Nederlandse Dansdagen 2025: a vibrant week of dance, bursting with talent

The festival kicks off on Friday 3 October with the Nederlandse Dansdagen Gala, a festive evening celebrating dance in all its glory. This year, the presentation is in the hands of actress Anna Drijver. During the gala, the prestigious VSCD Dance Awards will be presented, also known as the Swans and Young Swans, as well as the Innovation Award Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht, which gives a boost to talented makers. 

On Saturday 4 October, it is traditionally time for Meesterwerken, a special evening when four leading Dutch dance companies share the stage. A rich and versatile programme bringing together the top of the Dutch dance world, presented by writer and programme maker Splinter Chabot. 

Canada's top students                         

A special addition is Arts Umbrella Dance Company's program on Saturday 5 October, in which thirty dance students from the Canadian academy will perform various works by choreographers with a Dutch connection. The chance to see top talent at work, as this academy prepares dancers for international careers, including at Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT). In Maastricht, they will present a varied mix with work by former NDT talents Astrid Boons and Fernando Magadan, Limburg-based Stephen Shropshire and NDT resident choreographer Crystal Pite, among others. The students will stay in Maastricht for a week and attend various workshops and presentations to strengthen international cooperation.

Innovation, time travel and of course: the Danstent

Special premieres are also scheduled during this edition: 

• Anne Suurendonk, winner of the Innovation Award Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht 2024, shows her latest work Emo. A performance about the emotional world of women, with at its core the question: what happens when we let go of the social norm? Two powerful dancers bring this thought to life in a raw and vulnerable way.  
   
• Ann Van den Broek (WArd/waRD) performs her multidisciplinary piece Play: a wistful and confrontational time-travel to the fantasy world of our childhood, showing how imagination helps us deal with pain, stress and sorrow. 
   
• As every year, Conny Janssen Danst's DANSLOKAAL will premiere in Maastricht, with this year's makers Sheree Lenting (Dansateliers), Andrea Costanzo Martini (RIDCC award winner/Conny Janssen Danst) and Faizah Grootens (Korzo).  

The final performance this year is in the hands of Nicole Beutler, with her latest show NOW WE ARE EARTH / An Orchestra. A large-scale show, with eight dancers and a multi-headed choir from Maastricht, exploring doomsday scenarios for our planet.  

Of course, the Danstent will also be present again on the Vrijthof. Throughout the festival, this tent will be filled with music and performances, from hip-hop to children's disco and from Lindyhop to club music. 

10 years of photographer Sjoerd Derine

Sjoerd Derine is one of the Netherlands' best-known dance photographers and this year he celebrates his 10th anniversary. As one of the festival's regular photographers, Maastricht is celebrating with him. A photo exhibition in Theater aan het Vrijthof shows images from the past decade and will be opened by Sjoerd himself on Friday.

Dansdagen Enschede 

As part of its mission to make dance accessible to as many people as possible, this autumn's Dansdagen can also be found outside Maastricht for the first time. From 17 to 19 October, the Dansdagen Enschede will take place in and around the Wilminktheatre in Enschede, with performances by NDT2, Club Guy & Roni, OFFprojects, surprising regional talent and the Danstent, among others. 

Practical 

The Nederlandse Dansdagen take place from 3 to 9 October 2025. Tickets for part of the programme go on sale on 10 May, with full festival ticket sales starting on 30 august.

• Picture 1, photography by Sjoerd Derine
• Picture 2, photography by Reinout_Bos
• Picture 3, photography by Michael Slobodian
• Picture 4, photography by Martijn Kappers