From three performances at the Stadsschouwburg to 48 performances scattered throughout the city. That's Julidans in a nutshell. The 35th edition, from July 2 to 13, 2025, was immediately the largest in years: 26 productions, 12 festival days and nine locations across the city. Director and programmer Anita van Dolen built the festival into one of the most important dance platforms in Europe.
The names on the program say it all. Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui are among the regular big names, as is Florentina Holzinger, who keeps returning as one of the most outspoken creators in the field. Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar represent a kind of dance where body and music almost merge. Dada Masilo brings back classic stories in a language all its own. And Mette Ingvartsen explores how far you can stretch the body as a stage material. These are not just names on a poster. Together they form the heart of what Julidans wants to show: makers with something to say, and who know how.
The festival has a clear dichotomy in its programming. On the one hand, the ‘Great Masters,’ the established names who have shaped the genre. On the other, the ‘Enfants Terribles,’ the creators who push the boundaries of form and taste. Internationaal Theater Amsterdam is the permanent center, but the performances spread to Theater Bellevue, Frascati, W139, Bijlmerpark Theater, Meervaart Theater, Podium Mozaïek, Vondelpark Openluchttheater and the Stedelijk Museum. This spread is no coincidence. The festival wants to go into the city, not be locked up in one venue.
The festival wants to go out into the city, not be confined to one venue, and you can tell by everything.
The next edition is scheduled for 2026. The festival started small, but small it has long since ceased to be. Those who take contemporary dance seriously, or are simply curious about it, will find a program here that is not made anywhere else in the city.