The 6th international online-dancefestival SideBySide-net starts on August 27th with live performances and video-art at Theaterkantine Düsseldorf. After that, the participating artists of different styles and (dance) cultures will enter the virtual stage: the website www.side-by-side.net
In the international dance scene “SideBySide.net“ has become quite well known: As every year, numerous artists from all over the world have applied to take part. “The variety and quality of applications has convinced me as well as the choice of artists we finally nominated for the festival”, says juror Peter Schmehl, who has worked as executive director of the arts foundation North Rhine-Westphalia and was professionally responsible for free scene for 16 years.
The eight exclusively nominated artists traveled to Düsseldorf to join the festival’s opening: among them are classical dancers from Spain and Mexico, a breakdancer from England, choreographers from South Korea, Brazil and Germany as 
well as video-artists from the Netherlands and the US. From August 28th till November 28th, the festival will take place online: At www.side-by-side.net, viewers can watch all nominees’ dance videos as often as they like, write their direct feedback and vote on what they’ve seen (claim: watch & vote! The audiences’ favorite artists finally receive prices summing up to 3.000 Euro.
“The strong feedback from artists and audiences likewise proves that innovative art can be mediated through new channels of presentation”, says Mario Alfonso, the festival’s innovator and creative director, whose institution SideBySide art center will again be present at this year’s Tanzmesse NRW. The festival provides dance and its artists with the deserved attention – in recent years, it has in sum been visited by around 125.000 people worldwide. SideBySide-net 2010 is powered by the minister president’s office of North.
Rhine-Westphalia and the foundation for arts and culture of Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf.
The nominees are
Sol Shin & Sunghwa Kim NARCISSUS CANTATA
Wilkie Branson STRONGER
Rosane Chamecki, Andrea Lerner and Phil Harder FLYING LESSON
Arantxa Sagardoy VISIONS
Laura Keil lovecircle
Aafke De Jong ITCH!
Jaciel Neri bodiesarenotborders
To vote, please visit www.side-by-side.net/en/festival/2010
