is an annual event established in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2006. Its original focus was to present the work of Slovak choreographers and directors as well as local productions and co-productions. The philosophy of the festival is to show pieces with an outstanding concept and a unique idea and to convey and shape the discourse in this artistic field, or to contribute to its definition, striving not to succumb to the pressure of mainstream audience demands.

We see the festival as a concentrated, compact period of attention focused on a particular art form, in this case, contemporary dance and physical theatre, providing a space to comprehend its complexity and development. We aim to offer an intensive event that allows for comparison and reflection.

Throughout its existence, the festival has presented over 40 productions, including the Nu Video Dance competition, and has been part of European collaborative projects such as KoresponDance Europe and DanselabA3, among others.

An important aspect of presentation is contextualizing the works with respect to the audience, achieved through discussions, roundtable talks, and special dramaturgical lines. One of these lines is the section Nu Dance Face, which introduces works by choreographers at the beginning of their careers from the Czech-Slovak region. Another one is the festival’s work with older audiences through Nu Dance Senior section. We also systematically engage with the youngest spectators through the dramaturgical line Nu Dance Junior, involving them in workshops and. However, since its inception, the festival has also aimed to reach the widest possible spectrum of cultural audiences.

In 2023, the 18th edition of the festival took place.

The main organizer of Nu Dance Fest is the Asociácia súčasného tanca (Contemporary Dance Association), which was established in 1996. Under the auspices of the association, over 40 pieces and productions have been created so far.