SIDance 2026 opens with the Asian premiere of Vandekeybus's Void

Key points

• The 29th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance 2026) opened on 2 September at Gangdong Arts Center.
• The opening work was Void, a new piece by Ultima Vez, the company led by Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus, in its Asian premiere.
• The festival runs to 19 September across eight Seoul theatres with 31 works from eight countries, and is an official event marking 125 years of Korea–Belgium relations.

The 29th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance 2026) opened with a work asking how a person exists once they fall outside what a society calls normal. Presented by the Korean chapter of the CID-UNESCO International Dance Council, the festival began on 2 September with Void at Gangdong Arts Center's Hangang Grand Theater, and continues to 19 September.

Void is a new work by Ultima Vez, the company led by Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus. It premiered this summer at ImPulsTanz in Vienna, and the Seoul performance was its Asian premiere. Through figures carrying different memories and experiences, the piece questions where the line between normal and abnormal is drawn. Stories that begin in personal memory move between dance, theatre and music, and the stage space keeps shifting with the characters' relationships and feelings. Vandekeybus founded Ultima Vez in 1986 and has spent some forty years extending dance into theatre, film and music; he last appeared at SIDance in 2019 with Trap of the City.

The festival had been introducing his work in other forms before the opening night. His dance film Blush screened at the Seoul Film Center on 22 August, and on 1 September he gave a masterclass for professional dancers at the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company's Dance House. Void was co-presented with the Gangdong Cultural Foundation and staged as an official cultural event for the 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Belgium.

From here the programme widens into contemporary dance from different countries and regions: 31 works from eight countries including Korea, given as 19 programmes over 26 performances at eight Seoul theatres, among them Gangdong Arts Center, Naru Art Center, Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, Seoul Dance Center and Eunpyeong Cultural and Arts Center. Invited international works, international co-productions and Korean creations are programmed together.

Opening work: Void

The festival at a glance

How long does SIDance 2026 run?

It opened on 2 September 2026 and runs to 19 September, with 31 works from eight countries including Korea, given as 19 programmes over 26 performances across eight Seoul theatres.

What is the opening work, Void?

A new piece by Ultima Vez, the company led by Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus. It premiered this summer at ImPulsTanz in Vienna, and the 2 September performance at Gangdong Arts Center was its Asian premiere. It runs 1 hour 30 minutes and questions where the line between normal and abnormal is drawn.

Can I still see Void?

No. Void played a single performance on 2 September and has finished. The festival itself continues to 19 September, so the other invited and Korean works are still to come.

Who is Wim Vandekeybus?

A Belgian choreographer who founded Ultima Vez in 1986 and has spent some forty years extending dance into theatre, film and music. He appeared at SIDance in 2019 with Trap of the City. Alongside the opening work this year, the festival screened his dance film Blush on 22 August and hosted his masterclass for professional dancers on 1 September.