The Austrian Dance Council
Advocacy for dance – especially ballet – in Austria. Founded in 1989.
Credo – We believe in dance
Why Credo? Because it means believing in something. Something you can’t always explain in detail – but you feel it deeply inside.
We believe in children – in their curiosity and wonder.
We believe in youth – in its freedom and strength.
We believe in adulthood – in its power and responsibility.
We believe in age – in its experience and wisdom.
And we believe this: dance belongs to every stage of life.
Dance is emotion. Movement. Expression. It lives inside us – in countless forms. And the most refined, powerful form of dance? Classical ballet. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes heart. But what you gain from it stays with you forever: strength, awareness, grace – for life.
Credo also means sharing what we know. Passing on what we love. Building spaces where dance can grow. So it stays alive – in our culture, and in our future. That’s what the Austrian Dance Council stands for.
We believe in dance. And we believe in you.
Highlights
- Founded in 1989
- Advocacy for dance, especially ballet, in Austria
- Informing the public about ballet and dance in Austria
- Protection, development, support and promotion of all matters related to Austrian dance towards politics, business, interest groups, authorities, media and personalities
- Symposia, presentations and events on education, further training and professional training
- “ÖTR Contest”: children and young people from Austrian and international ballet schools compete with classical and modern variations on stage
- ÖTR Dance Days: Austrian and international ballet schools present their performances in St. Pölten
- “Ballet Days”: more than 30 European ballet schools perform their choreographies in St. Pölten
- ÖTR Quality Seal: a certificate for quality assurance in Austrian ballet and dance training institutions
History
The Austrian Dance Council was founded in April 1989, among others, by the Society for Ballet, the Hilverding Society, the Association of Friends of the Vienna State Opera, the Society of Friends of the Federal Theatres, the International Music Centre and the Media Kult Association.
In the early years, Dr. Marius Mautner-Markhof served as president and Professor Michael Birkmeyer as vice president of the ÖTR. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Hubert Prantl played a significant role as general secretary in the initial phase of the ÖTR’s successful activities.
The then Federal Minister Dr. Hilde Hawlicek, Federal Ministers Dr. Erhard Busek and Dr. Alois Mock, Chancellor Dr. Franz Vranitzky, the Union for Arts, Media and Freelance Professions, and Dr. Ursula Pasterk welcomed the establishment of the Austrian Dance Council. Well-known figures from the ballet and dance world such as Rosalia Chladek, solo dancer Willy Dirtl, solo dancer Susanne Kirnbauer, Dr. Andrea Amort, artistic director Karl Regensburger, Edith Wolf-Perez and Dr. Doris Tarlowski supported the founding of the ÖTR.
Since its foundation, the Austrian Dance Council has worked to collaborate with related institutions, such as the Austrian section of the International Theatre Institute, UNESCO, and the Dance Working Group in Austria.
In 1993, Professor Karl Musil, solo dancer of the Vienna State Opera, was elected president of the ÖTR. His enthusiasm for ballet inspired many practical projects, including the idea for a ballet and dance competition: the ÖTR Dance Contest was born. Launched in 1996 as a national competition, it became one of the largest international competitions in 1997, open to both amateurs and professional dancers of all ages.
With the ongoing and strong support of Professor Evelyn Téri, the competitions remain a crucial part of the ÖTR’s commitment to ballet and dance.
Through the ÖTR Contest competitions, the ÖTR Dance Days and the Ballet Days – with which the original idea was continued and developed by later presidents Gregor Hatala and Peter Rille – the ÖTR has organised numerous performances and gala evenings at the Theater Akzent, the Volkstheater, the Museumsquartier and the Odeon Theatre in Vienna. Under the honorary patronage of the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna, these events have provided a bridge to ballet and dance.