Kolkata’s favourite international dance festival brings you a stunning line-up of artists in its 6th edition that centers provocative works about human identity and personal experiences.
20-24 August 2026, various times and venues (see full programme) Performances, Showcases, Residency, Film Screening, Artists’ Talks, Workshops, Dance Jam Performances and Workshops Chargeable l Film Screening, free but by prior registration.
Venues: Alliance Française du Bengale, International Management Institute (Alipore), Anuchintan Art Centre,, Studio Cocoon, Pathshala Dance Academy, Rajya Sangeet Academy, Red Bari, The Creative Arts Academy, The Urban Theatre Project.
We are pleased to announce the 6th edition of the Festival will be held in Kolkata from August 20th-24th, 2026. This year’s festival has been curated by Artistic Director, Ms. Vanessa Mirza (UK/India), with the theme ‘Converging Identities’ and will present international and national artists presenting performances, workshops, dance film screenings and artistic showcases. The works reflect the depth of human experiences seen from individual and social perspectives. Each choreographer’s work is crafted through the lens of diverse political, economic and cultural contexts that bring an impressive range to this year’s Festival programme. The opening night took place on Thursday August 20 at Gyan Manch with electrifying performances and a talk show. Performances included ‘Alleo’ Colectivo Glovo Spain; ‘We are not beautiful’ Laura Kenyon UK;
‘Waiting Music’ Dom Czapski UK; and ‘Meeting Point’ Chen Yu-Chi Taiwan.
”I love that Dance Bridges Festival carries an intention to listen, share and understand different cultures and people from across the globe. This intention is clearly reflected in this year’s theme of ‘Converging Identities’ particularly given what the city of Kolkata is witnessing at this present moment. Reflecting on identity and commonality is really important in our current times.” – Vanessa Mirza
The artists presented this year include performances from Spain, France/Italy, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Brazil and two commissions under our Dance Bridges Festival Residency project. There are two longer documentary films from France and India alongside dance shorts from Cyprus, Ukraine and Italy. The artist showcases include works by artists from different Indian cities as well as two artist pitches from Nigeria and Tunisia. The Dance Bridges Festival residency led by Chen Yu-Chi(Taiwan) and Laura Kenyon (UK/France) will culminate in performances of new works with artists from India, Bangladesh and Denmark.
We are working with a wide variety of venues across the city to bring performances to a theatre/gallery/site-specific venue close to you. Check out our Festival venues and full schedule to find out more. Ticket links are available via Razor Pay and will be posted on our website and social media for all events. Mark your calendars for this weekend in August for an exciting programme of contemporary dance!
Dance Bridges Festival Trailer 2026.
