Eckhard Thiemann
Programmer, curator and cultural manager
Born in Germany, based in London, I am an independent curator, programmer and arts manager, specialising in contemporary Arab culture, dance and international cultural programming and exchanges. From 2026 I am pursuing a small number of bespoke projects.
My current interests are new international exchanges and curatorial projects and working with new artists cutting through onto the global scale.
I am the chair of the Advisory Board of Arab music organisation MARSM.
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For 11 years I was Programming Associate – Dance for the Lowry in Salford, Greater Manchester (2014-2025), curating an award-wining international dance programme across the three venues.
I also worked as touring and international producer for Collective Ma’louba, Thick & Tight and choreographer Colette Sadler. This included a 9-country tour of Collective Ma’louba’s The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner, securing commissioning for National Theatre Award winning Natural Behaviour by Thick & Tight, and presenting Colette Sadler’s ARK 1 at the inaugural Digital Bodies festival.
Previously I was Artistic Director and CEO of Shubbak (2012-2021), London’s largest festival of contemporary Arab culture and was Associate Artistic Curator for CODA - Oslo International Dance Festival in October 2017. I worked as freelance producer for The Space and twice with Siobhan Davies Dance as interim Creative Producer.
I was producer for the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad and curated the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival 2011 as well as acting as adviser for the 2014 festival. I curated OUTSPOKEN – NEW PERFORMANCE FROM ARAB ARTISTS for International Dance Festival Birmingham (2010), and produced African Crossroads for Dance Umbrella (2009).
I programmed the opening season of Pavilion Dance (2010) and the conference Digital Futures in Dance (2011).
Previously I was artistic director of Woking Dance Festival, and Year Of The Artist coordinator for South East Arts.As a consultant I worked with Buckinghamshire Culture to conceptualise and deliver the first season of STORIES (2024) – three groundbreaking commissions of new works responding to the heritage, landscape and people of the county. For London Borough of Richmond I developed the inaugural Arts & Ideas Festival (2023) and the 2025 Dance Commission.
Previously I led on international development for LOD in Ghent, Belgium and Theater an der Ruhr in Mülheim, Germany; was Selector of Sadler’s Wells Rose International Dance Prize 2025, jury member of the Theatre & Dance Panel for Made in Scotland 2024 and Touring Panel 2025, and member of the dance jury for Sky Arts Awards 2024.
I regularly lead artists’ talks, and post-show discussions, as well as mentor artists.
ARTISTS
I work with artists and institutions across dance, theatre and music to develop their touring capacity and international profile.
I am dedicated to support exceptional work to reach new audiences worldwide. Artists I work with often explore new positions for a global context, informed by migration, marginalisation, new identities, contested histories and freedom of expression.
I currently support the work of Syrian theatre ensemble Collective Ma’louba:
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Collective Ma'louba: The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner
The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner interrogates the true story of one of the most wanted Nazi criminals to escape sentencing.
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Collective Ma'louba: Braveheart
Written and directed by Wael Kadour, Braveheart tells the poignant story of Aline, a Syrian refugee recently settled in France.
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Collective Ma'louba: Up There
Syria, early 1990s: In a women's prison, a group of political prisoners perform Henrik Ibsen's play "The Lady from the Sea".