From June 2 to July 20, 2025, the Coalition of the Independent Arts Scene Berlin and the Independent Arts Scene Office conducted a survey on the situation of workspaces and rehearsal spaces in Berlin for the performing arts, literature, music, dance and project spaces/initiatives.
The focus was on how the State of Berlin's workspace programme for the above-mentioned art forms is evaluated and what the structural conditions for freelance artists in the city currently look like.
"In light of the results of the survey conducted by the Raumbüro Freie Szene, we feel both validated and deeply shaken: In all questions concerning the financial situation of dance—and thus the dependence on affordable, i.e. subsidized, workspaces (93.5%!)—dance ranks, in some cases significantly, above the average of respondents. Financial pressure and high rental costs are by far the biggest problems when it comes to finding space, making it all the more understandable that those working in dance already rely on subsidized spaces from the Workspace Program to an above-average degree.
The indication of a high demand for temporarily usable spaces again highlights the structural deficit within the dance sector: Very few dance artists receive long-term funding; the overwhelming majority work on very short notice, on a project basis, and often without funding. However, the survey also shows that, more than in other artistic fields, cooperation is second nature in dance—sharing spaces as a collective resource results in high efficiency and creativity in how spaces are used.
The findings underscore the absolute necessity of the Workspace Program across all disciplines, as well as the critical role played by the Raumbüro Freie Szene. They make it clear just how much damage the extreme financial cuts in this area will cause. For dance, as a genuine spatial art form, yet another pillar of its already far too fragile structure is in danger of collapsing."
- Marie Henrion, Tanzbüro Berlin
The full survey results can be viewed here.