Be Ready for the Dance Days Chania

The international contemporary dance festival “Dance Days Chania” will be held from July 22nd till August 2nd 2023 for the 13th consecutive year. The festival program includes performances, workshops, the section “New Creators and Public Space”, the Video Dance section, transnational artistic residency, photography and painting exhibition by kids and teenagers, discussions, events in the city, etc.

Dance Days Chania

Dance Days Chania is organized with the voluntary work of the members of the Association of Expressive Dance Syn-Kinisi, the co-organization of the Region of Crete, the Municipality of Chania and KEPPEDH-KAM. In the previous years of its implementation, it has received the support of the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation, Flux Laboratory Athens, Embassies as well as donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and other local and national institutions. In addition, it has received grants from the Ministry of Culture for the years 2017 – 2022. The festival has been recognized with the EFFE Label 2017 – 2018, 2019-2021 and 2022 – 2023 by the European Federation of Festivals (EFA).

Aim of the festival is to highlight the different choreographic and creative approaches of the contemporary dance scene and to give equal space to new and recognized creators. Community awareness and participation is an integral part of the planning and implementation of the festival through workshops and events in the city, offering the opportunity for non-dance audiences to come into contact with the art of dance and make it directly accessible to all.

“Dance concerns us all and movement is seen as an integral part of our everyday life. The creation involves the city and the city involves the creation and as a result the community contributes an essential part of Dance Days Chania.”

Dance Days Chania has hosted, over the years (2011-2022), a total of 149 contemporary dance performances, 17 site specific productions by new artists, 110 workshops by choreographers and dancers, 22 masterclasses, 2-day and 3-day video dance tributes (screenings & talks), 40 screenings of video dance works, the Athens Video Dance Project, 13 lectures and 2 scientific conferences. Events have taken place in theatres, specially designed outdoor stages, cultural sites, archaeological monuments and neighborhoods of the city and artists from Europe, Asia, Africa and America have participated. In total, to date, 179 choreographers, 365 dancers, 66 visual-musical artists, 21 theorists-academics. Finally, it is estimated that more than 3000 spectators per year attend and participate in the activities of the festival.

“Dance Days Chania is the only international festival implemented in Crete, with a theme of contemporary dance, hosting cultural and educational events throughout the year. In the heart of summer and with tourism at its highest level, our presence culminates with the 15-day hosting of events to promote contemporary dance. Through this event, Chania is placed on the world map as a meeting point for culture and tourism.”

Photos by SOUTH Space for Photography – George