We Love ❤️ Dance

Dear dance friends, far and near:

We are Marga Nativo and Keith Ferrone, Artistic Directors and founders of the Florence Dance Festival, one of the longest-running creative events in Italy dedicated to the art of dance. We are very pleased to announce that the Festival has reached its 35th Edition and we are thrilled to celebrate with you in grand style with an affectionate embrace of love for the beautiful city of Florence.

Marga Nativo e Keith Ferrone, direttori artistici del Florence Dance Festival

Since our beginning, we have consistently presented our mission:

• To host performances for renowned international contemporary dance companies,
• To support new choreographic productions,
• To give many young artists the opportunity to best express their creativity.

Florence Dance Festival:

• Anticipates trends and contemporary values of the art of dance and its craft,
• Commits energy to promoting dance in its multiple forms to increase public awareness,
• Invests resources from our institutional partners for the support and well-being of the community.

We believe heartily in what we have accomplished so far and our goals for our future. For us, the Florence Dance Festival represents a true act of love for the art of dance and for our city.

This year, the Florence Dance Festival is accompanied by a passionate declaration that comes from the heart:

I love ❤️ dance,

you love ❤️ dance,

we all love ❤️ dance. 

I love ❤️ Florence Dance! 

The Festival will be a fascinating adventure like life itself, a love story with the art of dance – romantic, exuberant, mysterious, exotic – an enchantment of sublime beauty, glamour, and charm. The heart of the Festival, an extraordinary Florence with the distinctive circular stage in the marvelous Chiostro Maggiore of Santa Maria Novella, will host a parade of international and Italian dance stars.

Allestimento teatrale del Chiostro Maggiore di Santa Maria Novella – Florence Dance Festival

Festival guest highlights include: surreal theater company, Peeping Tom; Irish enfant prodige Oona Doherty; renowned Compagnie Linga from Switzerland; prestigious Boston Dance Theatre; dynamic Baye & Asa from New York; MM Contemporary Dance Company; and, the legendary Maguy Marin.

Peeping Tom – Dyptich: The missing door and The lost room

For those who love “Amici”, there will be the fascinating etoile Anbeta Toromani. In addition, world premiere productions by new generations of artists, music events, visual art, and educational encounters will round out the Festival, increasing public awareness about the importance of dance in our lives.

Anbeta Toromani, Alessandro Macario, Almicar Moret Gonzalez – Preludes

Also during the Festival, productions from our Company of Young Dancers-in-Residence will travel and be performed in other cities of Tuscany.

Momenti spettacolari del Florence Dance Festival – Villa Medicea di Pratolino, Palazzuolo sul Senio

Crowdfunding Drive Florence Dance Festival 2024

To support the continuation of this artistic project for this extraordinary anniversary Edition, we are launching our first crowdfunding drive with confidence. 35 years = 35 thousand euros, a noteworthy achievement after many years of passion and dedication, continuing today with unbridled enthusiasm and love!

By supporting the We love❤️dance – We love❤️Florence Dance Festival crowdfunding drive, you will become part of our circle of Patron Friends, and with our heartfelt thanks, will receive  fantastic gifts and rewards.

Every donation, small or large, is a precious embrace intended for the artistic, organizational, and logistical realization for the Festival. Thus, everyone becomes an important supporter of bringing great renowned artists and young talents to the stage of the Florence Dance Festival’s exciting 35th Edition.

Twyla Tharp Dance, New York City Ballet, Bastheva The Young Ensemble, Sankai Juku

Florence Dance Festival – an historic beginning

In 1990, the Florence Dance Festival’s artistic directors received a precise mandate from the Municipality of Florence to organize an international dance festival for the citizens of Florence and guests of the city during the World Cup Soccer Championship. In addition to the Festival, the mandate also proposed a revitalization and relaunch of the Cascine Park Amphitheater within a new recovery plan for the Park. This became the first stage and venue for the Festival.

From its inception, Florence Dance Festival has always been synonymous with artistic excellence, as well as a driving force to enhance the historical heritage of Florence. Since then, more than 800 shows and performances featuring artists from all over the world have left their indelible imprint of love on iconic Florentine sites from Piazza SS. Annunziata to the Teatro Romano di Fiesole, as well as, from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello to the Galleria degli Uffizi, … up until today in 2024: Chiostro Maggiore di Santa Maria Novella. 

Museo Nazionale del Bargello – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre

Now, Florence Dance Festival maintains the privilege of being recognized as a trusted partner working with the Florentine Municipality’s cultural policy. With each Edition, the institutional mission renews and strengthens the promotion of the magnificent sites of Florence where the Festival is held.  For seven years now, the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella has been the home of the overall program of the Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival.

Fondazione Nazionale della Danza / Aterballetto

An enchanting place, a splendid example of Florentine Renaissance history made even more magical thanks to the impeccable avant-garde theatrical staging, which makes the shows a truly unforgettable experience for both the artists and the public.

From the striking facade of the glorious Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, guests are welcomed by our staff and begin a journey between history and contemporaneity of live entertainment – dance, as well as, music, theater, opera and multimedia. Spectators are seated in a raised, 450-seat amphitheater, guaranteeing perfect visibility to enjoy the artistic expression at its maximum power. Guests can also enjoy our delicious refreshment point.

Palcoscenico circolare del Florence Dance Festival

Premio Mercurio Volante 2024 (Flying Mercury Award) 

One of the most salient moments of the Festival is the presentation of the Mercurio Volante Award. Established by the Florence Dance Festival and the Municipality of Florence in 2011, the Award is presented to dance artists and institutions who contribute to the artistic growth and excellence of Terpsichorean art. Past Award recipients include choreographers Bill T. Jones, Ohad Naharin, Ushio Amagatsu of Sankai Juku, as well as, the institutions Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, and the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala among others.

Bill T. Jones riceve il Premio Mercurio Volante alla presenza di Benjamin Wohlauer Console Generale degli Stati Uniti a Firenze

The 13th Annual Premio Mercurio Volante Award ceremony will take place during the Festival’s Dance Romance Gala Event on June 21 on the occasion of the inaugural performance of the renowned dance theater company Peeping Tom from Belgium. A truly fashionable evening frequented by celebrities, theater lovers, and leaders from all social, cultural and political walks of Florentine life, the VIP Dance Romance Gala Event by invitation is a joyful celebration that mixes art, music and dance with culinary delights. The inaugural event will launch the month-long Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival with romance and enchantment.

Ohad Naharin riceve il Premio Mercurio Volante alla presenza dell’Assessore alla Cultura del Comune di Firenze Tommaso Sacchi

The CROWDFUNDING Drive

Become a supporter of the Florence Dance Festival and express your love for dance. Each contribution corresponds to a series of exclusive gifts and rewards, naturally with our heartfelt thanks.

• Wink / Occhiolino 😉 from 15 Euros
  Our heartfelt thanks for your love will be published on the Florence Dance Festival social media channels at the beginning of the Festival.

• Crush / Crush 😍 from 30 Euros
  You will receive one ticket to the company-in-residence production, Bohème, choreographed by Marga Nativo; this FloDance2.0 performance celebrates Puccini’s centenary.

• Caress / Coccola 🥰 from 50 Euros
  You will receive one ticket to any Festival performance PLUS one super official Florence Dance Festival I Love ❤️Dance t-shirt.

• Kiss / Kiss 😘 from 75 Euros
  You will receive one ticket to any Festival performance PLUS you will receive a personally signed copy of Marga Nativo’s book, “So Ballare il Bolero di Ravel”.  Edited by Silvia Poletti, Ms. Nativo’s book tells the story of the artists and the productions that marked the history of dance in Italy. “A lively and detailed testimony, by Marga as prima ballerina étoile of the Teatro Comunale of Florence in the glorious years of the second half of the 20th century of the Festival del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino”.

• Embrace / Abbraccio 🤗 from 100 Euros
  For the special 35th Edition of the Florence Dance Festival, your name will be immortalized in the inaugural artwork event, I Love ❤️ Dance Audience (reserved seating only) Pianta Virtuale del Florence Dance. This special artwork is a tribute to the Florentine artist par excellence, Mario Mariotti and his work, “Posti in Teatro”.  Alongside dance lovers from all over the world, your name will be added to this special Virtual Seating Chart, where upon completion of the chart, a giant version will be made public and used as a backdrop for VIP Photographs. In addition to your place on the Piante Virtuale, you will also receive the super official Florence Dance Festival I Love ❤️ Dance t-shirt.

• Bear Hug / TVB 💌 from 250 Euros   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  You will receive a Set of Three Limited Edition Prints of Florentine scenes by American photographic artist, Alex Ferrone. Each 8×10 inch (20.32 x 25.4cm) photograph is from a special edition of 20 prints, numbered, and signed by the artist.  Each photograph is printed using archival inks on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl paper.     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Love at first sight / Colpo di fulmine 🌹 from 500 Euros
  You will receive:
  – One ticket to any Festival performance
  – One super official Florence Dance Festival I Love ❤️Dance t-shirt
  – One signed copy of Marga Nativo’s book, “So Ballare il Bolero di Ravel”
  – Your name on the Piante Virtuale artwork
  – One Set of Three Limited Edition Prints by American photographic artist, Alex Ferrone

• Dance Romance – V.I.P. (Very Important Patron) / Dance Romance Programma VIP, Very Important Patron 🤩 from 1,000 Euros

– Two Invitations to the Dance Romance Gala Event & Mercurio Volante Award ceremony on June 21.
– Two tickets to EACH Festival performance
– Two super official Florence Dance Festival I Love ❤️Dance t-shirts
– One signed copy of Marga Nativo’s book, “So Ballare il Bolero di Ravel”
– Your name on the Piante Virtuale artwork
– One Set of Three Limited Edition Prints by American photographic artist, Alex Ferrone.

More heartfelt thanks:

We thank you in advance for your wonderful embrace of support and are happy to experience love for dance, art, and the city of Florence together with you.

Marga Nativo e Sergej Polunin

In closing, we kindly ask you to share our Crowdfunding Drive on Eppela with your friends and contacts.

Please follow us on social media to stay updated on the progress of this magnificent Florence Dance Festival 35th Edition.

With love ❤️ and gratitude,

Marga & Keith

and the Florence Dance Festival team!

Florence Dance Festival Team