Marie Chouinard! The grande dame of Québec’s dance scene first pays tribute to Bach in a radiant, paradisiacal Baroque ballet. She then transforms Henri Michaux’s ink drawings into vibrant, fluid bodies. An evening of striking contrasts and exceptional artistry.
In NKUL NNAM (The Drum of the Village), traditional rituals from Central Africa merge with the spirit of the rave. In Athena Lucie Assamba’s electrifying performance, sacred heritage becomes the starting point for an Afrofuturist vision.
Cooking and performance meet in Jaha Koo’s Korean street food stall. Surrounded by the aromas of Korean cuisine, he reflects on his life between Korea and Europe with subtle humour – and invites the audience to get a taste of his journey and his food.
From 3 to 8 November 2026, euro-scene Leipzig will present its 36th festival edition, focusing on the Canadian province of Québec. Five guest performances will offer an insight into a dance scene of exceptional diversity and international appeal. In addition, this year’s invited artists come from countries including Germany, France, the UK, Syria, South Korea, Iran, Italy and Switzerland. This year’s festival programme comprises a total of 36 individual events: 13 guest performances, including 2 double-bills, 3 world premieres, 3 European premieres, several German premieres and 4 festival co-productions, as well as the ‘plus’ programme.
Festival director Christian Watty introduces the program of euro-scene Leipzig 2026!
Presale starts on September 26, 2026. Tickets with no presale fees available until October 2.
With "Le vent se lève" and "bang bang", Quebec choreographer Manuel Roque has shown that Montreal’s dance scene still ranks among the most exciting the contemporary dance world has to offer.
Rico Stehfest tanznetz.de
“Strong accents are set […] above all by small dance pieces that explore the festival theme ‘Love Body Politics,’ which examines the influence of political realities on body and identity, in a broadly diverse way.”
Dimo Rieß und Steffen Georgi Leipziger Volkszeitung
“One couldn’t help but think: here appears someone who wants to fly but cannot lift off because of the leaden shoes. Someone caught between heaven and earth, perhaps even torn apart by it. This is truly theatre—rarely seen—in its most archaic form. And for one and a half hours, Steven Cohen was a shaman, a trickster figure, a saint.”
Stefan Petraschewsky MDR
“To the recurring question of what such provocations are supposed to achieve, and whether blood and nudity are really necessary, there’s only one answer: it depends! It depends on whether the effect goes beyond mere shock value. If these means trigger something, then by all means. Radical confrontations have always been among the highlights of euro-scene.”
Tobias Prüwer Kreuzer
"The new concept of the Euro-Scene competition is based on collective battles, i. e. danced duels. [...] The dancers celebrate each other and the audience is so exuberant that you have to call it a party. This can be said for the Euro-Scene as a whole. For a long time, the joy of theatre in Leipzig has not been as tangible as at this festival."
Tobias Prüwer Freie Presse
"So there's no sign of a dwindling audience or theatre fatigue in Leipzig and the consistently high quality gives us hope for next year. Under Christian Watty, euro-scene is back as a major player in the city."
Torben Ibs tanznetz
"Thunderous applause was heard on many occasions during the six-day marathon, which ended on Sunday. The foyers of the Schauspielhaus and other venues such as the Lofft, Schaubühne and TdJW were packed."
Tobias Prüwer KREUZER Leipzig
"The new hybrid forms of dance, music theatre and theatre, lectures, films and discussions, as presented by Christian Watty, the director of Leipzig's "euro-scene", in this year's second edition of the festival, are anything but enigmatic or elaborate, but rather inclusive, instructive, discursive, political and comprehensible."
Wiebke Hüster FAZ
“Never has a format such as the acclaimed dance competition been more important, because it truly creates an alternative to the egoisms and nationalisms of our time. Dancers from different genres improvise together to create a rousing evening. 'The potential of community', which presenter Raphael Moussa Hillebrand talks about on this evening, becomes visible.”
Dimo Rieß LVZ online
euro-scene leipzig is institutionally supported by the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Culture and Tourism. Co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.
