Support dancers after unexpected project cancellation

We are twelve dancers and a rehearsal director from all over Europe, who moved with great enthusiasm and commitment to Basel (Switzerland) for a twelve-week project called Totentanz zu Basel.

The project didn’t cover the costs of travel, accommodation, and as most of us are not based in Switzerland, we had to pay the insurance as well directly from our salary.

On May 31, 2024, after eight weeks of rehearsals, we learned from the media that the shows of Totentanz, that were going to take place at Mūnsterplatz had been canceled.

We were shocked, confused, and incredibly disappointed, but hopeful and open to other options and future alternatives.

For the following two weeks, we had been waiting for concrete details about our payments for May and June and the possibility of finding alternative venues for the shows, until June 14th, 2024, when we finally got the official information that we were not going to get paid for our work and that there would be no shows planned. In few words, Totentanz GmbH claimed to have no money to pay us.

We are now missing two months of salary, and find ourselves in an extremely challenging financial situation.

We have given up another job offers to be here; we have been paying our rent and insurance to be here; we have worked incredibly hard to create a full evening performance, only to find ourselves in an unimaginable situation.

We are reaching out to the lovers of art and supporters of dance to help us navigate through this difficult time. Your support will help ensure that our dedication and hard work are recognized and that we can continue to bring our passion for dance to audiences.

To share our passion and effort with you, we will be holding open rehearsals on the 21st and 22nd of June for anyone who would like to see the ballet piece we have created for "Totentanz".* Your presence and generosity would mean the world to us and will help us recover some of the losses we have incurred.

Thank you for believing in us and for supporting the arts.

You can get in touch through our [email redacted]cers