Activist

"Discard" is written on a yellow Post-it note. The slip of paper is stuck to a stunning standing desk made of solid light-colored wood. It is a rather tall desk—hardly surprising, given that its former owner, Frank-Manuel Peter, is a tall man. Peter headed the German Dance Archive (Deutsches Tanzarchiv) in Cologne for nearly forty years; a change of leadership took place in early April, yet the fine piece of furniture is not height-adjustable. Susanne Foellmer, Peter’s successor, is rather short—for her, the writing surface sits at chest height. But rest assured: the piece of furniture isn't headed for bulky waste disposal, the new director reassures us, but rather to storage. Foellmer intends to further develop the institute on its path toward becoming a "Dance Research and Competence ...