Dublin Dance Festival is taking over this city this May, with a programme that leans into fresh air, young audiences and the simple joy of movement. Whether you’re wrangling a toddler, navigating teenage curiosity, or just looking for something a little different between coffees, there’s plenty here to pull you in.
Start on the street with The Dance of La Zurda, popping up across Wolfe Tone Park (2 May, 1pm & 4pm) and South King Street (3 May, 1pm & 4pm). This free outdoor piece by LaCerda from Spain feels less like a performance and more like a gathering. Built on looping rhythms and Latin-inflected grooves, it turns repetition into something communal – a quiet invitation to linger, watch and maybe even find yourself swaying along. It’s dance as a shared pulse, right in the heart of the city.
Over at IMMA, things slow into something more meditative. In Search of the Tragic Spirits, a short film by Choy Ka Fai (30 April – 20 May, 9:30am – 6:30pm) screens throughout the day on the Living Canvas, Europe’s largest digital screen in the picturesque setting of the gardens at IMMA. Drawing on shamanic dance traditions, it’s a hypnotic, quietly political work that rewards a casual drop-in just as much as a longer sit on the grass.
Teens, meanwhile, get their own portal at CoisCéim Dance Theatre. Silvia Gribaudi’s A Corpo Libero (10 May, 3pm) arrives as a VR experience that drops you right into the performance, before flipping into a hands-on workshop. It’s playful, a bit irreverent and refreshingly low-pressure – no dance background required, just a willingness to try.
And for the smallest festival-goers, The Ark hosts Moonlight Dream by Maiden Voyage Dance (7 – 10 May, various times), a soft, sensory-rich piece built around bedtime rituals. Think lullabies, glowing light and gentle movement – perfect as a first theatre experience and a joyful way to bond, unwind and ignite curiosity.
Altogether, this year’s Dublin Dance Festival meets audiences where they are – outdoors, curious and ready to move.
For the full programme and to plan your festival journey, visit dublindancefestival.ie.
Lead Image: The Dance of La Zurda by LaCerda © Eva Manez
