The international dance festival ImPulsTanz offers a first-rate programme of more than 50 Austrian and international productions.

The 29th edition of the festival will open and conclude with Canadian dance legend Benoît Lachambre. On 12 July 2012 Lachambre will present ‘Chutes incandescentes’ at Odeon. In this ‘solo for two bodies’ he will work together with the charismatic performer and musician Clara Furey. To close ImPulsTanz, Lachambre slips into a new role in ‘Snakeskin’ at MuseumsQuartier. He acts as a mentor for 66 scholarship holders from 36 countries in the framework of the festival’s DanceWeb programme.

Absolutely great dance

Burgtheater will also be turned into a dance stage for this year’s festival. Manuel Legris, director of the Vienna State Ballet, hosts a gala night with celebrities of international dance companies. Dance lovers may admire Legris and Aurélie Dupont, star dancer of the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris, in a pas de deux choreographed by Jirí Kylián.

Dance icon Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, who is already well known to the Viennese audience, will re-stage her legendary work ‘Drumming’ at Burgtheater with her globally renowned dance company Rosas and the music ensemble Ictus.

At Odeon theatre ImPulsTanz co-founder Ismael Ivo and his dance company will present a new production of the Kresnik classic ‘Francis Bacon’, in which he will dance the main part himself. Ismael Ivo will again share his expertise with dance enthusiasts in beginners’ workshops.