Dance, dance... 2026

Jablonec nad Nisou will host the 40th anniversary edition of the national festival ‘Tanec, tanec…’. It will also mark 50 years of Czech stage dance

From 25 to 27 September 2026, Jablonec nad Nisou will once again become the centre of Czech stage dance. The 40th anniversary edition of the national stage dance festival for young people and adults, ‘Tanec, tanec…’, will build on a half-century-long tradition of specialist festivals and mark the significant anniversary of fifty years since the first national stage dance festival.

When the first national stage dance festival took place in 1977, few could have imagined that it would become a tradition lasting five decades. Over that time, generations of dancers, choreographers and teachers have come and gone; the language of movement and the themes explored in dance have evolved. One thing, however, has remained the same: the need to come together, share experiences, inspire one another and jointly discover new forms of stage dance.

It is precisely this idea that underpins this year’s anniversary edition of the festival, which is taking place for the twenty-fourth time in Jablonec nad Nisou. The town has long been inextricably linked to the event and, over the years, has become its natural home. Every year, hundreds of dancers, teachers, choreographers and audience members from across the country flock here, meaning the festival makes a significant contribution to the town’s cultural life and reaffirms its status as one of the key centres for amateur stage dance in the Czech Republic.

Over two evenings – on Friday 25 September and Saturday 26 September, starting at 6.00 pm each night – the programme will feature twenty choreographies selected from regional festivals across the Czech Republic. The festival is not a competition to find the best performances, but rather a representative snapshot of the current state of Czech stage dance. Audiences will see intimate, authorial works as well as large-scale group compositions, choreographies accompanied by live music, and pieces based on precise stylised movement. On a single stage, fourteen-year-old dancers will share the stage with experienced adult performers, emerging choreographers and leading figures in Czech dance education.

The anniversary programme will not be limited to the festival itself. Visitors can also look forward to an exhibition charting the fifty-year history of national stage dance festivals, meetings with eyewitnesses, expert discussions, the ceremonial launch of the anniversary almanac, a guided creative tour entitled ‘Dance Captured in Glass ’, and the traditional closing programme ‘Dance Honoured’. A highlight of this year’s festival will be an organ concert by Linda Sítková: Petr Eben – Job, a composition for organ, spoken word and dance, which will take place on Saturday at 2.30 pm in the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Horní náměstí, and will form part of the celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of the town’s foundation.

Over the past fifty years, stage dance has undergone many transformations and will continue to do so. Its essence, however, remains the same – it arises from collaborative work, shared experiences and dialogue between people. That is precisely why, for fifty years now, the ‘Tanec, tanec…’ festival has been a place where Czech stage dance comes together, finds inspiration and looks to the future as one. We are delighted that you will be joining us.



Organisers and patrons

Commissioned by and with financial support from the Ministry of Culture, and with financial support from the Liberec Region and the statutory city of Jablonec nad Nisou, under the patronage of the statutory city of Jablonec nad Nisou, the event is organised by the National Institute for Culture, the ARTAMA Prague department and the Magdaléna Rychnov u Jablonce nad Nisou Dance and Movement Studio, z. s., and co-organised by the Jablonec nad Nisou Municipal Theatre, o. p. s., Kultura Jablonec, a public organisation in Jablonec nad Nisou, and the Museum of Glass and Costume Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou.