Beyond an extraordinary lineup of international artists and companies, this year’s 25th edition of the popular and successful event comes bearing exciting news.
When maestro Didier Deschamps took over the artistic direction of the Côte d’Azur’s most vibrant dance festival upon the superb Brigitte Lefèvre’s retirement, he knew he was stepping into big shoes. But the first edition under his reign in 2023 proved to be such a big success that the city of Cannes rewarded him in a unique way: from this year on, the Festival de Danse Cannes-Côte d’Azur turns from a biennial event to an annual highlight in the cultural calendar.
For two weeks from 22 November through 7 December, 24 international companies grace stages across the major venues of Cannes and neighbouring towns, featuring 50 events, including five world premieres, five French premieres and two premieres in the Southern region. Accessible to all, the programme focuses on diversity and innovation, reflecting the full richness of contemporary choreography.
Video via Festival de Danse – Cannes Côte d’Azur on YouTube
An interesting mix of big names, renowned companies, young ballet troupes and promising new discoveries present a lively panorama of creation and repertoire around three main themes:
Honouring ballets and major choreographic works
This form of dance and the enthusiasm it generates among audiences will be on display on the festival’s main stages with the Spanish National Ballet opening the Festival with Marcos Morau’s spectacular show paying tribute to the famous Colombian photographer Ruvén Afanador, as well as the Junior Ballet of the Paris National Opera, the German ensemble TanzMainz, the Ballet de l’Opéra Grand Avignon, the CCN – Ballet de Lorraine and the Nederlands Dans Theater – NDT 2.
Creations combining dance and live music
Paulo Ribeiro’s Portuguese company has teamed up with composer Luís Tinoco to present an original dance and music creation performed by the Orchestre National de Cannes. The unclassifiable Dutch artists Club Guy & Roni, with the Australasian Dance Collective, and the percussion ensemble HIIIT are opening a new chapter in their “Human Odyssey”. And Cannes-based Hervé Koubi brings together ten Korean dancers in No Matter with musicians of the group Dear Deer as part of the Cannes-Busan year that highlights cultural collaboration.
Contemporary Creation Around the World
Popular and traditional practices inspire Jonas&Lander’s Portuguese fado show; Robyn Orlin honours South African dance performed by the so-called ‘coloured people’ of the Garage Dance Ensemble, and by Rocío Molina’s latest creation showcases the most talented of the flamenco dancers.
But Wait, There’s More!
Beyond the events on stage, the festival is also a place of exchange for cross-artistic encounters. MOV’IN Cannes brings together prestigious dance film institutions and festivals, creating a genuine space for international professional exchange, promoting artistic dialogue between their different perspectives. A rich yearlong programme for children and youth seeks to awaken their interest in dance with age-appropriate shows on stage and in class rooms. And an international talent market offers opportunity for artists and producers to meet.
In light of the magnitude and star power the festival has taken on in recent years, it seems only logical to move it to an annual event. This is not entirely without risk, as all the major French dance festivals are presented in a two-year rhythm, afraid of not having enough pull. But Cannes’ mayor David Lisnard – the son of Jacqueline Peraldi, a former prima ballerina at the Grand Theatre of Bordeaux, the Lille Opera House and the Ledoux Theatre in Besançon – sees a great and unique opportunity:
“The decision to make the Cannes–Côte d’Azur Dance Festival an annual event is a powerful one: it places culture and dance at the heart of our vision for society. With its physical and artistic demands, the discipline it requires, and its power of emotion and universality, dance is a formidable lever for open-mindedness, education and cohesion, inviting all generations to come together, to dream and to share essential values in a world in search of reference points.”
— David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes
Artistic director Didier Deschamps appreciates this vision as “real hope in a political and geopolitical context where freedom, tolerance and democracy are too often called into question.”
Since 2019, the Dance Festival has been the first and only cultural event in the region to take on a new dimension by bringing together, for the first time, all the cultural players in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes: Anthéa (Antibes), Forum Jacques Prévert (Carros), Scène 55 (Mougins), Théâtre de Grasse, Théâtres en Dracénie (Draguignan), Théâtre La Licorne (Cannes), Théâtre Le Forum – Estérel Côte d’Azur (Fréjus) and Théâtre National de Nice. This collaborative dynamic has made it possible to build a joint project across the Côte d’Azur, thereby strengthening its identity and cultural visibility.
Celebrating its 25th edition, this year’s Festival de Danse Cannes-Côte d’Azur promises to be exceptional. The transition to an annual event will only reinforce the dynamic in which dance will be more than ever at the heart of cultural life, between tradition and modernity, with local, national and international roots.
VISITOR INFORMATION
22 November through 7 December, 2025
Various venues in and near Cannes
Ticketing: Ticket office and online booking
All photographs courtesy Festival de Danse Cannes-Côte d’Azur; lead image Nederlands Dans Theatre FOLKÅ 2024 © Rahi Rezvani; all other images as credited
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