Ballo Pubblico – International Contemporary Dance Festival in Urban Spaces

A festival that brings dance to the streets

Ballo Pubblico is the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Urban Spaces that transforms the center of Poggibonsi, in the Province of Siena, into an open-air stage every year. The driving idea behind the festival is simple yet radical: to take dance out of the theater box and return it to the city, its squares, and its citizens. Between Piazza Berlinguer and the Teatro Politeama, a series of performances and choreographies—each lasting about twenty minutes—unfold in a continuous flow of faces, bodies, settings, and messages that shift before the audience's eyes.

Choreographers and companies from across Italy

Artistic direction is led by Francesca Lettieri, who curates a program that bridges established names in the Italian choreographic scene with international acts. Over the years, the festival has hosted companies such as Compagnia Naturalis Labor, Fondazione Egri per la Danza, Compagnia Adarte, and Compagnia AiEP, showcasing diverse styles: from auteur dance to contemporary research, and from body-focused work to the relationship between movement and public space.

Part of Piazze d'Armi e di Città

Ballo Pubblico is one of the most anticipated events of the Piazze d'Armi e di Città Festival, the major summer season in Poggibonsi centered around the Teatro Politeama, which enlivens the city with theater, music, cinema, and performing arts. Dance in urban spaces is the segment that best embodies the festival's spirit: bringing culture to the people, within the spaces of daily life.

Dinner with the Artists

One of the most recognizable hallmarks of Ballo Pubblico is the Dinner with the Artists, which closes each evening. More than just a social gathering, it is an informal, public-facing opportunity to meet the dancers and choreographers, share behind-the-scenes stories, and extend the performance experience around a table. This is where the distance between stage and audience truly vanishes.

A festival for all of Tuscany

Included in the Tuscan events calendar, Ballo Pubblico is a landmark for contemporary dance enthusiasts in the Valdelsa and the entire Province of Siena. Its short, itinerant format makes it accessible even to those who do not regularly frequent theaters: all it takes is a square, good evening light, and a desire to be surprised by movement.