Julidans

Julidans, the international festival for contemporary dance in Amsterdam is the perfect coming together of dancers and choreographers of the highest calibre, enticing audiences with phenomenal spectacles for two whole weeks! The first half of July will be non-stop dance performances across Amsterdam, from theatres and concert halls to museums and parks.

Cutting-edge dance performances

The wildly popular dance festival Julidans takes place every July in Amsterdam, with dozens of cutting-edge performances that constantly explore and push boundaries. There are even many world premieres among the myriad shows.

Highlights of Julidans 2018

The Julidans programme is full of performances which often address social issues like refugees, victims of sexual violence, discrimination, and also often incorporate elements of traditional theatre such as mime. The relatability of the subject matter means that the public will at times recognise themselves in the weird yet relevant, beautiful yet disturbing, and alien yet familiar performances. Here are some of the highlights:

[July 2-3] The Sea Within

Julidans kicks off with The Sea Within by the choreographer Lisbeth Gruwez. This is a mediatative performance featuring Gruwez and Maarten Van Cauwenberghe with Voetvolk. There will be an after-show talk on July 3.

[July 3-4] Canine Jaunâtre 3

Canine Jaunâtre 3 is a new theatrical and outspoken work by the Cape Verdean choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas for the renowned Batsheva Dance Company. There are inflections of fashion and pop culture, which can be seen in the costumes and make-up, while the overall work is inspired by the 16th century painting The Building of a Palace by Pero di Cosimo.

[July 3-4] Unwanted

This compelling work is personal and tells the story of rape as a weapon of war. The choreographer Dorothée Munyaneza escaped the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and now tells her story, and the story of so many women and children, through choreography, text, music, dance and images from the news.

[July 5] While they are floating

In this thought-provoking performance, dancers interpret current and recent true tales about refugees at Europe's borders. The choreographer Hooman Sharifi wholeheartily declares that Art = Politics.

[July 6-7] 21 pornographies

The choreographer Mette Ingvartsen examines how the pornographic climax has implications in advertising, in news and in film. This work stimulates our imagination and how seduction techniques are used in many everyday life situations, in many cases in ways we are barely aware of.

[July 6] Sets of Sets

This Barcelona-based Lebanese-Spanish duo Guy Nader and Maria Campos and their dance company GN | MC bring us sets of sets, a journey through time and a labyrinth of dancing bodies.

[July 7-8]  Dark Field Analysis

This mental thriller is about blood as a metaphor for human life, in a long conversation about life between two naked men on a carpet. In its Dutch premiere, Dark Field Analysis explores the intensity of being alive and our relationship to other life forms.

[July 8-9] Néant

The Canadian choreographer David St. Pierre gives an intimate solo performance that is sure to shake you up! This dance performance is concerned with our deepest darkest thoughts, our best humour and our darkest aggression.

[July 9] Mitten wir im Leben sind/Bach6Cellosuiten

In this sold-out performance, dancer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras pay tribute to the grand dame of contemporary dance Pina Bausch and the father of music Johann Sebastian Bach.

[July 13-14] XENOS

Akram Khan Company presents XENOS, which will be master choreographer Akram Khan's last full-length solo performance on stage. It is a great honour for Julidans to show this performance of one of the most important dancers of the present day. XENOS, meaning "stranger" is a poignant performance about the colonial soldiers in the first world war who fought and died far from their homeland.

[July 14] To Da Bone

A show of vigour and stamina, these jump-stylers from around the world give an impressively vibrant performance. To Da Bone is a tribute to jump-style, or jumping to fast hardcore 90s techno.

Beyond the main Julidans programme

Outside of the main programme there will be other amazing projects to admire during the festival.

Julidans NEXT, Julidans Extended and more

Julidans NEXT is the platform for the next generation of choreographers. You can see even more performances at Julidans Extended, with open-air performances in collaboration with local theatres. An extensive side-programme called Inside Out will offer talks, meet-and-greet sessions and workshops with both established and up-and-coming choreographers.

Julidans EXTENDED: at the Park is completely free and takes place in Vondelpark on July 6 and July 7.

Off Venue

One of the high points of the festival outside the theatre is Julidans Extended: Off Venue. The programme can be visited as a “bike tour”, so you can see five performances in one afternoon. Tour A leads you from De School in Amsterdam West to Concerto in the city centre. Tour B starts at Concerto and ends at De School. In addition, you can also just visit one or more separate performances, join in on Tour A or Tour B, or create your own smaller route. And IT’S FREE!

Julidans locations

Julidans locations include many of the most famous performance venues in Amsterdam:

• Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
• Theater Bellevue
• Melkweg Upstairs
• Vondelpark Openair Theatre
• Podium Mozaïek
• Bijlmer Parktheater
• Concerto
• Droog
• Bilderdijkpark
• Jeruzalem Kerk
• De School

Buy your Julidans tickets

Make sure to buy your Julidans tickets in advance before it's too late! Go to the Julidans programme and tickets page to reserve your tickets.