The prestigious JISDF Festival returns for its fourth edition, inviting audiences to a week of creation, culture, movement, and fine wine in the vibrant heart of Jerusalem. Across five locations, international performances will take place both under the open sky and in the theater, featuring artistic tastings from around the world and a full experience of dance, color, emotion, and the Jerusalem spirit of late summer. This international event presents contemporary solo and duet works by leading choreographers, dance companies, and soloists from Israel and abroad, alongside new Israeli creations and original productions developed especially for this edition.

The 2025 edition takes place during a turbulent time and brings to Israel an unprecedented level of international participation, with 45 artists from 13 countries: Taiwan, Japan, the USA, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Romania, Argentina, Poland, and Israel—woven together in a rich tapestry of movement languages, styles, and perspectives. It is a rare moment of closeness, where the body expresses what the heart has yet to find words for; a stage on which dance opens a space for connection—personal, cultural, and universal.

The festival, produced by Angela Dance Company, takes place at the Jerusalem Theater, at the Hansen House, and at Lev Smadar Cinema. Spanning six vibrant days between open-air venues and Jerusalem’s central cultural halls, it invites the public to a moving experience, close encounters, and rare moments of creation born in real time.

Whether in a black dress and sneakers, jeans or a blazer—JISDF invites you to a live, beating experience in the unique atmosphere of a Jerusalem summer’s end.

 

JISDF 2025 Program:

Open-Air Events – September 2–3, 2025
A series of performances taking place each evening under the open sky on the festival’s main stage at the Hansen House courtyard, alongside shows in the Jerusalem Theater plaza. These events highlight a rich multicultural blend, connecting various dance styles with live music and featuring international artists from across the globe. Highlights include original productions, contemporary dance, Butoh performances, and a spectacular show on a giant circus tripod to be constructed outdoors. The experience is complemented by wine tastings, an informal, open atmosphere, and the spirit of an artistic encounter that crosses borders and cultures.

One Night in Taiwan – September 4, 2025
A special evening where the festival invites the public to an authentic Taiwanese night, in collaboration with the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs and the Spotlight Taiwan project. Held at the Hansen House, the event will present eight contemporary dance pieces by leading Taiwanese choreographers, alongside a culinary experience including sushi, bubble tea, traditional Taiwanese desserts, whiskey, and Taiwanese beer. The evening offers a complete cultural immersion—through movement, flavor, color, and sound.

The Grand Closing Concert – Awakening Into a Dream – September 6, 2025
As in every year, the festival concludes with a surprising, one-time original production, the result of a groundbreaking onstage collaboration between three central creators: dancer and choreographer Miriam Engel, the festival’s artistic director; virtuoso trumpeter Avishai Cohen; and the remarkable musician Arkadi Duchin. The performance will bring together all the festival’s artists—dancers, musicians, and soloists from around the world—for a single live creation in its world premiere. It will feature body, voice, movement, and live timing on one large shared stage, with new and unexpected arrangements for dance and music. This artistic leadership positions the festival as a hub for innovation, creative encounters, and vibrant culture.

Salute! Pre-Opening Event – September 1, 2025
In collaboration with Lev Smadar Cinema, this special cinematic evening features the screening of a contemporary Taiwanese film, alongside a video dance piece from the USA, an artist talk, and a unique live performance on the cinema stage—extending the festival into the realms of film, video dance, and interdisciplinary art.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Foundation, the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, embassies, international cultural institutes, and partner cultural institutions.

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Artistic Director’s Statement:

 

“In this impossible year, when distances seem to grow and connections fall apart, we managed to create a living, international artistic space—embracing, and full of movement.

The festival not only survives, it grows, expands, and builds bridges of body, voice, and spirit from Jerusalem to the world and back.

Precisely through the uncertainty and fracture, the language of dance allows us to feel, to connect, to heal, and to remind us that culture and human connection are the strongest and most essential weapons we have.

After sensitive and intensive work, two months before the festival’s opening, the war with Iran broke out, reshuffling the cards and the artistic plan in a wave of cancellations and fears. We rebuilt what was needed, found new partners, and above all, preserved the international and creative dialogue that is so vital in this time.

Dozens of artists from around the world are arriving at the festival this year with a rare ability to embrace the reality in Israel, to look at it deeply, and to create within it, eye to eye, heart to heart.

We invite the audience, not to escape from reality, but into a vital space for the soul, for culture, for optimism and hope, and for the connection that links us to the world.”

 

Miriam Engel

Artistic Director, JISDF