Initiated by the Berlin dance makers Claire Vivianne Sobottke, Jared Gradinger, Silke Bake, Siegmar Zacharias, Sheena McGrandles, Martin Hansen, Jule Flierl & Laurie Young, a loose collective of artists and actors in the field of contemporary dance/performance has been building up since December 2024, to appreciate their colleagues with a joint website, to emphasize the complexity of the work in dance and to resist the impending budget catastrophe, a catastrophe that is currently massively threatening all freelance artists and actors. “We demand a restructuring of the Berlin funding system in dialog with the community of artists working in the field of contemporary dance/performance: Instead of mindless cuts that undo the progress and achievements of the scene, we call for a forward-looking update, a jointly developed strategy that promotes a generative and sustainable future.” The Freelance Dance Ensemble is a working group of the ZTB e.V.. Berlin dance professionals can join the ensemble at any time.