In a statement, the municipal cultural cooperative A Oficina says that the 2026 edition of GUIdance includes “three world premieres, three national premieres, and two shows integrated into the European Aerowaves network.”

“Guimarães hosts the 15th edition of GUIdance – International Festival of Contemporary Art, bringing together creators from Portugal, Greece, England, Spain and Canada. In a year in which the city is celebrating its mission as European Green Capital, the festival proposes as its motto the ‘synchronization of diversity’, crossing contemporary dance, critical thinking and the relationship between the human body and nature,” explains A Oficina.

The organization says that the program includes world and national premieres, co-productions, works selected by the European Aerowaves network and the return of choreographers with a historical connection to the festival's 15 years, adding that GUIdance “consolidates itself as one of the leading contemporary dance festivals in Portugal and in the international context”.

“The festival has built an identity marked by consistency, a commitment to contemporary artistic creation, and the building of lasting relationships with creators of recognized relevance. Throughout its program, dance happens hand in hand with diversity, taking place in various spaces in Guimarães such as the Vila Flor Cultural Center, the Jordão Theatre, and the José de Guimarães International Arts Center,” says the statement.

Under the motto "the synchronization of diversity," next year's edition proposes to think about diversity as a collective and dynamic process, where different bodies, languages, and imaginaries coexist and transform.

The organization says that “in a time of technological acceleration and profound social and environmental changes, the body emerges as a technology of the future, of memory and reinvention, becoming the main mediator between the human, the community, and the natural world.”

“This edition takes on special significance as it takes place in the year that Guimarães is the European Green Capital, transversally integrating the relationship between human beings and nature, and affirming dance as a tool for ecological awareness and critical thinking, navigating themes such as sustainability, interdependence, time and sensitive ecology, summoning dance as a tool for collective awareness and imagination,” emphasizes A Oficina.

Cross generational

This cultural cooperative adds that GUIdance 2026 brings together a set of creations that cross different generations, geographies and languages ​​of contemporary dance, placing the body at the center of a reflection on memory, desire, community and transformation.

“The festival simultaneously establishes itself as a space for the consecration of artistic paths and the discovery of new voices, crossing intimate works, collective creations and major international productions,” the statement also notes.

In addition to the performances, the festival proposes a broad program that includes debates, conversations with artists, visits to schools and various other cultural mediation actions, reinforcing the relationship with the community and promoting access to contemporary dance for diverse audiences.