Training program for audio description in dance

On which levels does dance work? As a physical art, dance is considered a form of expression in which visual aspects dominate. How can dance also be made accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired? Audio descriptions are one way of making dance accessible to blind and visually impaired people. On the initiative of Tanzplattform Rhein-Main, an audio description and touch tour is being developed for the first time as part of a production by the Hessisches Staatsballett:  “Chronicles”, which will premiere on Sunday, February 16, 2025.

The audio description for “Chronicles” marks the highlight and end of a qualification program for audio description authors in dance initiated by the Tanzplattform Rhein-Main. Led by the blind experts Melanie Hambrecht and Fabian-Lilian Korner, nine blind, visually impaired and sighted people have been training together as audio description authors over the last four months. The program sets important standards. The authors work in teams in which blind or visually impaired experts work together with sighted experts on an equal footing, thus placing the experiences of the target group at the center from the very beginning. Under the notion of 'artistic audio description', the training also takes into account the special features of the art form 'dance'. It thus radically distinguishes itself from the supposedly neutral, very technical descriptions familiar from film and television. The starting point for the audio description of the dance evening “Chronicles” is how the various sensual levels that come into play in a dance performance can be incorporated. The olfactory and haptic qualities of the dance performance are taken into account, as is a verbal description of the action on stage. The aim is to create a holistic sensual-aesthetic experience for the blind and visually impaired audience that is equivalent to the visual reception of the piece.

Tickets:

16.2. | 6pm Cronicles / Hessisches Staatsballett at Hessisches Staatstheater; 5.30 pm introduction into the evening