Belgrade Dance Festival | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Belgrade Dance Festival is a cultural event that gathers dancers from around the world in the capital city of Serbia every year. Theatre, ballet, modern dance, and educational workshops are all part of this unique festival in Southeast Europe.

The first Belgrade Dance Festival was held in 2004. The audience in Belgrade had the opportunity to see performances by the Mariinsky Theatre from St. Petersburg, the State Theatre from Thessaloniki, and dance companies from Turin. The festival was soon recognized as a leading cultural project in Southeast Europe by UNESCO and became a member of the World Alliance of Artistic Dance. According to the organizers, it was challenging in the early years to bring internationally renowned dance troupes, but over time, the festival developed and became an unmissable event on the dance map of Europe.

The festival usually takes place at multiple locations. It brings together top artists who interpret themes reflecting contemporary society through movement, encouraging both admiration for the performances and contemplation. The program becomes more diverse each year. Theatres and dance troupes from all over Europe, as well as those from Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Montreal, and San Francisco, have performed. For the 10th anniversary of the festival, the ballet company of the National Theatre also performed.

One of the troupes that attracted the most attention with their performance was "Peeping Tom." This international company from Brussels leaves visitors breathless. Their first performance in Belgrade was in 2010, and since then, they have returned to the Serbian stage every few years with new productions. In 2021, they performed the piece "Triptych: The Missing Door, The Abandoned Room, and The Hidden Floor," conceived and directed by Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier. The cast consists of eight dancers selected from among 2,000 participants who auditioned worldwide. Due to the pandemic, the main performer was unable to come to Serbia, so Serbian artist Bora Nedić, at the age of 72, joined the troupe.

The founder and director of the festival is ballet artist and choreographer Aja Jung. The Belgrade Dance Festival has developed with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Serbia, the City of Belgrade, embassies, and cultural centers of participating countries. In addition to Belgrade, programs are also held in the Vojvodina region in collaboration with the Provincial Secretariat for Culture and the City of Novi Sad. The Belgrade Dance Festival, in cooperation with the EU Delegation to Serbia, also organizes educational programs such as choreographic workshops, master classes, film screenings, and exhibitions.

Each edition of the festival has been attended by over 23,000 spectators and 120 journalists from Serbia and abroad.

The 19th edition of the Belgrade Dance Festival will take place from March 16th to April 12th this year. You can find the detailed festival program on the official website of BDF.