Pollino Danza Festival

24/06/2026

🗓️POLLINO DANZA 26 - SHOWS

Tanztheater Erfurt e.V. (Tanztheater Erfurt) presents « Ein Schritt von Dir » (One Step from You)

Contemporary dance and live music.
Winner of the 2026 Thuringian Theater Prize.

Dancers and musicians engage in an intense interaction on stage to a specially arranged composition.
The result: a moving dialogue. Spaces for association open up between the arts, fueled by themes of
closeness and distance.
A game of opposites: closeness and distance form two poles between which human existence moves.
We long for closeness, for connection, for a deep togetherness, yet at the same time we need
distance, the space for reflection, for self-discovery. In hardly any other art form as in dance can this
be captured and expressed through movement. The drawing near and the retreating, the striving for
touch and the conscious stepping back.
In the choreography, moments of intimacy and, at the same time, of longing can emerge. Dance
makes visible what is in every human relationship: the inevitable interplay of closeness and distance.
Music and dance will meet on stage, enter into dialogue, and carry this interplay beyond the
boundaries of their genres.

A project of Tanztheater Erfurt
Supported by Thüringer Kulturstiftung (Thuringia Cultural Foundation) and the City of Erfurt.

Credits:
Year of production: 2025
Concept/Choreography: Ester Ambrosino
Dancers: Greta Dato, Martin Angiuli
Sound arrangement: Michael Krause
Musician: Fia Silena (Piano, Vocals, Loopstation)
Duration: 60 minutes
Photo credit: © Monika Lawrence

🗓️ July 18, 9:30pm
📍 Fardella, Basilicata, ITALY

📷 Monika Lawrence

      

21/06/2026

🗓️ POLLINO DANZA 26 - GRAND GALA (English below)

Come di consueto, questa edizione si concluderà con un Gran Gala che vedrà protagonisti i finalisti del Concorso Solisti, gli allievi dei workshop e le esibizioni di alcuni dei nostri docenti Masterclass:
- Maria Kochetkova ()
- Luis Tena Torres (Luis Tena Torres)

Avremo anche un ospite speciale, Ahmad Joudah (Ahmad Joudeh), ballerino e coreografo, nato e cresciuto a Yarmouk, un campo profughi palestinese a Damasco, in Siria.

📅 26 luglio 2026
📌 Fardella (PZ), Italy

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🇬🇧As usual, this edition will close with a Grand Gala featuring the finalists of the Solo Competition, our workshops’ students, and exhibitions by some of our Masterclass teachers:
- Maria Kochetkova ()
- Luis Tena Torres (Luis Tena Torres)

We’ll also have a very special guest, Ahmad Joudah (Ahmad Joudeh), a dancer and choreographer, born and raised in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Syria.

Don’t miss out!

📅 July 26, 2026
📌 Fardella (PZ), Italy

20/06/2026

🌟POLLINO DANZA 26 - CHOREOGRAPHIC SHOWCASE

Siamo felici di condividere con voi gli/le artisti/e che presenteranno i lavori in site-specific alla Vetrina Coreografica del Pollino Danza Festival 2026

- “HEAVY METAL” di Camilla Montesi (Camilla Montesi). Interpreti: Benedetta Bonomo e Filippo Brugnola ( )
- “Un Di in Overture” del collettivo Spazio Variabile (SPAZIO VARIABILE). Coreografie e interpretazione di Matteo Vairo ed Irene Parisi ( )
- “Roots” di Aurora Profili e Alberto Bargnesi. Interpreti: Aurora Profili e Alberto Bargnesi ( )

⁠Il lavoro vincitore avrà accesso ad una residenza artistica in Basilicata, riceverà un budget di 1.000 euro e la possibilità di presentare il lavoro nei Festival e Centri partner del progetto. ⁠

Grazie a tutti gli/ le artisti/e che hanno inviato la candidatura, grazie del vostro tempo e della condivisione! 

Non perdetevi questo appuntamento,

🗓️ 23 luglio
📍 Fardella, Basilicata.

__

🇬🇧 We are happy to share with you the artists who will present their site-specific works at the Choreographic Showcase of the Pollino Danza Festival 2026

- “HEAVY METAL” by Camilla Montesi (Camilla Montesi).. Performers: Benedetta Bonomo and Filippo Brugnola ( )
- “Un Di in Overture” by Spazio Variabile (SPAZIO VARIABILE). Choregraphy and performance by Matteo Vairo and Irene Parisi ( )
- “Roots” by Aurora Profili and Alberto Bargnesi. Performers: Aurora Profili, Alberto Bargnesi ( )

⁠The winner choreographer will be awarded with an artistic residency in Basilicata, a budget of 1.000 euro and the possibility to present the work within the international network in partnership with Pollino Danza.⁠

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their applications, thank you for your time and sharing!

Don’t miss this appointment,
See you on July 24th in Basilicata!

🗓️ July 23
📍 Fardella, Basilicata, ITALY

📷 Umberto Dolcini, Riccardo Cecchini, FOCUS ART

  
   

18/06/2026

18/06/2026

🗓️ POLLINO DANZA 26 - OPENING GALA

⭐️Guest of honour, Daniil Simkin Daniil Simkin

- Nnamdi Nwagwu .nwagwu
- Agnese Trippa Agnese Trippa (MP3 Dance Company )
- Balletto Lucano Balletto Lucano

📅 July 17
📌 Fardella (PZ), Italy

06/06/2026

🍃POLLINO DANZA 2026 - AERIAL ARTS

By &
⁠
Il Pollino Danza Festival propone anche un percorso immersivo dedicato alla danza aerea, pensato per accompagnare i partecipanti in un’evoluzione tecnica, fisica ed espressiva attraverso tessuto, cerchio, duo aereo, fisiotecnica e ricerca del movimento.
Il programma alterna allenamento specifico, sviluppo della qualità scenica e laboratorio coreografico, con una progressione graduale che conduce fino al gala finale del 26 luglio.⁠

_

🇬🇧 Pollino Danza Festival also offers an immersive program dedicated to aerial dance, designed to accompany participants in a technical, physical, and expressive evolution through fabric, hoop, aerial duet, physiotechnics, and movement exploration.
The program alternates specific training, development of stage skills and choreographic workshops, with a gradual progression that leads up to the final gala on July 26th.

   

04/06/2026

👤POLLINO DANZA 2026 - WORKSHOPS

Daniel Owoseni Ajala ()⁠
・Ballet
⁠
Daniel Owoseni Ajala è un educatore, coreografo e promotore delle arti nigeriano, fondatore della Leap of Dance Academy, la prima scuola di balletto della Nigeria. Dal 2017 offre formazione gratuita e di alto livello a bambini e giovani provenienti da contesti svantaggiati, utilizzando la danza come strumento di crescita, inclusione e cambiamento sociale.
Riconosciuto a livello internazionale, unisce il balletto classico alle tradizioni culturali africane e ha accompagnato numerosi allievi verso prestigiose scuole professionali in Europa. Il suo lavoro è stato raccontato da media di tutto il mondo ed è protagonista del documentario Then Comes the Body (2025), qualificato agli Oscar.�_

🇬🇧 Daniel Owoseni Ajala is a Nigerian dance educator, choreographer, and arts advocate, and the founder of Leap of Dance Academy, Nigeria’s first ballet school. Since 2017, he has provided free, high-quality ballet training to children and young people from underserved communities, using dance as a tool for education, inclusion, and social transformation.
Internationally recognized for his innovative approach, he blends classical ballet with African cultural traditions and has guided several students to prestigious professional ballet schools across Europe. His work has been featured by media worldwide and is highlighted in the Oscar-qualifying documentary Then Comes the Body (2025).
⁠
https://www.pollinodanza.it/team-member/daniel-oa/

02/06/2026

👤 MASTERCLASS 2026 - Maria Kochetkova, Ballet and Repertoire (English below)⁠

Siamo felici di accogliere , una delle artiste più celebri e versatili del panorama internazionale della danza.
Diplomata all’Accademia del Balletto Bolshoi e vincitrice del Prix de Lausanne, Maria ha costruito una carriera straordinaria come étoile del San Francisco Ballet, dell’American Ballet Theatre e del Finnish National Ballet, esibendosi inoltre come ospite nelle più prestigiose compagnie del mondo, tra cui La Scala di Milano, il Mariinsky, il Bolshoi e il Royal Danish Ballet.
Riconosciuta per la sua eccezionale tecnica, la sua sensibilità interpretativa e la sua costante ricerca artistica, Maria ha saputo creare un percorso unico che unisce il repertorio classico alla creazione contemporanea. Attraverso le sue performance, il suo insegnamento, il mentoring e i suoi progetti artistici, continua a ispirare danzatori e pubblico in tutto il mondo.
Oggi, nel suo ruolo di insegnante presso il Royal Danish Ballet e come artista attiva sulla scena internazionale, continua a contribuire all’evoluzione del balletto, creando un ponte tra tradizione e innovazione.

🇬🇧We are delighted to welcome — one of the most celebrated and versatile artists in the ballet world today.
A graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and winner of the Prix de Lausanne, Maria has enjoyed an extraordinary international career as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Finnish National Ballet, while performing as a guest artist with many of the world’s leading companies, including La Scala, the Mariinsky, the Bolshoi, and the Royal Danish Ballet.
Renowned for her exceptional technique, expressive artistry, and fearless curiosity, Maria has built a unique career that bridges classical ballet and contemporary creation. Alongside collaborations with some of the most influential choreographers of our time, she continues to inspire dancers and audiences worldwide through performance, teaching, mentorship, and artistic innovation.

➡️Book now pollinodanza.it

     

29/05/2026

👤POLLINO DANZA 2026 - WORKSHOPS

Luana Filardi ()⁠
, Artemis Danza・Ballet and repertoire (intermediate)⁠
⁠
She began her classical and contemporary dance studies at the Accademia del Balletto Lucano, directed by Loredana Calabrese, starting from the age of six.⁠
She continued her training at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala and the Balletto di Toscana, subsequently joining the Balletto di Toscana company, under the direction of Cristina Bozzolini.⁠
Since 2015 she has been working as a solo dancer and dance troupe at the Teatro Stabile in Munster (Germany), under the direction of Hans Henning Paar.⁠
Since 2017 she has been working as a freelance dancer for national and international choreographers and she is permanently part of the staff of the Balletto Lucano company.⁠
She is a doctor in Arts, Music and Entertainment at the University of Turin, and in 2020 she began a specialization path as a clinical dance therapist, with the desire to combine the artistic aspect of dance with the practical/organizational and therapeutic one.⁠
⁠
https://www.pollinodanza.it/team-member/luana-filardi/

28/05/2026

👤POLLINO DANZA 2026 - WORKSHOPS

Sara Pennella ()⁠
Opernhaus Zurich, Erfurt Theater・Contemporary dance⁠
⁠
Sara Pennella began her dance studies at Loredana Calabrese’s Balletto Lucano school in Senise (PZ), and at Pollino Danza she won a scholarship for the Ballet school of Tuscany in Florence (2007/2011) and joined the Junior company of the same.⁠
In October 2012 she took a contract with the Oniin dance Company of Bologna with which she carried out tours in Italy and abroad. In the same year she joined the cast of the musical “My Fair Lady” by Massimo Romeo Piparo at the Sistina Theater for the Italian tour. In February 2015 she signed her first foreign contract for the Tanz & Kunst company directed by Brigitta Luisa Merki in Switzerland, with which she still collaborates today on various productions.⁠
She also works for Monica Casadei’s Artemis Danza company from Parma and Claudio Ronda’s Fabula Saltica company from Rovigo. From 2016 to 2018 she joined the artistic cast of the Garden Club Toscana under the direction of Noemi Rossi, completing herself artistically with a vast musical repertoire. In 2017 she works at Gardaland and at the same time for the Dutch Samadhi Dance Company of Vraja Sundari Keilman, she also takes part in various Dinner Shows.⁠
In 2018 she was cast in the opera musical Otello-L’ultimo Bacio directed by Wayne Fowkes and in the same year she became a member of the NoGraity dance company in Rome with which she carried out various tours in Italy and abroad . In 2019 she took part in two other productions together with the Swiss company Flamencos En Route and in the same year she embarked on a new and exciting experience as assistant / dancer of the illusionist magician Gaetano Triggiano with whom she participated in the show “Zauber, Zauber” at the Wintergarten of Berlin.⁠
In 2020 she participates in the “LABYRITH” project in state schools in the Aargau region (Switzerland) as a teacher and choreographer.⁠
⁠
https://www.pollinodanza.it/team-member/sara-pennella/