Brighton Festival 2025 is set to feature a spectacular celebration of dance and circus from across the world, showcasing trailblazing performances, electrifying energy, and powerful stories told through movement. Running from 3 to 26 May, this year’s programme is a vibrant tribute to the universal language of the body—offering everything from intimate solos to high-octane ensemble spectacles.
Read more: What To Expect From The Brighton Festival 2025
At the heart of this year’s dance offering is Theatre of Dreams, a Brighton Festival co-commission from the world-renowned Hofesh Shechter Company. Known for their emotionally charged performances and live cinematic scores, this new work invites audiences into a surreal dreamscape of subconscious fears and desires. Featuring Shechter’s signature visceral choreography, it promises a haunting yet exhilarating journey.
Read more: Brighton Festival 2025 Classical Music Highlights
Equally thrilling is the world premiere of AYNA, a bold new work by British-Turkish choreographer Ceyda Tanc. Set in a nightclub and performed by an all-female cast with a live DJ, AYNA fuses athletic contemporary movement with traditional Turkish folk dance, exploring the universal human craving for love and connection. Following her 2023 sold-out show KIZLAR, Tanc’s return to Brighton is not to be missed.
Indian Classical Dance Takes Centre Stage
Brighton Festival 2025 also shines a spotlight on Indian classical dance, welcoming two world-renowned artists. Aakash Odedra, described by The Guardian as “one of the UK’s finest classical Indian dancers,” makes his Brighton debut with Songs of the Bulbul. This solo performance is a poetic and spiritual tale based on a Sufi myth, blending music, movement, and storytelling in a piece The Scotsman calls “exquisite beauty that stays with you forever.”
Then Mythili Prakash, a leading figure in Bharatanatyam, presents Jwala (Rising Flame), a deeply personal solo inspired by grief, rebirth, and hope. Created after the loss of her father and the birth of her daughter, Prakash explores fire as both a symbol of destruction and a spark for new beginnings.
Brighton Festival 2025: Circus
After wowing audiences in 2022 with Sacre, Australian circus pioneers Circa return with Humans 2.0. A fusion of acrobatic prowess, contemporary dance, and an electrifying soundscape, this jaw-dropping show pushes the human form to its outermost limits while probing what it truly means to be human.
Also, Swiss dance collective Collectif Ouinch Ouinch bring pure joy to the streets with Happy Hype—an explosive, inclusive carnival of movement that celebrates freedom, self-expression, and communal fun. Meanwhile, Emma Critchley’s Soundings presents a meditative, immersive film installation on deep-sea mining, developed in collaboration with legendary British choreographer Siobhan Davies and featuring live dance performances.
With artists spanning continents and styles—from spiritual soloists to daring circus troupes—Brighton Festival 2025 promises a dynamic month of global stories told through dance, each performance a window into a different world.
Read more: Brighton Festival 2025: Contemporary Music Highlights
Website: https://brightonfestival.org/
