The University for Music and Dance Cologne belongs to the leading artistic education institutions worldwide and is with it's headquarters in Cologne, Wuppertal and Aachen one of the biggest art academies in Europe. It offers a high quality education for students in Dance and Music from more than 50 countries. The Centre for Contemporary Dance (ZZT), which is located at the University for Music and Dance, offers a well-founded academic study path in the field of Dance, that is characterised especially by it's very close connection to the professional dance scene. It concentrates to a creative and critical trial on what is the meaning of dance, dance science, dance mediation and choreography in today's society and it puts the connection between practical and scientific education in the foreground.

Furthermore the ZZT perceives itself as an inter-und transdisciplinary centre for dance research: Based on dance practice it initiates cooperations with different institutions and partners to expand the knowledge around Body, Movement, Dance and Performance and to develop artistic and scientific event formats. "On the occasion of 3rd Dance Education Biennale 2012 Frankfurt am Main "CULTURAL HERITAGE in DANCE" students of ZZT will deal with the piece "Bolero" and with the examination of the thrid part of the trilogy Shanghai Bolero - Triptyque by the french choreographer Didier Théron." The composition of 1928, that has originally premiered at the Parisian Opera in the choreography of Bronislava Nijinska, still inspires choreographers to various interpretations.