Spielzeit 26.08. - 09.10.

PACT Zollverein, Essen

PACT Zollverein, Essen

Bullmannaue 20 a

Schacht 1/2/8, Areal B, Gebäude 45

45327 Essen

Directions

Residing in the former coop of the biggest coal-mine of the Ruhr area, the PACT Zollverein is still closely connected with the history of the building and the entire tariff union premises.

Strictly speaking, a coop in a coal-mine is a dressing room with showers. In the»white coop« the miners deposit their street clothes and in the »black coop« they deposit their workwear into cages which are pulled under the roof. Despite widespread moral concerns the installation of shower baths for workmen was ruled in the Ruhr district. They were the sanitary answer of the mining administration to collective basins that nurtured infections and in which the water was changed only once a day.

1907: Completion of the washing coop on pit 1/2/8.
The shower baths installation is constructed for 3000 miners.

1986: Closing down of coal extraction.

Early 90s: The coop is discovered by choreographers of the region as a location for performances of dance. In the consecutive years, the transformation into a location for contemporary dance is advanced on the Zollverein premises.

1999-2000: Modification of the two-storey washing coop into the Choreographisches Zentrum NRW, the Center for Choreography of North-Rhine Westfalia, by the architecture office Mäckler, Frankfurt/Main, who pursue the aim to »conserve the original substance with only minimal intervention«.

July 2000: Move-in and start of programme with productions, guest performances, the training- and qualification programme, and with the first European university exchange programme.

February 2002: Merging of the Choreographisches Zentrum NRW and the institution of dance Tanzlandschaft Ruhr into PACT Zollverein - Performing Arts Choreographischen Zentrums NRW der Tanzlandschaft Ruhr.

Source: www.pact-zollverein.de

What is played at this location: