From 18 to 26 July 2026, Kraków will once again host the ‘Cracovia Danza’ Court Dance Festival, an event that has been restoring dance to its historical context and contemporary relevance for over two decades. Performances, shows and educational events will take place in special venues: at Wawel, the Main Market Square and in Kraków’s courtyards – where the city’s architecture and history provide a natural backdrop for historical dance. This year’s 27th edition will be accompanied by the theme ‘Time and Clocks in Dance and Ballet’, drawing attention to the rhythm, repetition and precision of movement, as well as to how dance has engaged with the concept of time for centuries. The artistic programme and accompanying educational activities – aimed at both dance enthusiasts and ballet school students – will draw on the heritage of Kraków, Poland, Europe and non-European cultures.
As is tradition, the opening and closing of the festival will be performed by the Cracovia Danza Court Ballet, which will perform in collaboration with invited guests. A special highlight will be the premiere prepared especially for this edition of the festival – ‘Czary-zegary’, a suite of Baroque dances inspired by Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Ballet de Nuit, which includes the famous Ballet of the Hours. The production will be created with the participation of the Foundation and the HeliosKine dance company, with choreography by Pierre-François Dollé.
The programme will also feature performances by Polish and international groups. The festival will feature, amongst others: Capella Antiqua Bialostociensis, Sanscriti Alaknanda from India and the HeliosKine company. A regular and highly symbolic highlight of the event remains the presentation of Polish dances in the Main Square, culminating in a joint performance of the polonaise – a gesture that brings together hundreds of participants in a shared rhythm every year. Performances by ballet school students are also planned, highlighting the continuity of tradition and intergenerational transmission.
An important addition to the programme is the Court Dance Workshops, aimed at a wide range of participants and culminating in the Royal Krakow Ball. This event will be open to the public. Running in parallel will be free workshops for children and young people, ‘Krakow Dances beneath Wawel’, as well as specialist masterclasses.
Artistic Director: Romana Agnel
Organiser: Cracovia Danza Court Ballet
Co-organiser: Ardente Sole Foundation
The ‘Cracovia Danza’ Court Dance Festival is an international artistic event organised by the Cracovia Danza Court Ballet, whose main aim is to showcase the heritage of court dance from Kraków, Poland, Europe and other cultures around the world. Held continuously since 2000, it is a unique phenomenon on an international scale. As the only event in Poland entirely dedicated to historical dance, it brings together the most distinguished specialists in the field and ensembles presenting court dance forms from various countries. Over the course of more than two decades, the festival has attracted audiences numbering in the thousands, and its programme has been co-created by numerous dance and music ensembles as well as solo artists, presenting hundreds of events in Kraków’s most iconic venues. Past editions have featured over thirty premieres involving outstanding dancers, musicians and actors, many of whom return to the city regularly.
The ‘Cracovia Danza’ Court Dance Festival remains a space where history is not confined to archives, but returns through movement, gesture and rhythm – present, alive and constantly reinterpreted in the very heart of Kraków.
