It is the joy in movement, in expression via dance and collective improvisation, which brought together a handful of dance-enthusiasts in the dance theater ellaH. People from the most varied backgrounds began their first rehearsals in 1997, in a ready-to-be-pulled-down work hall in Halle (Saale). Since then, they’ve shared a passion for movement in a now broadly branching out network and developed different dance theater productions.
The dance theater ellaH has been cooperating with artistic director Annett Paschke (diploma in dance education) since 2004. Depending on current productions, new synergies with guests and partners from the domains of choreography, acting, media and art, emerged.
The content of choreographies and evening-filling plays has been fueled by sensible observations of seemingly marginal things and moments, which mirror today’s time and society. The spectator encounters them on stage in an abstract and artfully newly translated way, which does not force any interpretations. The productions are marked by an own, genre-transgressing scene language: an interesting combination of elements of contemporary dance, theatre, music, of community dance and improvisation.
It has been four years, that ellaH has also been working with children and teenagers for a confident and strong young generation of (actors) dancers.

In 2011, the dance theater founded the association “ellaH e.V.”. The aim of the association is the creation of a platform for interpretative and media arts, especially for dancing and theatre, as well as the creation of a place for a training facility for the dance education of the young. The intention of the association is, to further the understanding of dance, dance theater and the related art forms across generations.
ellaH e.V works with a clear, self-managed organisational structure. Every member of the ensemble functions, next to their job or studies in one of the domains of public representation, guest management, financing, guest-performance and stage organisation, costumes and requisites, documentation, development and children and youth work. The development of the ensemble, aided by the artistic direction of Annett Paschke, is consequently aimed at the broadening and upgrading of the quality of the representational ways of expressing ourselves. This encompasses intensive training and rehearsing. It spans from contemporary dance, through theater, speech, musical education, up to forums of discussion for questions on society and politics. ellaH therefore works with professional artists and educators, for example with Katrin Fiege, Ellen Brix, Sigrid Römer and Peggy Meyer-Hansel (dance), Thomas Piontek (rhythm), Hannes Scheffler (sound/composing), Aristides Strongylis (Athens – composing), Matthias Spaniel (directing/dramaturgy), Kerstin Reichelt (theater), Bastian Buchtalek (film).
Since its foundation, ellaH e.V. is present in regional cultural networks as well as in over-regional programs and festivals (for example Saxony-Anhalt day, lantern festival, NEULAND – festival of free theaters of Saxony-Anhalt, Electric Renaissance Festival, dance week Dresden, IMPULS – festival for new music in Saxony-Anhalt). With precedent productions, we realized guest-stunts at the NT in Halle, at the Bauhaus Dessau, LOT Braunschweig, Theater Hildesheim, Theater Magdeburg (Studio), Stellwerk Weimar, Theaterhaus Strassfurt, Schloss Kannawurf, Theaterhaus Rudi Dresden, etc.

ellaH e.V. is a member of the Landeszentrum Spiel und Theater (center of the land for play and theatre) (LanZe e. V.) and ‘temporarily’ considered as an association for the common good (Gemeinnütziger Verein).