The 2026 “Hugo Wolff” National Student Dance Festival has come to a close. On 30 and 31 October, the stage of Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu” belonged to the 150 dancers who came from 7 university centres: Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Pitești, Ploiești, Sibiu and Timișoara. Admission was free on both evenings.
For the Student Culture House of Sibiu, this festival is not just another date in the calendar. Sibiu has hosted it every year since 2004, and since 2024 it has borne the name of Hugo Wolff, the choreographer who founded the Microbis Theatre-Dance Company here at our House.
This year’s edition, the third under his name, brought 10 dance groups and the Microbis Company to the stage, and the jury awarded 11 prizes. Together with the audience, we lived through moments of rare intensity. And we saw once again what a living legacy means: people trained by Hugo Wolff who, in turn, are training a new generation of dancers.
The first evening was a marathon of styles: modern and contemporary dance, show revue, street dance, commercial dance, unconventional dance and theatre-dance. Six groups took to the stage, together with the choreographers who had prepared them:
The finale of the evening belonged to the hosts. The Microbis Theatre-Dance Company presented a preview of the trailer for the show “Margot”, a new staging based on Hugo Wolff’s original choreography. The audience rose to its feet and applauded at length.
For us, that moment was a return to our roots and a tribute to the company’s founder. It quite simply took our breath away.
Those who could not be in the hall were able to follow the evening on the House’s website, under Live broadcasts. From the recording we selected 30 stills, which you can find in the festival photo gallery.
The second evening interwove the energy of the Sibiu troupes with the enthusiasm of the guests from Pitești and Alba Iulia. The styles ranged from show dance and theatre-dance to contemporary, hip-hop, acro dance, street dance and stylised folk. The programme of the evening, in order of appearance on stage:
| Group | Piece | Style | Choreography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s Dance (CCS Sibiu) | “Hard knock life” | show dance | Alina Găvozdea |
| Starfix (CCS Pitești) | “The Arabian Star” | theatre-dance | Cristina Preda |
| Wish Dance Steps (CCS Alba Iulia) | “Fusion seven” | street dance | Beatrice Mocanu |
| Starfix (CCS Pitești) | “Between US” | contemporary | Adelina Mareș and Alexandra David |
| Crazy Street (CCS Sibiu) | “Classic to hip-hop” | hip-hop | Adrian Albu |
| Starfix (CCS Pitești) | “Suflet cu aripi” | acro dance | Sara Maria Uța |
| Wish Dance Steps (CCS Alba Iulia) | “Expandable grooves” | street dance | Beatrice Mocanu |
| Starfix (CCS Pitești) | “Ciuleandra” | stylised folk | Renata Molea |
Let’s Dance is our children’s troupe. Its choreographer, Alina Găvozdea, trained under Hugo Wolff and today passes the same values on to the children.
Before the gala, the Jump In Company of the “Dumitru Fărcaș” Student Culture House of Cluj-Napoca presented the contemporary dance show “Alone, Not Lonely”, choreographed by Alina Ciceo. The work explores the fragile space between stillness, restlessness and self-discovery. It was the artistic high point of the evening.
This evening, too, can be watched again under Live broadcasts. The festival gallery now also includes 36 stills from the second evening.
The festival ended with the awards ceremony. The jury presented 11 prizes, rewarding the work, passion and artistic merit of the groups:
| Prize | Winner |
|---|---|
| Youngest team | Let’s Dance, Sibiu |
| Best character dance | X-Tazy, Cluj-Napoca |
| Best commercial dance | Starfix, Pitești |
| Best modern dance | Freaks Crew, Craiova |
| Best street dance solo | Adrian Albu (Crazy Street, Sibiu) |
| Best unconventional dance | Matrix Dance, Timișoara |
| Best contemporary dance | M&M, Sibiu |
| Best show revue | Unique, Ploiești |
| Best street dance show | Wish Dance Steps, Alba Iulia |
| Choreographic direction | Microbis Theatre-Dance Company, Sibiu |
| Best show | Jump In, Cluj-Napoca |
Four of the prizes went to groups of the Student Culture House of Sibiu. The prize for best show went to Cluj-Napoca, for “Alone, Not Lonely”.
Stills from the video recording of the awards gala, 31 October 2026.
The audience sees two evenings. Behind them lie months of sustained work that few people know about.
Preparations began months in advance. In May, the festival was already on the list of projects proposed for Sibiu’s 2026 Cultural Agenda. Then came the invitations to the student culture houses around the country, the correspondence with the groups, the programme for the two evenings, the poster and the presentation materials.
Then came the days before the festival, with the hall, the stage and the welcoming of the seven guest groups from six cities. Every detail had to be in place at 19:00.
The work does not stop with the applause. Next come the recordings, the photo galleries and the administrative closing of the project. All of this was carried by my colleagues, who worked for days on end so that everything would turn out well.
My first thought of gratitude goes to my colleagues at the Student Culture House of Sibiu. You worked for days on end, often unseen, so that each evening would begin at 19:00 and every troupe would feel welcome. This festival is, above all, yours.
I thank the festival’s funders: the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, Sibiu County Council and Sibiu City Hall. Their support makes it possible, year after year, for young dancers from all over the country to meet in Sibiu.
I thank the student culture houses of Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Pitești, Ploiești and Timișoara, which sent their groups to Sibiu. I thank all the choreographers and dancers, from the youngest members of Let’s Dance to the Microbis Company.
I thank the jury and Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu”, which hosted us again this year. And I thank you, all of you who were in the hall or followed us online.
The festival that bears Hugo Wolff’s name remains a meeting place for generations of dancers. I thank everyone who made it possible again this year.
Until then, we look forward to seeing you again at Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu”, from 19:00: on 6 November, at the show “Joc și Tradiție”, with free admission, and on 7 November, at the 32nd edition of the “Tradiții” Festival.
dr.ing. Liliana G. Popescu
Director of the Student Culture House of Sibiu