DANCETOPIA SYMPOSIUM
AUTHENTICITY & ARTIFICIALITY
5.–8. 6. 2026
Prague: Goethe-Institut ⟡ Libeň Synagogue ⟡ Komunitní prostor Smíchov

Four days of performances, workshops and discussions with international artists and performers in various Prague locations. DANCETOPIA creates a platform for dance enthusiasts and professionals in the dance field, welcoming all levels of experience and backgrounds.

With the themes of authenticity and artificiality forming tense entanglements, the program unfolds across the weekend of June 5-8, creating meeting spaces for dancers, artists and the public. Join us in imagining a place for collective dreaming, movement exploration, and mutual inspiration across dance floors.

The performance program invites you into a series of works that blur the boundaries between body, space, and technological processes. Experience a dance work shaped through AI-modified choreography and organ music; a performance that weaves together fragments of the urban landscape with human bodies; or a piece inviting us to face the ungraspable, the unspoken, and the unresolved. To dive deeper into the topics, each show is followed by a discussion with the artist(s).

The workshops are led by international performers and artists, including the symposium’s special guest, Isabel Lewis. Born in the Dominican Republic, Lewis is an artist and choreographer whose practice engages with open-source technology, dance improvisation, and social dances. Her work has been presented across contemporary art, music, dance, and theatre contexts at institutions worldwide. She currently serves as the artistic co-director of Tanzquartier Wien.

The third edition of DANCETOPIA is based in Goethe-Institut Prague, where most of the program takes place, while also extending to other locations, such as Libeň Synagogue, to offer a distinct experience for each performance.

Shows by Katrina E. Bastian (Terminal), Lucia Kašiarová (Mnohodinec), Pavel Matela (Permaperformer), Peter Pleyer (Slow Rave) & Lucie Vrbíková (Bodies That Do Not Hold)
Workshops with Isabel Lewis, Peter Pleyer, Raul Vargas Torres, Katrina E. Bastian

Program

Friday, June 5
afternoon (15–18:30) / (Goethe-Institut)
- registration
- workshop with Peter Pleyer (for passholders)
- welcome dinner
evening (18:30–21) / (Goethe-Institut)
- Ergopermaperformance by Pavel Matela
- Asphalt Lovers by Azolla Collective
- discussion

Saturday, June 6
morning (11–14) / (Goethe-Institut)
- workshop with Isabel Lewis (for passholders)
evening (19–23) / (Komunitní centrum Smíchov)
- panel discussion with the artists
- TERMINAL; dances for organ by Katrina E. Bastian
- common dance floor sharing, DJ set by Jaro Viňarský

Sunday, June 7
morning (11–14) / (Goethe-Institut)
- workshop with Raul Vargas Torres (for passholders)
evening (19–22) / (Libeňská synagoga)
- Mnohodinec by Lucia Kašiarová
- Ergopermaperformance by Pavel Matela
- Solo 2025 + Slow Rave by Peter Pleyer

Monday, June 8
morning (11–14) / (Goethe-Institut)
- workshops with Katrina E. Bastian & Peter Pleyer (for passholders)
- closing brunch