About

A very important international dance meeting with the participation of many European countries. A feast of contemporary dance meets all the trends, the dynamics and the new forms of the international contemporary scene through the works of representative groups of each country. The increased level of participation by EU member states with performances and workshops is a clear indication that the Dance Festival is becoming an annual highlight of the European arts and culture scene.

 

The festival is an institutional event of the Deputy Ministry of Culture co-organised by the Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture and the Rialto Theatre. Since 1998, every June, the Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival has been giving the audiencein Nicosia and Limassolthe opportunity to view innovative contemporary dance performers from all over Europe, as well as Cypriot dance groups. Throughout the years, the Festival has been exposing its audience to conceptual, postmodern, modern et.al. sub categories of contemporary dance, thus achieving growth as well as an audience more accepting of new ideas and experimentation, an audience that hashigh standards.  

 

The foreign participating dance groups are selectedby a selection committee consisting of Officers from the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Chief Executive of Rialto Theatre and two local contemporary dance professionals.  The Committee works very closely with the Cultural Attachés of foreign embassies in terms of attracting performances of international calibre.  Dance groups from countries with tradition in contemporary dance are put side by side groups from countries which are relatively new players on the contemporary dance stages.  New groups come every year, side by side some other groups that have pleased audiences in past editions, and revisit Cyprus with their new work.

 

International artists are brought together with local dance groups, thus forging relationships and providing a base for collaborations and exchanges.The Cypriot dance groups are selected by a jury of international contemporary dance professionals at the Cyprus Contemporary Dance Platform, a platform for Cypriot contemporary dance choreographers and groups to present their new work, which takes place every March at Rialto Theatre.