With BOOM TSCHAK: 20 Years of Doris Uhlich, Tanzquarter Wien dedicates a major retrospective to the local icon and internationally celebrated choreographer from 5 November to 5 December 2026, spanning radical body art, dance, sound and excess.
Over the past two decades, Doris Uhlich has developed a practice in which dance is treated as a form of heightened presence, empowerment, and collective experience. Working with people of widely differing ages, bodies, physical conditions, levels of training and biographical backgrounds, she challenges normative ideas of beauty, ability and virtuosity. Her works create powerful images of bodies in action, bodies that are diverse, self-determined and uncompromising in their resistance to prescribed roles and boundaries. Whether bringing large groups together in public spaces or developing intimate encounters in the studio, in Uhlich’s work choreography becomes both an artistic and a social practice – one capable of building community and opening spaces in which people can experience their bodies differently, both individually and in relation to others. Combining political urgency with physical intensity and an infectious sense of energy, her work moves between contemporary dance, club culture and participatory practice, inviting audiences and performers alike into experiences of transformation, ecstasy and being together.
From the beginnings to the massive hits: the festival offers insights into Uhlich’s entire oeuvre to date, thus providing an opportunity to immerse yourself in a rich artistic universe, catch up on what you might have missed or simply see a classic again. Discover golden threads, thematic cross-references, and new perspectives on individual stages of Doris Uhlich’s career in the five focus areas of the comprehensive program: the Early Works present rarely performed works from her artistic beginnings as well as her first explorations of biographies and bodies, which still shape her creative process today. The World of Ballet shows highlights of her artistic rebellions against the norms and forms of venerable stage dance. The works under the title Welcome to the Machine shake up the relationship between humans and machines, between bodies and new technologies. Gootopian Times comprises various works and arrangements in which interactions between bodies and the expressive material slime open up visions of more fluid life forms. And, last but not least, the focus area Naked Works represents a central pillar in Uhlich’s oeuvre: the emancipation of the body from normative gazes, beauty ideals, and fixed roles.
In addition to the pieces at TQW, the program also features the site-specific format TANK at the Josephinum, the one-on-one performance Gootopian Treatment at brut Vienna, and Gootopia – Dripping Sculptures at Belvedere 21 as well as screenings, audience discussions, and workshops. The festival opens with the book launch of The Future is Naked, which is being published on the occasion of Doris Uhlich’s twentieth anniversary as a choreographer.
05/11/2026, 7:00 pm, TQW Studios
The Future is Naked (Ed. Adam Czirak in collaboration with Moritz Hannemann, Alexander Verlag Berlin)
Book Launch featuring a DJ-Set by Boris Kopeinig
With Tina Amerstorfer, Rosemarie Brucher, Adam Czirak, Susanne Kirnbauer, Mzamo Nondlwana, Vera Rosner, Niki Selimov, Chris Standfest, Doris Uhlich
Moderation: Christina Gillinger
06/11 & 07/11 & 12/11 & 13/11 & 14/11 & 17/11 & 19/11/2026, 9:00 am – 9:00 pm,
18/11/2026, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, TQW Studios
Screenings
On select days during the festival, TQW Studios will screen a selection of video works by and featuring Doris Uhlich. The screening format is open-ended: visitors can come, stay, and leave at any time. Among other works, the program features excerpts from videos in the Habitat series, SONNE, SUN site specific, and melancholic ground, offering insights into different phases, formats, and contexts of Doris Uhlich’s choreographic practice.
