Distinct from the conventionally styled Opera Ballet, the Tanz Forum Ensemble in Cologne was established in 1971. The workout is both classic and modern, Graham-inspired. More a collective of choreographers and dancers than an instrument from a single creator, the Tanz-Forum has called on several choreographers around the work of the director of the Company Jochen Ulrich. And, for the first time, a troupe of 32 dancers is setting up at the Maison de la Danse to present its work, that of a country which, rediscovering expressionism, is one of of the most creative in European dance. 

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon's program

Jochen Ulrich (1944 – 2012) is a German choreographer and dancer.  

After studying at the Cologne Institute for Stage Dance  from 1964 to 1967, Ulrich made his debut as a dancer at the Cologne Opera in 1967. By 1970, his choreographic works were already attracting national attention. In 1971, together with Helmut Baumann, Jürg Burth and Gray Veredon, he co-founded the Cologne Dance Forum and directed it from 1979. There, he fostered a number of young talented dancers from all over Europe, including the later choreographer Richard Wherlock. 

In 1970, he won the Berliner Kritikerpreis.

From 2000, Ulrich was director of ballet at the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck. There he created the ballet Caravaggio, which described the life and work of the Italian painter. Intendant Rainer Mennicken brought him to Linz in 2006, where he achieved great success among others with Dennis Russell Davies and the Bruckner Orchester Linz. 

His style distinguished itself in athletic-technical extensions of the dance impulses. 

Source : Wikipédia

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
   On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
       - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
       - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
       - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
       - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

       - He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Köln Tanz Forum is the name of the first modern dance company, based on dance techniques originating in the United States, founded in the then German Federal Republic in 1971. The company was affiliated with the Bühnen der Stadt Köln, as the ballet of the Opera. In 1979 the choreographer Jochen Ulrich became the sole artistic director. in 1995 the company became independent. 

Source: theaterencyclopedie.nl