In the sold-out Aalto Theater, the audience and the dance scene celebrated an inclusive dance gala. Transmission in German sign language and live audio description accompanied the event.

At a festive dance gala on October 14, the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland presented the German Dance Award 2023 - the most prestigious award for dance in Germany.

Cheers and big applause accompanied the honor for the visually impaired performer Sophia Neises as well as the lifetime achievement award for the dance pedagogue Peter Appel. Finally, there was a standing ovation for Malou Airaudo, Josephine Ann Endicott, Lutz Förster and Dominique Mercy, who were awarded the German Dance Prize 2023.

The awards ceremony was also an evening that showcased the diversity and emotional power of dance, accompanied by WDR presenter Siham El-Maimouni. Highlights of the evening included the opening by the Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin with "Better, Faster, Stronger," the pieces "Paganini" and "White Darkness" by the Ballet of the Semperoper Dresden, and "Wandering Mind" by the Folkwang Tanzstudio. The Aalto Ballet enriched the evening on its home stage with "Mutual Comfort". The Tanztheater Wuppertal and its dancers delighted the audience with excerpts from works by Pina Bausch - "Vollmond" and "Kontakthof". In "Kontakthof" the prize winner Josephine Ann Endicott danced as a surprise guest. "... como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si ..." was danced by the Folkwang Dance Studio and guests. Touching was the solo "The Man I Love" by award winner Lutz Förster.