17ο ARC FOR DANCE FESTIVAL

The festival opens on May 15-17 at Sychrono Theatro, with its PRIME MOVERS section, which brings to the fore a new generation of choreographers and works that move between transformation, conflict, humor and dream, suggesting new ways to think about coexistence in a world that is constantly changing. On Friday, May 15, Les Idoles with REFACE unfold a world of constant transformation, a game of illusions where nothing remains constant, while Despina Sanida Crezia, with Off,Off, creates a dynamic remix of identities, where mimicry and reproduction become tools for redefining the self. On Saturday, May 16, Panzetti & Ticconi with ALL'ARME explore the dual nature of collectivity as a force and a threat, in an era where tensions are rising, while Vasiliki Papapostolou, with Lucid Absurdities, immerses us in a world where trauma and imagination merge and the absurd takes on substance. On Sunday, May 17, Solène Weinachter, with AFTER ALL, approaches the issue of death with humor and sensitivity, proposing a viewpoint that regards it, not as an end, but as a relationship otherwise.

• ARCHitects

The ARChitects section breaks away from conventional notions about how and where dance may be experienced. This year's program exits the theater space to inhabit virtual worlds and Greek modernist architecture. This shift in presence and context marks a rupture that opens up new possibilities. On Thursday, May 21, at Dance Cultural Center, Ekin Tunçeli, with heartquake, approaches instability as a shared experience and solidarity as a force that holds us together, while Angelos Antonakos presents a work about the impossibility of separation and the limits of choice. On Saturday, May 23, at the Athens Conservatoire, the VR screenings of the works Saline Nebula by Stanislav Genadiev & Violeta Vitanova and Masterwork for Six Dancers 360 by En-Knap create a virtual environment, where the body and space are transformed, inviting the audience to a new form of experience and participation.

• ARC Dialogues

On May 21 and 23, as part of the ARChitects section of the festival, ARC Dialogues opens a space for exchange and reflection, where creation meets discourse. Choreographer Chrysanthi Badeka moderates discussions with artists, while VR screenings function as a starting point for a different experience of viewing and understanding the work.

• ARC HOOD

On May 22 and 23, the ARC HOOD section takes the festival to the public space, meeting the casual gaze and creating unexpected moments of connection. Through events taking place in downtown Athens, at the French Institute and in Korai Square, contemporary dance exits the theaters and meets everyday life. On May 22, the film Rise (En corps) by Cédric Klapisch tells a story about the transformative power of dance and its ability to redefine life through change. The next day, Mufutau Yusuf presents a site-specific work in public space, creating a near-meditative environment, where transience is captured through the traces of the body.

• MAIN FEST

From May 23 to 25, the festival culminates at the Olympia City Music Theatre "Maria Callas," with its core section focusing on pervasive themes of the human experience: fear, care, strength, identity, and the need to continue to be together. The works compose a polyphonic landscape of experiences, opening a space for reflection on how we relate to ourselves and others. On Friday, May 23, Sofia Mavragani with SUPER A presents a female body moving between discipline and disobedience as a political act, while Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir with When the Bleeding Stops approaches menopause as an experience of vulnerability, strength and acceptance. On Saturday, May 24, Anastasia Valsamaki with feed me peace, highlights care as an act of resistance and collective experience, while GUSH IS GREAT by Production Xx proposes a slow pace of life that resists the frenzy of modern times. On Sunday, May 25, Oulouy with Black explores memory, violence, and the emancipation of the Black experience through a powerful physical vocabulary, while Ilias Chatzigeorgiou, with SCARED, approaches fear as a shared, almost irrational but deeply human condition.

ARC17 resists the violence of ruptures by championing differentiation without separation, accessibility, participation. Persisting on its online presence, it broadcasts live selected performances of this year's festival.

Since 2008, the primary mission of DAN.C.CE Unitiva - the artistic non-profit organization that organizes ARC FOR DANCE FESTIVAL - has been the development and systematic care of a dynamic contemporary dance ecosystem in Greece. As a member of the international networks Aerowaves and Moving Balkans, DAN.C.CE Unitiva supports the participation of artists in the global dialogue on dance, while also promoting its presence in the public sphere and proposing new ways of understanding and experiencing movement. Our aim is to create a fertile ground for the advancement of both new and established choreographers, to strengthen the extroversion of Greek creators through their interconnection with international networks, and to highlight the art of dance and its pedagogical role through collaborations with educational and cultural institutions.

At the same time, DAN.C.CE Unitiva imports valuable know-how from European and international networks and actively supports the exchange of knowledge and experiences through workshops and masterclasses, enhancing networking amongst the artistic community. More than 100 choreographers and dance groups have participated in the 17 events of the festival, while many of the young creators that had been presented at ARC already boast a brilliant career trajectory in Greece and abroad; to name but a few: Patricia Apergi, Alexandra Waierstall, Anastasia Valsamaki, Christine Gouzelis & Paul Blackman, Iris Karagian, Xenia Konghilaki, Christos Papadopoulos, Alexandros Stavropoulos, et al. More here.

The «International Festival of Contemporary Dance ARC FOR DANCE FESTIVAL 2025-2026» is implemented within the context of the «ATTICA 2021-2027» Program and is co-funded by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) and national resources.

The realization of the 17th ARC FOR DANCE FESTIVAL is in compliance with accessibility provisions in order to ensure accessibility to PWD.