theater in Essen. As part of the celebratory proceedings, the Kultursalon takes place at PACT, offering an opportunity for attendees to partake in an informal festive reception and exchange with the award winners and honorees.  Dance journalist Elisabeth Nehring will moderate the evening and engage in conversation with Pina Bausch dancers and winners of the German Dance Prize 2023 Malou Airaudo, Jo Ann Endicott, Dominique Mercy and Lutz Förster, as well as with performer Sophia Neises (Honor for outstanding development in dance) and with companions of dance pedagogue Peter Appel (Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award). The laudations for the honorees will be delivered by Nina Mühlemann and Heinz Spoerli and the evening will culminate in a restaging of ›Der zweite Frühling‹ by Pina Bausch. 

The German Dance Award is supported by the City of Essen, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Norbert-Lammert-Stiftung and the Kulturstiftung Essen.