Dance Bridges Festival is an international dance biennial celebrating a diverse range of contemporary dance that is artistically innovative, thought-provoking and relevant. The Festival is run by Dance Bridges, a social business enterprise with a core value for excellence and believing in the power of community built through artistic exchanges and discursive dialogues. The Festival supports year round activities in addition to the main festival under the artistic direction of Vanessa Mirza (UK/India).
The Festival was founded in August 2014, and has taken place in the month of August since its origin in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024. Over these past 5 editions Dance Bridges has presented performances, residencies, workshops, artist talks and film screenings collaborating with more than 85 independent artists and dance companies from over 35 countries as well as engaging with 25,000+ audience members and participants.
The 6th edition of the Festival will be held in Kolkata from August 20th-24th, 2026. This year’s festival will have a host of international and national artists presenting performances, workshops, dance film screenings, artistic showcases and other outreach events. Artists previews will be released shortly with the full programme and venue details shared by end June 2026. Most events are ticketed and bookings should be made in advance. Details of ticket links will be announced in June 2026.
We are also launching our industry event ‘DBF Rendezvous’ for arts professionals on 21st & 22nd August. Registration for global/local delegates who would like to be part of these conversations and networking events can sign up online at DBF Rendezvous Registration – Google Forms and a confirmation email will be sent by the Dance Brides team. Due to limited capacity we would like to request attendance to one person per organisation.
We look forward to engaging with you in the City of Joy soon!
ARTISTS’ PREVIEW
‘ALLEO’| COLECTIVO GLOVO (Spain)
Concept:
ALLEO (meaning ‘Alien’ or ‘Other’) is based on the idea of the watchtower —the conditioning of the “privileged” position of the tower and of those who occupied it as observers.
We inhabit both bodies: the power granted by the knowledge of the unknown and what is yet to come, and the solitude of that position together with the weight of discovering what is foreign.
ALLEO is a highly physical, dynamic, and musical work, with a strong connection to the audience, seeking to create a direct and shared experience between performers and spectators.
Credits:
Creation and performance: Esther Latorre & Hugo Pereira
‘THE PIECE ON YOUR SEAT’| CHEN YU-CHI (Taiwan)
Concept:
This choreographic solo highlights the artist’s longing for purity. The purity of the body, the purity of space, the purity of thought, and the purity of state.
By limiting his movement and shutting off his vision, he focuses on each present moment. In a state of complete improvisation, the fusion of Asian and European physical movement vocabulary naturally emerges. Without judgment, he listens to the imagination and sensations, allowing them to become the driving force of the body while opening up his sensibilities.
Credits:
Performer and Choreographer: Chen Yu-Chi
Composer: Liao Yan-Yeong
DEKHO MEIN HOON| GIA SINGH ARORA/ NAVTEJ SINGH JOHAR (India)
Concept:
A small film crew observes the poetic world of choreographer and teacher Navtej Singh Johar’s workshop, where participants are taken upon an introspective journey through movement exploring touch, intimacy and expression
Credits:
Film Direction: Gia Singh Arora
Artists: Navtej Singh Johar, Simrat Dugal, Rana Rakul, Tarosh Rao, Anup, Maitrika Kumari Rathore, Ira Sen, Pourvaja Ganesh, Vaishnavi Shinde, Shivani Kumar
ANEK LAVYA| ASISH SINGH (India)
Concept:
अneK लavya | ANEK LAVYA is a journey of negotiating the most sacred thing for a dancer- the body. The work reflects the complexities of the story of the warrior Eklavya from the Mahabharata. An unsung hero, he was denied training by the royal Master, Dronacharya, due to his social status. Yet, Eklavya, with his determination and self-discipline, continued to master archery. But at what cost? The underlying power dynamics eventually exposed a system of exploitation of the deprived by the powerful. The performer situates his own realities growing up in the small Indian town of Balurghat, in this context, to face issues of harassment, abuse, and trauma challenging the systems that silence and perpetuate them.
Credits:
Music
Voice: Biswapratim Bose
Instrument: Title of the piece- Expulsión
Author and performer: Fil Uno
Album: Violonchelo Solo
Label: ©℗ Sensualtrip 2016
Music Arrangement: Subhankar Mandol
Light Design: Saheb Shanyal
Choreographer: Asish Singha
RE-GARDE| CIE MF (France/Italy)
Concept:
‘RE-GARDE’ focuses on the sense of sight. It’s an innocent, clear-sighted way of looking at things and ironically enjoying life. Two men, a mirror of their projections, are ready to suffer or to receive, to give or to lose, to be manipulated, provoked or abandoned. The body is as controlled and vigilant as the gaze, but does not forego moments of relaxation and breathing.
Credits:
Choreography and performance: Francesco Colaleo and Maxime Freixas
Musical composition: Maxime Freixas AA.VV.
Production: Cie MF | Maxime & Francesco
Coproduction: compagnie Artemis Danza/Monica Casadei, Parma (IT)
In collaboration with : ACS Abruzzo (IT), Anticorpi Explò (IT), Residenza Idra (IT),
Théâtre Akropolis (IT), Théâtre de l’Oulle (FR), l’Espace 13 (FR), Studio Lucien (FR)
This tour is possible with the generous support of the Italian Institute of New Delhi, the Italian Consulate in Kolkata and Bangalore, and the Alliance Française of Kolkata, Bangalore, and New Delhi.
STRANGE AGE| FU LE (France)
Concept:
STRANGE AGE is a window into today’s youth: 13 young dancers from the COLINE training program. The documentary reveals behind-the-scenes of the creation, for pieces by Dominique Bagouet, Joanne Leighton, Thomas Lebrun, Alban Richard among others. We follow the students in this creation process-through dance studios, bistros, a minibus-testifying to their daily lives filled with desires, doubts, frustrations, and joys.
Credits:
Director : Fu Le
1st assistant : Leonard Contramestre
Music : Thibault Marchal
CROQUIS| FAKEKNOT (Canada)
Concept:
Croquis is a durational performance that explores the idea of a “croquis” — a quick, expressive sketch of a garment, often the first step towards bringing an idea into tangible reality. Within the context of this work, the pencil is the body and the paper a modular canvas—dissecting the desire to imprint and archive oneself into physical space.
Credits
Choreographer & Performer: Ralph Escamillan
Croquis is produced by FakeKnot. FakeKnot gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Vancouver and Canada Council of the Arts. A special thanks to the Vancouver Art Gallery for their support during its creation.