The ROOTS & ROUTES Experience 2026

What happens when 42 young talents from eight European countries come together?

As part of the ROOTS & ROUTES Experience 2026 (RRXP26), the artists immersed themselves in a two-week residency. In this intensive setting, they were able to devote themselves entirely to their art, engage in dialogue, and gain insight into different perspectives. Guided by professional coaches, they explored the themes that move them most and developed artistic statements based on these themes.

The result is a gripping, interdisciplinary stage production that weaves together dance, live music, theater, and digital media into a multimedia total work of art. Under the artistic direction of Fiona Leonard, this collective collaboration gave rise to a work brimming with energy. Experience the creativity of the next generation of European artists live on stage!

World premiere on August 4, 2025, at the Alte Feuerwache/Bühne. 

A second performance will take place on August 5, 2026, at the same venue.

Admission is €9 to €15, based on a pay-what-you-can basis.

#RRXP26 is a project by ROOTS & ROUTES Cologne e. V. in cooperation with Blues Derneği (Istanbul/TR), Empreinte (Lille/FR), EuroEst (Bucharest/RO), Fanzingo (Stockholm/SE), Confetti Studio (Sant Boi de Llobregat/ES), La Zentralita (Seville/ES), SMouTh (Larissa/GR), and YEU (Nicosia/CY).

#RRXP26 is funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ Youth in Action program, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Child and Youth Support Plan, and the City of Cologne.