July 18-27, 2025
The Kalamata International Dance Festival is synonymous with the flourishing of contemporary dance in Greece. Since 1995, it has been providing the public with works dedicated to the poetry of the human body, hosting creators who write the very history of contemporary dance. The works it hosts aim to inspire and motivate the public towards the creation of a collective life of value and meaning.
The place where the vision for contemporary dance has been realized, since 1995, is the ever-hospitable Mediterranean city of Kalamata. A place generous to the Festival that is open to the whole world to participate and enjoy.
The Kalamata Dance Festival this year enters its fourth decade of life, it is an institution with a constant presence and contribution to the culture of our country. An institution that began as a bold initiative and today has evolved into a point of reference for contemporary choreographic creation, not only in Greece but also internationally.
The Kalamata International Dance Festival is one of those examples where culture “walks” among us. It gives a voice to citizens, a place to artists, depth to ideas. And this year, with its anniversary program, it invites us on a journey of memory and future. A program that is not limited to dates – but spreads over time, takes root in the city and blossoms in new creations.
This year’s 39th edition is special for another reason: It is the first year under the new artistic direction of Tzeni Argyriou, who, with deep respect for the history of the institution and with a fresh perspective, undertakes to continue the important work of her predecessors. With vision, boldness and a sense of responsibility, the new artistic direction proposes a multi-faceted program that honors dance, while at the same time repositioning it within a broader cultural context.
With major protagonists Maguy Marin, Christos Papadopoulos, Damien Jalet, Omar Rajeh and Kat Válastur, important new collaborations with cultural institutions such as the National Opera, activation of new points in the city and commissioning of new works, the 31st Kalamata International Dance Festival will take place this year from July 18 to 27, under the new artistic direction of Tzeni Argyriou. At the culmination of the 30-year anniversary of its historic journey (1995-2025), this year’s Kalamata International Dance Festival includes a total of 20 works by major Greek and foreign choreographers from Greece and abroad: Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, Great Britain, Lebanon, Switzerland. Among them, Maguy Marin, one of the most important choreographers of our time, who, ten years after her last performance in Greece, comes to Kalamata for the first time with May B, one of the classic masterpieces of 20th century contemporary dance, Christos Papadopoulos, who presents in Kalamata for the first time the work Mellowing with the Dance On Ensemble group, and Damien Jalet, one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world with his brand new work Thrice with the Nagelhus Schia Productions group, which will be presented in Kalamata immediately after its premiere in Norway in June 2025.
INFO & PROGRAM: www.kalamatadancefestival.gr
TICKET INFORMATION: www.ticketmaster.gr
