ACDC Duet Xchange
ACDC Duet Xchange, a two-day festival of performance and competition. This unique artist-led platform is dedicated to duet-based collaboration, bringing together local and international artists to create new choreographic works rooted in dialogue, trust, and shared authorship.
A cultural convergence of movement and meaning – STAR THEATRE, 22 to 23 MAY 2026
What is ACDC Duet Xchange?
ACDC Duet Xchange is Anderson Carvalho Dance & Choreography’s new innovative collaborative duet performance program. This forward-looking initiative is designed to promote intercultural dialogue through art, dance, choreography, and knowledge exchange.
Core Philosophy & Goals
The Power of the Duet: The program focuses exclusively on the duet, the smallest form of ensemble. This intensifies the artistic dialogue, demands deep trust, and highlights the unique chemistry between two performers.
Cross-Cultural & Interdisciplinary Collaboration: It pairs artists (dancers, choreographers, and often artists from other disciplines like music, visual art, and digital media) from different backgrounds, countries, and artistic languages to create something neither could alone.
Supporting Artists: It functions as a curated platform, providing selected artists with crucial resources they often lack: time, space, a creative framework, professional documentation, and a performance platform.
Why Is It Significant in the Dance World?
Artist-Led Initiative: It's a model of a working artist (Anderson Carvalho) creating opportunities for artists, and peers, filling gaps left by larger institutions.
Global Network Building: It connects local and international artists across borders, building an international community of collaborators.
Innovation Incubator: The focused, low-pressure environment allows for risk-taking and the development of new movement vocabularies and collaborative methods.
Focus on Collaboration: The program champions collaboration as its central creative force, moving beyond the traditional single-choreographer model. The event unfolds in two parts. DXCHANGE 1 serves as a collaborative intersection where local and international artists share the stage and lead master classes. DXCHANGE 2 features guest choreographers in shared performances and offers a competitive platform where selected choreographers from ACDC’s 2026 Open Call vie for awards.
Unleashing The Potential of Collaboration
Inspire To Aspire
Festival Programme & Schedule
Day 1: DXCHANGE 1 – Collaborative Platform
Date: Thursday, 22 May 2026
Opening night marks the start of a vibrant exchange, featuring guest artists and companies sharing their work. Step into a collective learning space where artists present their practice and lead masterclasses, fostering dialogue, collaboration, and a global creative community.
Day 2: DXCHANGE 2 – Performance & Competition Platform
Date: Friday, 23 May 2026
This culminating event showcases new works by local guest choreographers and selected artists from our 2026 Open Call. It’s both a high-stakes performance night and a competitive platform, offering awards and vital recognition to emerging choreographic voices.
Choreographic Xchange
Master Classes
Day 1: DXCHANGE 1 – Collaborative Platform
Choreographic Xchange is a master class experience led by an international master choreographer or a local artist. Moving beyond the teaching of movement or set choreography, this encounter focus on the sharing of creative processes, artistic inquiry, and lived practice.
Rooted in ACDC’s four pillars of Intersect: Connection, Relation, Creation, and Transformation. The Choreographic Xchange invites participants into a space of dialogue, experimentation, and exchange, where ideas, bodies, and perspectives meet to evolve.
This edition is led by Spanish-Dutch master choreographer Marta Reig Torres, offering participants an opportunity to engage deeply with choreographic thinking, exchange ideas, and explore approaches to making and reflecting on dance.
Date: Friday, 22 May 2026
Time: 10:00 – 15:00
Venue: Star Theatre, Homecoming Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
Capacity: Limited to 15 participants
Programme & Competition Platform
Day 1: DXCHANGE 1
Opening Night - Collaborative Platform
Date: Thursday, 22 May 2026
Featured Guest Choreographers & Companies:
Janine Booysens
Northern Dance Academy
New Word Dance Theatre
ACDC (Anderson Carvalho Dance & Choreography)
Day 2: DXCHANGE 2
Performance & Competition Platform
Date: Friday, 23 May 2026
ARTIST TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
ACDC Duet Xchange
This incredible event is brought to you by Anderson Carvalho Dance & Choreography (ACDC), in partnership with Tristan Finance. We gratefully acknowledge support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tristan Finance, and the Embassy of Spain in South Africa.