Dancing Innsbruck: Winter Dance Festival 2025

Innsbruck is dancing again! From January 30 to March 2, 2025, the Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival will once again transform the city into a vibrant center for dance. After the great success of the first edition in 2024, visitors can once again look forward to a spectacle in a class of its own. With fascinating choreographies, international talent and new venues, the second edition of the festival will be even more diverse than last year.

Hot sounds in wintry Innsbruck

Last year, the band founded by Enrique Gasa Valga founded by Limonada Dance Company really got the Innsbruck audience going. Cuban rhythms brought a summery Caribbean flair to wintry Tyrol. Within a very short space of time, an idea turned into something unique and great, the extent of which is far from exhausted. "The success of last year's festival, the numerous enthusiastic visitors and the great positive response, encourages us to make the coming year even more diverse," explains the artistic director and audience favorite Enrique Gasa Valga.

Dance meets emotion

Valgawho originally comes from Barcelona and studied at the renowned dance academy Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba, is ambitious: With the world premiere of Dorian Gray and the piece Carmina Burana he presents a program that is thought-provoking, inspiring and moving, and last year's audience favourite will also be performed again Lágrimas Negras will be performed again. In addition to spectacular dance performances, we can also look forward to a variety of side events and unusual locations.

Lágrimas Negras: Cuban passion meets Alpine metropolis

The revival of the acclaimed production Lágrimas Negras. Seven outstanding Cuban musicians will once again bring exotic rhythms and pure joie de vivre to the Alpine metropolis in 2025. Whether you missed the show last year or would like to experience it again - February 15 and 16 offer the perfect opportunity to do so. And a little tip for the men: Valentine's Day is the day before - perhaps the ideal surprise for a special evening!

Dorian Gray: A dance with eternal youth

The story of Dorian Graya rich and handsome man who, thanks to a magical portrait, remains eternally young while the picture in his place ages, is familiar to many of us. No spoiler: This pursuit of perfection ultimately leads to his downfall. Inspired by Oscar Wilde's tragic tale, Enrique Gasa Valga brings the story to the stage as a dance piece with its Limonada Dance Company. 'The cult of youth and beauty and the dark consequences of this pursuit are more relevant today than ever in the context of our time,' says Valga. I am curious to see how he succeeds in translating Dorian Gray's insatiable desire for pleasure and selfishness into dance.

Carmina Burana: A firework display of love, emotion and passion

Okay, I have to admit it: I don't think I've ever attended a ballet performance - at least I can't remember it. So for this blog post, I first researched what the audience can expect at a ballet performance Carmina Burana can expect. The piece is being staged by the internationally renowned star choreographer Ilya Jivoy. And what can I say? Wow - the audience is in for a firework display of emotions! Based on Carl Orffs 's famous work, Jivoy brings an impressive performance to the stage. With powerful rhythms, intense emotions and timeless themes such as love, fate and human nature, the result is an experience that captivates and touches.

Dancing everywhere!

The venue for the three main acts will be the Congress Zentrum Will be Innsbruck. For the nine side events (consisting of concerts, dance evenings, rehearsals open to the public and dance workshops), Valga has come up with something very special. In addition to the already established venues such as the Treibhaus and the Piano Bar in Innsbruck, we can look forward to extraordinary locations in 2025 - such as the Hoadl-Haus in the Axamer Lizum. On February 2, 2025, dance-loving winter sports enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enjoy an exclusive ski day with Enrique Gasa Valga to spend. The afternoon will culminate at 16:00 with a fascinating dance performance by Limonada Dance Company, who will perform selected scenes from the work Lágrimas Negras. As the cable cars run until 18:30 on this day, there will be enough time to relax and enjoy live music at the end of the day.

An inseparable symbiosis: dance and music

What would dance be without music? Unthinkable. Enrique Gasa Valga is once again consciously using music to fuse movement and sound in its production. Just like last year, the audience can look forward to special musical highlights this year. The well-known band from the play "Lágrimas Negras" and the exceptionally talented Bolzano singer Greta Marcolongo, who has already thrilled Munich audiences in „Great Gatsby“ and „Frida – Pasión por la vida“, will be performing.

Let’s Dancedance, learn and be inspired!

If so much dance and music makes you want to move, the Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025 is the perfect opportunity to try out new things and learn from the professionals. In addition to the impressive stage shows, the festival also offers exciting side events - above all the workshops. In cooperation with international stars such as Federica Valla and Leo Maindron , dance enthusiasts can immerse themselves in various dance styles: from Swing and musical dance to ballet and modern jazz dance. A unique opportunity to be inspired by talented artists and become part of the world of dance yourself!

To sum up: Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025 is an absolute must for anyone who loves art, dance and music and wants to embark on an unforgettable journey full of magic and joy.

Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025 - at a glance

• Period: January 30 to March 2, 2025
• Artistic direction: Audience magnet Enrique Gasa Valga
• 3 dance pieces (Dorian Gray, Boléro | Carmina Burana, Lágrimas Negras)
• 9 side events
• 21 event days
• 45 international dancers
• Top locations: Congress Innsbruck, Treibhaus Innsbruck, Hoadl Haus (Axamer Lizum), and many more.

Ticket sales for Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025 started on October 8, 2024.
Tickets and further information via: www.innsbruck.dance

Program highlights Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025

• 30. January 2025: Kick Off Event, Hotel Grauer Bär, Innsbruck
• 31. January 2025: Salsa Night, Treibhaus, Innsbruck
• 02. February 2025: Enrique on Ice, Hoadl Haus, Axamer Lizum
• 07. February 2025: Swing concert, Treibhaus, Innsbruck
• 08. February 2025: Public rehearsal, Linedancemoves, Telfs
• 15./February 16, 2025: Lágrimas Negras, Congress Innsbruck
• 20./February 21/26/27 and 28, 2025 and March 01/02, 2025: Dorian Gray, Congress Innsbruck
• 22./February 23, 2025: Boléro | Carmina Burana, Congress Innsbruck

Tip for guests in Innsbruck: With Welcome Card there is a 10 percent discount on the ticket. Only valid at the box office!

Cover picture: © Moritz Orgler

How did Enrique Gasa Valga come to Innsbruck? What does he like so much here? What was his life like before Innsbruck? And how does one become Enrique Gasa Valga? Find out in the Innsbruck Podcast.