Contemporary Dance Festival

The 2025 edition of Ferrara's Contemporary Dance Festival animated the Este city from September to November, with the theme "La città che danza" (The City that Dances). On September 11 and 12, the Festa della Danza opened the festival at the Teatro Comunale Claudio Abbado, with two evenings dedicated to local dance schools. On September 13 and 14, Interno Verde Danza transformed six historic city locations — from Palazzo dei Diamanti to Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, from the Monumental Certosa to the garden of Palazzo Giulio d'Este — into a widespread urban stage.

Among the featured performances: "Sabir" (September 20), a visual opera inspired by the lingua franca of Mediterranean ports; "Carmen" (October 19), a reinterpretation of Bizet's masterpiece by choreographer Abou Lagraa and performed by the Ballet de l'Opéra de Tunis, for the first time in Italy; and "Avantgarde" (November 9), the absolute premiere by the NoGravity Dance Company directed by Emiliano Pellisari. A program that confirmed the festival as one of the most important dance events in Emilia-Romagna.