Tanec, tanec... 2026

Description

Jablonec nad Nisou will host the jubilee 40th edition of the national showcase Tanec, tanec… It will also commemorate 50 years of Czech theatrical dance.
From September 25 to 27, 2026, Jablonec nad Nisou will once again become the center of Czech theatrical dance. The jubilee 40th edition of the national showcase of theatrical dance for youth and adults Tanec, tanec… will continue a half-century-long tradition of sector showcases and will mark the significant anniversary of fifty years since the first national showcase of theatrical dance. When the first national showcase of theatrical dance took place in 1977, few could have imagined that it would become a tradition lasting five decades. Over the years, generations of dancers, choreographers, and educators have come and gone, the movement language and themes of dance creation have evolved. One thing has remained the same: the need to meet, share experiences, inspire each other, and collectively explore new forms of theatrical dance.
This idea is also carried by this year's jubilee edition of the showcase, which will take place for the twenty-fourth time in Jablonec nad Nisou. The city has long been inseparably linked to the event and has become its natural home over the years. Every year, hundreds of dancers, educators, choreographers, and spectators from across the country come here, significantly contributing to the cultural life of the city and affirming its status as one of the important centers of amateur theatrical dance in the Czech Republic.
During two evenings on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26, starting at 6:00 PM, the program will feature twenty choreographies that have passed selection at regional showcases across the Czech Republic. The showcase is not a competition for the best performances but a representative image of the current form of Czech theatrical dance. Audiences will see intimate authorial statements as well as large group compositions, choreographies with live music, and works based on precise movement stylization. On one stage, fourteen-year-old dancers will meet experienced adult performers, emerging authors, and prominent figures in Czech dance pedagogy.
The jubilee program will not only include the showcase itself. Visitors can also look forward to an exhibition mapping the fifty-year history of national showcases of theatrical dance, meetings with veterans, expert discussions, a ceremonial launch of the jubilee almanac, a guided creative tour Dance Captured in Glass, and the traditional closing program Dance Awarded.
A special event of this year's edition will be an organ concert by Linda Sítková: Petr Eben - Job, a piece for organ, word, and dance, which will be held on Saturday at 2:30 PM at the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Horní náměstí, and will be part of the celebrations of the 160th anniversary of the city's founding.
Over the past fifty years, theatrical dance has transformed many times and will continue to evolve. However, its essence remains the same – it arises from collaborative work, shared experiences, and dialogue among people. That is why the showcase Tanec, tanec… has been a place where Czech theatrical dance meets, inspires, and looks to the future together for fifty years. We are glad that you will be with us.