The 2026 edition of Dublin Dance Festival has been announced, presenting a city-wide programme of performances, premieres and participatory events.
Running from 30th April to 16th May, the festival will feature Irish and international artists across multiple venues in Dublin, opening with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, as part of the the world's foremost gender-skewing comic ballet company's 50th Anniversary Tour.
At the Abbey Theatre, celebrated Irish choreographer Emma Martin will present the world premiere of Soft God; commissioned by the festival and The Abbey; featuring eight performers, it's described as 'a jagged ceremony that swerves between the mythic and the ridiculous, the carnivalesque and the everyday, between virtuosity and failure'.
The Samuel Beckett Theatre will host two world premieres: Junk Ensemble will debut STORM 1.0, 'an uncompromising meditation on what it means to continue together in a world that refuses to be repaired' featuring two dancers and a live tuba player, while Nigeria-born Irish performer Mufutau Yusuf presents The Fifth Sun, a new collaboration with Luail – Ireland's National Dance Company described as both a 'eulogy and a renewal' for humanity during turbulent times.
Elsewhere, Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos will present My Fierce Ignorant Step, created after receiving the Rose International Dance Prize, performed by ten dancers and connecting intricate movement with a vibrant soundscape to 'illuminate the sheer euphoria of being alive'.
At Project Arts Centre, Brazilian artists Alice Ripoll and Hiltinho Fantástico will present Puff, a solo rooted in Afro-Brazilian dance forms, while Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi will perform Suspended Chorus, a solo work engaging audiences directly.
For one night at The Pavilion Theatre, Catherine Young Dance will stage Ciseach: An Embodied Manifesto, featuring six dancers and five musicians.
Family audiences can attend Moonlight Dream by Maiden Voyage Dance at The Ark, a sensory-rich 'adventure to the moon' created by choreographer Georgia Tegou and composer Ursula Burns.
Bewley's Grafton Street building will host two Saturday-night club takeovers during the festival; Dublin Modular opens on May 9th with TRACES, a site-responsive takeover rooted in queer club culture and blending live electronics, DJs and contemporary dance.
Outdoor and participatory events include free performances by Spanish company LaCerda in Wolfe Tone Park and a series of events at Humanarium, a new space to explore health and wellbeing at the heart of RCSI's (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) new building on St Stephen’s Green. Elsewhere, a continuous screening of Choy Ka Fai's film In Search of the Tragic Spirits will take place at Living Canvas at Irish Museum of Modern Art.
The festival will also offer workshops, masterclasses, artist development programmes and accessible performances throughout the programme - find out more here.
