The 6th edition of the SumMeet International Contemporary Dance Summer Festival will take place in Yerevan and Gyumri from June 22 to 28, with the support of Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
Over the past five years, the festival has contributed significantly to the growing interest in contemporary dance in Armenia. The increasing inclusion of contemporary dance productions in major state cultural events, as well as the rise in the number of dancers and choreographers, reflects the sector’s steady development.
A key component of this year’s program is SumMeet4Kids, launched in 2025. The initiative will be held in Gyumri, engaging young dancers under the guidance of choreographers Arthur Galimulin (Kazakhstan) and Maksim Minko (Russia). The performance created during the workshops will be presented in Gyumri. Participants will also take part in masterclasses and showcase their own works.
On June 23, audiences will be treated to two premieres by Saint Petersburg’s contemporary dance company Kannon Dance Theatre: Freya: The Paradigm of Love by Germany-based choreographer Lilit Hakobyan and Butterfly by renowned Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren.
In Freya: The Paradigm of Love, love is explored not merely as an emotion but as a force—dangerous, saving and revolutionary. The production asks what love means in today’s world: tenderness or weapon, salvation or battlefield. In a reality shaped by fear, alienation and destruction, the ability to love becomes an act of resistance.
Butterfly, meanwhile, reflects Jo Strømgren’s distinctive artistic language, characterized by intuition, subtle humor and unexpected narratives that have earned him international acclaim.
The festival will also feature the Armenian Showcase program, presenting works by Armenian contemporary dance artists. Performances will take place on June 27 at the Small Theatre and on June 28 at the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography’s Student Theatre.
Within the framework of the CineDance project, three dance films will be screened: Komitas Songs, Towards a Thousand Lights and Asherah.
Komitas Songs was filmed in various locations across Armenia, including Lake Sevan and mountainous regions, and is currently being digitized from film.
Towards a Thousand Lights explores humanity’s inner struggle, the mysterious forces of nature and the search for self-discovery. The film follows an individual confronting personal limits, fears and instincts while seeking a path toward light.
The festival will also present a special one-time screening inspired by Mikhail Korol’s poem Songs of Holy Asherah. Reinterpreting the emergence of monotheism in ancient Canaan, the stage adaptation by choreographer Anna Ozerskaya presents the story as a sensual and paradoxical allegory balancing irony and sincerity. The production features 12 international dancers, was filmed in Sweden, and is set to music from the album Asherah by Leonid Fyodorov and Igor Krutogolov.
The festival aims to foster the sustainable development of contemporary dance in Armenia through international collaboration, educational programs and greater accessibility to cultural spaces, with a particular focus on supporting young creators.
