Palucca Dance Week Hiddensee
Dance and nature in the footsteps of Gret Palucca on the car-free Baltic Sea island
About Palucca Dance Week
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A Dance Week Between Dune and Stage
The Palucca Dance Week Hiddensee is one of Germany's most unusual dance festivals. Since 1997, students and lecturers from the world-famous Palucca University of Dance Dresden have travelled to the car-free Baltic Sea island of Hiddensee every year to combine dance, improvisation, and nature experience for a week.
In the Spirit of Gret Palucca
The namesake and artistic patron is Gret Palucca (1902–1993), one of the most influential representatives of German expressive dance. Palucca, a student of Mary Wigman, founded her own dance school in Dresden in 1925 and discovered Hiddensee as a place of inspiration. Wassily Kandinsky dedicated his famous 'Dance Curves' to her movement language. Today's dance week follows this tradition, using the island's sparse, vast landscape as a natural stage.
Performances in Extraordinary Locations
The dance week does not have a permanently booked festival hall: performances take place at the harbours of Vitte and Kloster, in the island church, on the dunes, or directly by the water. Students interpret their own choreographies, often accompanied by live musicians, frequently spontaneously and in dialogue with the audience. Public workshops, discussion forums, and island walks complement the programme, making the dance week a meeting platform for dance creators and island guests.
Hiddensee — Car-Free, Culturally Rich
The narrow island, just over 17 kilometres long, west of Rügen is car-free – movement is by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. Artists such as Gerhart Hauptmann, Käthe Kollwitz, and Asta Nielsen shaped Hiddensee as an artists' island in the early 20th century. The Palucca Dance Week seamlessly fits into this cultural heritage and is one of the fixed highlights of the island summer.
Organisers and Cultural Significance
The organiser is the state-recognised Palucca University of Dance Dresden, one of the oldest and most renowned dance universities in Europe. With the dance week in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, it extends its sphere of activity far beyond Saxony and strengthens the cultural profile of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Palucca Dance Week — edition 2026
An Island as a Stage
As every year, the exact venues and choreographies will only be announced shortly before the festival begins — this is part of the dance week's dramaturgy, which spontaneously reacts to weather, light conditions, and the island's rhythm. Performances are planned in the Kloster island church, at the harbour, on the dunes of Neuendorf, and a final showing on the lake stage.
Workshops and Encounters
Public workshops offer island guests insights into contemporary dance techniques, improvisation, and movement analysis. Dance history walks in the footsteps of Gret Palucca, artist talks, and film screenings complement the programme.
Programme Palucca Dance Week 2026
The detailed programme will be published shortly before the festival begins at palucca.eu and on the website of Seebad Insel Hiddensee. Expected are:
- Daily performances in public spaces (free of charge)
- Guided workshops for interested audiences (limited places, registration required)
- Final showing at the end of the week
- Artist talks with lecturers and students from the Palucca University
Highlights Palucca Dance Week 2026
- Performances at spectacular venues on the car-free Baltic Sea island of Hiddensee
- Artistic exploration in the spirit of the expressive dancer Gret Palucca
- Public workshops for islanders and guests
- Students from the renowned Palucca University of Dance Dresden
- Fusion of dance, nature, and island culture
Prices Palucca Dance Week 2026
Many performances and happenings in public spaces are free to attend. Registration or admission fees may be required for specific workshops and some stage events. Current information is available at palucca.eu and from the Seebad Insel Hiddensee tourist information (Tel. +49 38300 608685).
Practical information — Palucca Dance Week
Getting There
Ferry: Hiddensee is only accessible by ferry. Reederei Hiddensee runs services several times a day from Schaprode (Rügen), Stralsund, and Wiek to Kloster, Vitte, and Neuendorf.
Train to Stralsund / Rügen: ICE/IC to Stralsund Hbf, then regional train to Bergen auf Rügen and bus 14 to Schaprode.
On the Island: Car-free. Travel on foot, by rental bike, or by horse-drawn carriage. Luggage transport by local services is possible.
Programme and Admission
The exact programme will be published shortly before the festival begins on the website of the Palucca University (palucca.eu) and via the Seebad Insel Hiddensee tourist information. Many performances and workshops take place in public spaces free of charge; some events require registration.
Accommodation
Holiday apartments, guesthouses, and hotels in Kloster, Vitte, and Neuendorf — early booking is strongly recommended, as the number of beds on the island is limited.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Palucca Dance Week
Verschiedene Orte auf der Insel Hiddensee