dAS Festival - International Dance and Choreography Festival

A dance festival in the heart of Piacenza

The dAS Festival is the International Dance and Choreography Festival that animates the historic center of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna, every September. Founded in 2023, the festival takes its name from the acronym de Arte Saltandi and aims to promote dance and performing arts by intertwining them with the city's rich historical, artistic, and cultural heritage. Performances take place in unusual and fascinating locations: noble palaces, historic residences, aristocratic gardens, and city center spaces, in constant dialogue between past and present.

Homage to Domenichino da Piacenza

The festival is a tribute to Domenichino da Piacenza, a 15th-century dance master considered the first choreographer in history for having written the treatise De Arte Saltandi, the manuscript of which is preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. This figure inspires the festival's mission to create a dialogue between the legacy of the past and the pressing questions of the present, through a multidisciplinary program that combines dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

Artistic Direction

The dAS Festival is conceived and directed by Piacenza-based choreographer Riccardo Buscarini, who each year curates a program capable of bringing international contemporary dance to the most evocative spaces in the Municipality of Piacenza, from the Auditorium Santa Margherita to the Teatro Gioia, from Palazzo Ghizzoni Nasalli to Palazzo Rota Pisaroni, as well as the Giuseppe Nicolini Conservatory and the Liceo Melchiorre Gioia.

An international and multidisciplinary program

Each edition is marked by a theme that guides the programming: contemporary dance performances, classical music concerts, conferences, participatory performances, and screenings from the Dance for Screen section, dedicated to dance short films selected by an international jury. The festival hosts artists from various European countries, offering the public an immersive experience between art and architecture.

• Contemporary dance performances in historic palaces and gardens
• Classical and live music concerts
• Conferences and meetings on the history of dance
• Dance for Screen film section with an international award
• Participatory performances open to the public

Piacenza as a widespread stage

The dAS Festival represents a now-established event in the cultural landscape of Emilia-Romagna, capable of bringing Piacenza residents and visitors back to discover the city's historic residences through the universal language of dance. A refined balance between tradition and innovation, theory and practice, which makes Piacenza the capital of contemporary choreography for four days.