The dance festival of the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu), held every year since 2004 and dedicated, since 2024, to choreographer Hugo Wolff.
On 30 and 31 October 2026, from 19:00, Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu” hosts the “Hugo Wolff” Dance Festival. 150 dancers from 7 university centres take the stage: Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Pitești, Ploiești, Sibiu and Timișoara. Admission is free.
The festival brings together modern, contemporary, character, show-revue, street dance and hip-hop groups. The posters below tell the story of the editions, from 2004 to today.
Stills from the video recording of the first evening of the “Hugo Wolff” Dance Festival, 30 October 2026.
Stills from the video recording of the second evening of the “Hugo Wolff” Dance Festival, 31 October 2026.
The upcoming edition first, then the archive, from most recent to oldest. The dates of the 2004–2022 editions are taken from the festival posters.
The 2026 edition brings together 150 dancers from 7 university centres: Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Pitești, Ploiești, Sibiu and Timișoara.
Participating groups
Crazy Street – Sibiu
Choreographer Adrian Albu, of the Student Culture House of Sibiu, has 27 years of experience in hip-hop dance and numerous awards at national and international competitions. The show “Classic to Hip-Hop” brings together classical music and hip-hop culture in an audio-visual message in which the old and the new blend.
Let’s Dance – Sibiu
A children’s dance group specialising in modern and contemporary dance, founded in 2012 and relaunched in 2024 within the Student Culture House of Sibiu. Choreographer Alina Găvozdea trained under Hugo Wolff and today passes the same values on to children.
M&M “Motion & Movement” – Sibiu
A group founded in 1997 and guided by choreographer Miky Stoica. It covers a wide range of styles: contemporary, show-revue, character dance, modern, comic, street and open. The choreographies start from elements of classical ballet and use stage combat, work with objects and acting inserts.
Wish Dance Steps – Alba Iulia
A street dance studio founded in 2011, with groups and dancers awarded at national and international level. Instructors Sorana and Beatrice take the stage together with four of their students.
Jump In – Cluj-Napoca
Presents “Alone, Not Lonely”, a contemporary dance performance directed and choreographed by Alina Ciceo, with 13 dancers. A performance about inner silence and the noise of emotions, about being alone, but not necessarily lonely.
X-Tazy – Cluj-Napoca
A group of the Student Culture House of Cluj-Napoca, founded in 1990, with 18 dancers and more than 320 awards, including 190 first places. It has been led for 26 years by director-choreographer Dana Timofte, together with choreographer Teodora Mocan. It presents character, modern, contemporary, open and show-revue pieces.
Freaks Crew – Craiova
Active for more than 18 years, the group specialises in urban styles such as street dance. Its dancers have represented Romania at the European Championship and the World Hip Hop Championship, where they won gold, silver and bronze medals.
Starfix – Pitești
A group of the Student Culture House of Pitești, with young dancers awarded at national and international competitions. It performs modern, character, sport, contemporary and commercial dance.
Unique – Ploiești
Coordinated by choreographer Iulia Sălcianu, the group has been active since 2013 and has taken part in national and international competitions, festivals and TV shows.
Matrix Dance – Timișoara
Founded in 1997 at the Student Culture House of Timișoara by choreographer Irina Nedelcu, the group started with 5 dancers and today has about 90: university students, teenagers and children. Among its awards: 2nd place out of 11 groups in the professional league at the Dance Master world final in Poreč (Croatia) and the Sibiu Dans Festival 2017 Trophy.
First evening: the performance “Ritual și Mere Roșii sau ce ar fi putut fi o tragedie grecească” by the Microbis theatre-dance company, directed and choreographed by Alex Wolff, the photo exhibition “Ritualuri” by Dan Kamner and the documentary “Cine este Hugo Wolff” by Oscar Iustin Mărgărintoni.
Second evening: student groups from the country’s major university centres, in styles from hip-hop to show-revue.
The first year in which the festival bears Hugo Wolff’s name. The opening: the performance “Clipe de luciditate”, created by Hugo Wolff, with live music performed by artists coordinated by the Alba Iulia Culture House.
Dance companies from the university centres of Iași, Timișoara, Cluj and Craiova performed. The edition’s social message: combating violence and addictions.
An edition dedicated to the memory of choreographer Hugo Wolff, with more than 200 young dancers from the major university centres.
First evening: the competition of student groups, in the modern, contemporary, show-revue, character dance and street dance sections. Second evening: the gala with special awards and the performance “Tinerețe fără bătrânețe” by the Microbis theatre-dance company.
9 October: One Dream (Brașov), Jump In (Cluj-Napoca)
10 October: Matrix (Timișoara), Academic Star (Ploiești)
9–11 October: the Blitz Dans exhibition
Organised by the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu), under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth and Sport. The press described it as the most important student dance event in the country.
The 20th edition of the National Student Dance Festival and the eighth hosted by Sibiu, with 19 groups from across the country. Sections: classical, modern, character, sport dance show, set theme, solo and duet.
Students from 14 university centres took part, with 90 dances. The last evening was reserved for the Laureates’ Gala.
Sections: modern, contemporary, show-revue and character.
The dance festival of the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu) continues the National Student Dance Festival. Sibiu has hosted it every year since 2004. In 2011, the festival reached its 20th edition, the eighth organised in Sibiu.
Until 2015, the performances took place in autumn, at Casa de Cultură a Sindicatelor. Between 2016 and 2019, the festival moved to summer, in Piața Mică (2016, 2018, 2019) and at Cercul Militar (2017). Since 2020, it has been held at Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu”.
Over the editions, the name has changed: Dans Festival Sibiu, Sibiu Dans Festival, Dans Sibiu Festival. In 2023, the edition was dedicated to the memory of choreographer Hugo Wolff, and since 2024 the festival has borne his name.
A dancer and choreographer from Sibiu, Hugo Wolff was called by the press “the father of Sibiu modern dance”. He worked at the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu), where he founded the Microbis theatre-dance company.
For more than 20 years he collaborated with Teatrul Municipal “Tony Bulandra” in Târgoviște. Together with director Mc Ranin, he created street performances presented at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival: “Divina Comedie” and “Giordano Bruno” (2003), “Satyricon” (2004). In 2012, in Turkey, he received the award for best choreographer for the performance “Hamlet”, directed by Kemal Başar.
His last performance, “Tinerețe fără bătrânețe”, marked 30 years of choreographic activity. Those who worked with him describe him as a demanding artist who sought the ideal form of every performance, but who knew how to turn a reprimand into a joke. The generations of dancers he trained carry his legacy forward.
Come on 30 and 31 October 2026, from 19:00, to Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu” to discover the energy, talent and passion of young dancers from all over the country. Admission is free.