Lucca Dance Meeting
The international dance festival that turns Lucca into the capital of ballet
About Dance Meeting
Lucca: International Capital of Dance
For more than two weeks, the city of Lucca, in the heart of Tuscany, transforms into a vast, open-air stage dedicated to dance. The Dance Meeting is an international festival conceived and organized by the A.E.D. (European Dance Association), directed by Lorella Reboa and Duccio Pacini. For over ten editions, it has drawn dancers, schools, masters, and enthusiasts from across Europe to Lucca.
The event weaves together live performance, advanced training, and competition. Alongside galas featuring international-level performers, the schedule includes contests, workshops, and itinerant performances that bring the city's squares, shops, and historic spaces to life. This fusion of grand theater and urban landscape makes the Dance Meeting a unique appointment in the Italian cultural scene.
Galas at the Teatro del Giglio
The scenic heart of the festival is the Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini, located in Piazza del Giglio, which hosts gala evenings featuring principal dancers from the most prestigious European theaters. During these events, the Città di Lucca Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to major figures in the international dance world.
Competitions: Eurocity and Coreografie d'Autore
The competitive program is divided into two major international contests:
- Eurocity — a competition for soloists and duos;
- Coreografie d'Autore — a competition for schools and groups.
Winners gain access to the final gala and compete for prestigious scholarships at leading international academies. The jury is composed of renowned teachers and directors from European dance institutions, ranging from the Royal Ballet School in London to CODARTS in Rotterdam and the Holland Dance Festival.
The Dancing City
The Dance Meeting does not stay confined to the theater: dance interventions take performers into the squares, under the porticoes, and into the most evocative corners of Lucca's historic center, while the Auditorium Boccherini and the Luigi Boccherini Conservatory host workshops and training sessions. It is an opportunity to discover dance in all its forms while experiencing one of Tuscany's most beloved art cities.
Who is it for?
The festival is open to both professionals and the general public. Dancers will find competitions, workshops, and opportunities to engage with international masters, while spectators can enjoy world-class performances just steps away from the Renaissance walls of Lucca.
Dance Meeting — edition 2026
The 2026 Dance Meeting took place in Lucca from May 8 to 24, with the Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini serving as the main stage alongside a network of initiatives throughout the historic center. The opening night celebrated the great tradition of classical ballet with a star-studded gala, while the following weekend was dedicated to international competitions.
The festival reaffirmed its international vocation, bringing together dancers, schools, and masters from across Europe for workshops, performances, and training sessions in collaboration with the Luigi Boccherini Conservatory.
Programme Dance Meeting 2026
Friday, May 8 — Ballet Gala 'Stars of Today and Tomorrow'
- 9:00 PM — Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini, Piazza del Giglio
Opening night featuring a program of pas de deux from the great classical repertoire:
- Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
- Giselle
- Diana and Actaeon
- Esmeralda
- POST SCRIPT — choreography by Travis Clausen-Knight, international premiere
Guest dancers: Francesco Mura, Tosca Chiara Auba, Corentin Dournes (Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris); Arisa Namba (State Opera Plovdiv); Lian Yi Sanchez Castro and Alexandre De Oliveira Ferreira (Ballet de l'Opéra de Toulouse); Lorenzo Carriero; Luca Pio Magri and Natsu Fukuyama (TAZ Tanz Academy Zürich). During the evening, the Città di Lucca Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mara Galeazzi.
May 9-10 — International Competitions
- Eurocity — competition for soloists and duos (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning)
- Coreografie d'Autore — competition for schools and groups
International jury: Arantxa Carmona Sanchez, Paul Kay (Royal Ballet School, London), Caroline Harder (CODARTS Rotterdam), Françoise Petit (Royal Conservatory, The Hague), Lorella Reboa (A.E.D. Director), Omar Taiebi (École Nationale de Danse, Marseille), and Samuel Wuersten (Holland Dance Festival).
Until May 24 — Pop-up events and city-wide initiatives
Itinerant performances in the squares and historic spaces of Lucca, the 'Dance! The Nelken Line' project open to the public, and workshops and performances for students in collaboration with the Luigi Boccherini Conservatory.
Highlights Dance Meeting 2026
Prices Dance Meeting 2026
Practical information — Dance Meeting
Getting There
Lucca is well-connected by train (Lucca station, Florence–Viareggio line) and by car via the A11 Firenze–Mare motorway, Lucca exit. The Teatro del Giglio is located in Piazza del Giglio, in the heart of the pedestrianized historic center.
Tickets
Tickets for the gala evenings at the Teatro del Giglio are available via TicketOne and the theater box office. Many pop-up performances and city-wide initiatives are free to attend.
Contact
A.E.D. Associazione Europea Danza — tel./WhatsApp +39 335 6083111, email [email protected], website aed.dance.
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Where does it take place — Dance Meeting
Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini
Piazza del Giglio 13/15, 55100 Lucca