Cortoindanza / Logos – A Bridge to Europe 2026

From 6 June to 3 September 2026, the 19th edition of Cortoindanza / Logos – A Bridge to Europe returns to Cagliari and the village of Ussaramanna. Conceived and directed by Simonetta Pusceddu and promoted by Tersicorea, the festival has built an increasingly extensive international network, becoming one of Italy’s most significant events dedicated to authorial contemporary dance and performance research, committed to connect different creative practices and different ways of interpreting the present.

More than 50 artists from Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia involved in performances, residencies, new productions, creative development pathways, and participatory projects. 

The festival’s historic cornerstone remains the International Choreographic Writing Competition, which, from 26 to 28 June, will bring seven selected choreographers from various countries to the T.Off Theatre Space in Cagliari. The finalist works address central themes of contemporary society: the fragility of human relationships, memory, grief, identity, environmental crises, social transformation, and the need to imagine new forms of coexistence. Italy will be represented by creations from Alessio Damiani, Simone Cristofori, and Giuseppe Sanniu; from China, choreographer Yingyu Lyu presents a reflection on loss and absence; from Switzerland, Grochain Maky imagines a future society in which even air becomes a commodity to be purchased; while artists from Spain and Portugal explore vulnerability and the relationship between artistic creation and inspiration.

Alongside its platform dedicated to emerging international choreography, the festival also presents an extensive programme of guest performances, reaffirming its commitment to emerging artistic voices and interdisciplinary languages.

The opening preview on 6 June in Cagliari features Parabola by Susanna Mannelli, a theatrical journey through memory, storytelling, and imagination. On 19 June, Swiss artist Nina Bergal presents Ventana, a work developed through a creative residency within the Cortoindanza project. 

On 28 June, Russian choreographer Ildar Tagirov presents Between the Walls, inspired by the figure of Maria Callas and exploring the isolation that often accompanies extraordinary talent. On 3 July, Francesca Sacchi and Giorgia Enrico present Everything Is Going to Be Ok If You Stick With Me, a reflection on the multiplicity of contemporary identity, alongside Francesca De Girolamo’s Dinner Is Served, an original solo blending dance and physical theatre that transforms the preparation of a carbonara into an ironic and existential reflection on contemporary fragility.

On 5 July, the company Vidavè presents Courage. Bad Luck Does Not Exist, a work dedicated to resilience and personal transformation. On 9 July, the festival hosts two of its most anticipated performances: Nonfiction by Korean choreographers Jo Hyun Do and Kim Na Eui, representatives of a new generation of contemporary K-Dance, and Current Accounts by Spanish artists Yésica Castellón Jiménez and Boris Orihuela Pérez, a sharp reflection on the dehumanisation of the economic and corporate world. The summer programme concludes on 10 July with Finzioni (Fictions) by Sardinian artist Lupa Maimone, who has gained national recognition for her ability to weave together dance, visual theatre, visual arts, and scenographic object-making.

One of Cortoindanza’s most distinctive features remains its relationship with local territories and communities, an ongoing process of cultural production and civic participation. This approach is embodied in Memo – Village Archive, a project taking place in Ussaramanna from 29 August to 3 September. Conceived by Giorgia Gasparetto, Santo Pablo Krappmann, and Nis Fee Brender, the project invites residents to share stories, memories, and traces of their collective experience.