Dissidanza International Festival

A contemporary dance festival in the heart of Palermo

The Dissidanza International Festival is one of the most original showcases for the performing arts in Sicily. Conceived and directed by Giovanni Zappulla, it takes place at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in Palermo, a post-industrial space that the City of Palermo has transformed into one of its most dynamic cultural hubs. The name itself, Dissidanza, captures the essence of the project: a "dissident" dance, free from conventional rules, seeking new forms of expression through research and multidisciplinarity.

Origins and Identity

The festival stems from the twenty-year experience of the L'espace association and the Compagnia Zappulla DMN, both deeply rooted in the Palermitan territory and active in the training and production of contemporary dance. Since its first edition, Dissidanza has aimed to create a network between performing arts entities in the Mediterranean and European areas, promoting exchange between artists, companies, and institutions, and positioning Sicily as a crossroads for avant-garde contemporary dance.

A Multidisciplinary Program

The festival goes beyond dance: each edition fosters a dialogue between contemporary dance, theater, circus arts, videomapping, sound design, and visual arts. The stage hosts international companies—past participants have included artists from France, Italy, Poland, Austria, Mexico, and Spain—with performances ranging from pure choreography to aerial performance, and from audiovisual installations to live music. The evenings, generally accessible in price, offer a series of performances, providing the audience with a broad perspective on contemporary trends.

The Venue: Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa

The halls of the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa—including Spazio Franco and Sala Perriera—provide the ideal setting for a festival that makes experimentation its hallmark. This former industrial complex in the Zisa district, just a stone's throw from the Arab-Norman castle of the same name, houses theaters, galleries, and cultural associations, and is now a symbol of urban regeneration in Palermo.

Commitment and Research

Each edition addresses a core theme: in recent years, the festival has focused on the relationship between nature, the environment, and the human psyche, interpreted through the body and movement. Supported by partners such as the Institut français Palermo and European projects, Dissidanza combines its performance program with artistic residencies, workshops, and training, cementing its status as a key event for contemporary dance enthusiasts in Sicily.