Open Letter from Ballet Director Bruno Heynderickx – A Plea for a House of Dance in Wiesbaden

Open Letter / Letter to the Editor:
Why Not a House for Dance in the Former Sportarena Building?

I am writing in response to several articles that have appeared in recent months in the Wiesbadener Kurier about the future use of the former Sportarena/SportScheck department store building in the heart of Wiesbaden.

As Ballet Director of the Hessisches Staatsballett, I follow these developments with great interest and a deep sense of responsibility. What if this space – so centrally located and full of potential – were to become a dance (rehearsal) house for Hesse? It would be truly unique, because unlike in other federal states, there is (still) no such place in all of Hesse dedicated entirely to dance.

On 30 July, I will attend the presentation of student projects from the Master’s programme in Architecture at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. For a semester, the students have been imagining how the former Sportarena building could be transformed into a professional and inclusive home for dance. While these are not full feasibility studies, I am convinced that many of the ideas will be visionary, inspiring, and worthy of serious consideration.

Against this backdrop, I ask myself why a feasibility study has already been commissioned and presented for a new city museum – while the idea of a House of Dance has not yet received the same level of attention. Of course, works of art deserve proper preservation and presentation – but what about the artists themselves?

At present, the dancers of the Hessisches Staatsballett rehearse up to eight hours a day in the basement rooms of the theatre – without daylight and without windows! For the independent dance scene, the situation is even more precarious, as it has hardly any suitable, dance-specific spaces for rehearsal and production. World-class artists are working under conditions that do not do justice to the cultural ambitions of a city like Wiesbaden. It is time we asked ourselves: what does it say about our values when our art is housed better than the people who create it?

Dance is a universal language – it exists in every culture and is spoken before we even learn to speak. We dance to express joy, pain, curiosity, resistance, and identity. We dance to heal and to connect. And sometimes simply to be alive.

Now imagine a building dedicated to this language: a dance (rehearsal) house – a home for movement, expression, and encounter. A place where diversity is not only welcome but fundamental. A place where the State Ballet rehearses alongside freelance dancers, choreographers, and creators. A place where traditional dances are preserved while hip-hop, waacking, and contemporary forms flourish side by side. A place with professional studios – and with open doors for everyone who loves this art form. A place that can inspire a young audience for the art of dance and bring new life into the city centre. A stage for smaller performances. A dance floor for social dances. A home for all who believe in the power of movement.

This is not just a dream – I am convinced it is a concrete and urgent cultural need. And it is a vision to which I am fully committed. With the support of the Friends of the Hessisches Staatsballett, I am ready to invest time, energy, and my voice to make it a reality.

The Sportarena building stands empty – right in the heart of Wiesbaden. This is a rare and valuable opportunity. Instead of rushing toward a predetermined solution, we should open the space to more ideas, more visions, more possibilities. Let us deliberately invite a diversity of concepts – artistic, cultural, social – and discuss them transparently, publicly, and with courage for the future. Only then can we make a well-founded decision as to which project will most strongly contribute to the revitalisation and redefinition of our city centre.

Let this be the beginning.

Bruno Heynderickx
Ballet Director, Hessisches Staatsballett

Wiesbaden, 28 July 2025