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| Holland Dance Festival | |
|---|---|
| Name | Holland Dance Festival |
| Location | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founders | Bintou Dembélé, Ted Brandsen, Gauthier Dance |
| Genre | Contemporary dance, modern dance, ballet, multidisciplinary performance |
Holland Dance Festival is a biennial international festival of contemporary dance and related performance forms held in The Hague in the Netherlands. The festival presents a curated mix of national and international companies, premieres, and interdisciplinary collaborations, positioning The Hague as a European hub alongside festivals such as Jacob's Pillow, ImPulsTanz, and Sadler's Wells programming. Its profile intersects with institutions like Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and touring networks including European Festivals Association, Dance Consortium, and Kunsten '92.
The festival was inaugurated in 2008 following initiatives by cultural policymakers in South Holland and artistic leaders from Nederlands Dans Theater and municipal arts offices. Early editions foregrounded exchanges with companies from France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, and Japan, fostering ties with venues such as Theater aan het Spui, Korzo The Hague, Paard van Troje, and international partners like Sadler's Wells Theatre, Barbican Centre, and Onassis Cultural Centre. Over successive editions the festival expanded curatorial ambitions with co-productions involving choreographers from Spain, Belgium, Italy, Canada, and South Africa, while commissioning works linked to choreographic lines from Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, and Merce Cunningham.
Artistic direction typically balances premieres, revivals, and site-specific projects curated by artistic directors drawn from major companies and conservatories. Programming has featured choreographers and artistic directors such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alonzo King, Crystal Pite, Shen Wei, Ohad Naharin, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, Jirí Kylián, and Itzik Galili. The festival integrates programs for classical ballet companies like Dutch National Ballet and contemporary ensembles like Nederlands Dans Theater and Batsheva Dance Company, while inviting experimental groups from Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal, Les Ballets C de la B, and Cie. Marie Chouinard. Cross-disciplinary projects have linked choreographers with Ivo van Hove, Peter Greenaway, Armin van Buuren, Hans Op de Beeck, and composers associated with Gaîté Lyrique. The festival frequently commissions new scores from composers affiliated with Royal Conservatory of The Hague and premieres collaborative works with visual artists from Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and designers from Willem de Kooning Academy.
Events are staged across public and institutional sites in The Hague and neighboring municipalities in South Holland, including Zuiderstrandtheater, Korzo Theatre, Theater aan het Spui, Paard, and pop-up locations at Scheveningen beach and municipal squares. The festival has partnered with national stages such as Concertgebouw Brugge, Nationale Opera & Ballet Amsterdam, and toured co-productions to international venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Opéra Garnier, Kunstfest Weimar, and Montreal International Jazz Festival sites for multidisciplinary initiatives.
Featured artists range from established companies and choreographers to emerging collectives and independent artists. Past participants include Nederlands Dans Theater, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, BalletBoyz, Hofesh Shechter Company, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Gauthier Dance, Flemish Opera Ballet, Akram Khan Company, and Batsheva Dance Company. The festival platform has supported rising artists such as Koen Augustijnen, Marne van Opstal, Nanine Linning, Ed Wubbe, Cristiana Casadio, Juliano Nunes, and collectives linked to academies like Codarts Rotterdam and Conservatorium Maastricht.
Education and outreach initiatives link to conservatories and community partners including Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Codarts, Fontys School of Arts, and municipal cultural education programs in The Hague. The festival runs masterclasses, choreographic labs, student showcases, and residencies with mentors from Nederlands Dans Theater School, Steps on Broadway affiliates, and guest tutors from Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Community engagement includes participatory projects engaging schools in The Hague, public workshops in collaboration with Municipality of The Hague, and partnerships with social arts organizations such as Het Nationale Theater outreach programs and health-oriented initiatives with Mauritshuis-linked art therapy pilots.
The festival and its commissions have been associated with accolades and institutional recognition from bodies like Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport cultural grants, Prince Bernhard Culture Fund, and European funding through Creative Europe. Participating works and artists have received awards including Benois de la Danse, Der Faust, Zwaan Awards, Dance Magazine Awards, and local honors from Gemeente Den Haag cultural prizes. The festival's co-productions have been lauded in critical outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, and De Volkskrant for advancing choreographic experimentation.
Holland Dance Festival contributes to The Hague's cultural tourism, drawing audiences from domestic regions and international markets such as Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, and United States. Economic impact studies commissioned by Municipality of The Hague link festival activity to hospitality revenues in districts like Scheveningen and increased occupancy in hotels associated with NBTC Dutch Tourism. Culturally, the festival strengthens networks among institutions including Nederlands Dans Theater, Municipality of The Hague, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and European presenters, fostering co-productions, artist mobility, and pedagogical exchange that shape contemporary dance ecology in the Low Countries and beyond.
Category:Dance festivals in the Netherlands