The sixth edition of the International Festival of Contemporary Solo Dance, SOLA Festival 2026, will take place in Belgrade from May 29 to 31. This year’s festival presents a rich program of contemporary dance, performance, VR art, workshops, and interdisciplinary projects exploring the possibilities of the solo form in contemporary performing arts, featuring artists from Austria, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia, and Serbia.
The festival focuses on the individual performer on stage — a body that simultaneously becomes a space of personal expression, communication, and artistic research. The program brings together artists of different generations and artistic approaches, from established names of the European contemporary dance scene to emerging choreographic voices from the region.
The central event of this year’s opening will be the premiere of the dance VR film Dancescapes, created within the international project Danube Dance Alliance. Through contemporary dance, the project explores public spaces as sites of performing arts and connects artists from several countries in the region. The film is created by Slovenian multimedia artist Enja Belak, with participation from choreographers Ognjen Vučinić, Maša Kolar, Nik Rajšek, Branko Mitrović, and Aleksandar Ilić. During the opening, audiences will also have the opportunity to attend live choreographic miniatures and a photography exhibition documenting the creative process behind the project.
Following its Belgrade presentation, the Danube Dance Alliance project will continue its regional tour through Sarajevo, Velenje, Svetvinčenat, and Trbovlje.
Festival Program
May 28 – Institute for Artistic Dance
Festival Prologue
14:00 – Contemporary dance workshop led by Boštjan Antončić (Belgium / Rosas), new space of the Institute
18:00 – Presentation of works by students of the Institute for Artistic Dance
May 29 – Europe House Belgrade
15:00 – Presentation of the Danube Dance Alliance project, press conference, opening of the photography exhibition, performance of choreographic miniatures, and premiere of the VR film Dancescapes
May 29 – Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion
20:00 – Boštjan Antončić performs the solo piece Register
May 30 – Madlenianum Opera and Theatre
19:00 – Aleksandar Ilić (Serbia): Forgotten Presence / Return to the Source
May 31 – Belgrade Cultural Centre
ARTGET Gallery
18:00 – Sonja Stojanović-Aufrajter (Austria): PLAY-RE-PLAY – an interactive solo performance exploring memory and déjà vu through minimalist movement and audience participation
PODROOM Gallery
19:00 – Tamara Mladenović (Greece): Rasudares – a project inspired by traditional Indonesian plate dance, connecting cultural heritage with contemporary stage expression
The International SOLA Festival is organized by the Institute for Artistic Dance, with the support of the Creative Europe, the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade, and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Serbia. Once again, the festival confirms Belgrade as an important meeting point for contemporary performing practices and the international dance scene.
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