ImPulsTanz 2026: New names, world premieres and rediscoveries
From 9 July to 9 August 2026, ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival will once again bring together the international dance and performance scene in Vienna. In addition to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Katerina Andreou and Boris Charmatz, Leïla Ka, Phia Ménard, Eun-Me Ahn and Christos Papadopoulos will also be appearing for the first time, as will TAO Dance Theatre with a world premiere. In addition to performances on Vienna's most important stages, there will once again be dancing – in workshops and research projects at the Arsenal, in the open air at Public Moves, at ImPulsTanz Soçial and at the popular parties in the Arkadenhof of Vienna City Hall.
Leïla Ka (FR), Maldonne. Photo: Monia Pavoni
Bookings for workshops and research projects will open on 15 April 2026. Selected productions will go on advance sale on 6 May 2026, with tickets for all other performances available from 10 June 2026.
Leïla Ka, who has previously choreographed for artists and companies as diverse as Beyoncé and the National Ballet of Chile, is appearing at ImPulsTanz for the first time. In Vienna, she will present her first group piece, Maldonne, nominated for the International Bloom Prize of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London: five dancers in forty playful dresses – evening gowns, wedding dresses, nightgowns – struggle with their costumes, shine in them or rebel against them. Phia Ménard is also travelling to Vienna with nocturne (Parade). A memory of her pacifist father as an infinitely imaginative, highly artistic and hopeful whirlwind of freshness. Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos is also appearing at ImPulsTanz for the first time: in My Fierce Ignorant Step, ten dancers create a performance about euphoria, memory and collective movement, developing a haunting soundscape of breath, voice and body. Also from Greece is Katerina Andreou, former danceWEB scholarship holder and winner of the Prix Jardin d’Europe at the [8:tension] series 2016, who presents her piece Bless This Mess with her company Bark – a wild work that embraces the chaos of our present.
In addition, audiences can look forward to the return of internationally renowned artists. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Radouan Mriziga come back with the ImPulsTanz Classic Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione: the music – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – will be performed live in 2026 by the eight-piece ensemble Gli Incogniti, conducted by Amandine Beyer. Canadian dance icon Louise Lecavalier brings her solo danses vagabondes to Vienna, while Boris Charmatz opens the Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz with the solo Muette: a work that dispenses with music and is entirely devoted to silence, speechlessness and physical perception.
One of the highlights of the festival is the TAO Dance Theatre, led by acclaimed choreographer Tao Ye from Beijing. After making its debut at ImPulsTanz last summer, the company returns with four works: 16, inspired by the Chinese Year of the Dragon, meets the world premiere of 18 at the Burgtheater. A 9-grid pattern becomes a reference point for exploring the transformations between square and circle and the concept of infinity in mathematical terms. The double bill 13 & 14 returns to the Volkstheater after last year's great success. Eun-Me Ahn’s Post-Orientalist Express promises to be another highlight: the choreographer is considered one of the world's most influential Korean voices – Deutschlandfunk Kultur described her as the ‘Pina Bausch of Asia’. Her piece combines opulent costumes and imagery with intense pop elements to create a dance extravaganza.
Parallel to the performance programme, ImPulsTanz once again invites you to dance yourself: at ImPulsTanz Soçial with live concerts and DJ sets in the Festival Lounge in the Burgtheater Vestibül, as well as at the two big parties on 7 and 8 August in the Arkadenhof of Vienna City Hall: At the first party, numerous workshop teaching artists will be DJing and inviting all workshop participants and dance enthusiasts to join in the exuberant celebrations, while the second party will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the free dance class series Public Moves. Over 200 workshops and research projects round off the programme at the Arsenal, while Public Moves will once again travel throughout Austria to a total of 10 locations, inviting people to join in every day. All ages anπd levels are welcome!
Source: ImPulsTanz
