2026: Mind the Gap-Edition II
© Carlos Quezada
Following the success of the first edition, Mind the Gap – Edition II continues as a professional experience for young dancers at a decisive moment in their careers: the transition from formal training into professional employment within the dance field.
The program is aimed at outstanding dancers from professional dance schools in Switzerland and abroad who are either preparing to enter the professional world or navigating the transitional “gap” after completing their formal training. Over the course of five intensive weeks, participants work under professional conditions, following a structured daily schedule that includes training, rehearsals, and creative processes comparable to those of a professional dance company.
The first edition underlines the guiding idea of Mind the Gap: Three participants were subsequently selected to dance in the main production of Dance Festival Königsfelden and two of them engaged by Ballet Ireland.
Building on the artistic profile established in the first edition, Edition II brings together choreographers whose work reflects both continuity and artistic expansion. Once again, Filipe Portugal, resident choreographer and artistic director of Tanz und Kunst Königsfelden, creates a new work for the young generation of dancers, continuing to strengthen the artistic link between Mind the Gap and the productions presented within the Königsfelden Festival.
Alongside him, the program welcomes the renowned Swiss choreographer Heinz Spoerli and the internationally active choreographer Caroline Finn. Each contributes a distinct artistic language and creative approach, offering the dancers the opportunity to engage with diverse choreographic perspectives within a professional creation process.
Performances — Mind the Gap – Edition II
- Kurtheater Baden – Friday, August 21, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
- TBA - Saturday. August 22, 2026
- Theater Chur – Sunday, August 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
As part of the premiere at the Kurtheater Baden, we will present the second Dance Award to the most outstanding artistic personality of this edition of Mind the Gap.
Mind the Gap – Edition II is supported by:
- Former Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, Patron of Tanz und Kunst Königsfelden,
- Jason Beechey, Head of Dance at Zurich University of the Arts,
- Kathleen McNurney, President of Danse Suisse (Professional Association for Dance).
Heinz Spoerli
Choreographer
Goldberg Variations
Basel-born Heinz Spoerli is one of the foremost dance artists of our days. Following his career as a dancer, he received his first official appointment as choreographer with the Ballet de Genève in 1971.
For the next four decades, he acted as choreographer and ballet director in Basel, Düsseldorf, and Zurich. Based on a varied implementation of the Danse d’école, clear neo-classical lines, as well as a precise musicality, his Goldberg Variations from 1993 are among his most distinctive creations.
Caroline Finn
Choreographer
New creation
Caroline Finn holds a BFA in Dance for the renowned Juilliard School. Engagements as a performer included the Ballett-Theater in Munich, Ballet Preljocaj, and the Compagnie Carolyn Carlson.
Artistic director and then resident choreographer of National Dance Company Wales, she received the Wales Theatre Award for Best Female Artist in 2016.
Her works have been produced in theatres in Europe and South America as well as at international festivals. She is co-artistic director of the innovative Zurich-based choreographic development platform Brückerei.
Filipe Portugal
Choreographer
New creation
Portuguese-Swiss choreographer Filipe Portugal graduated from the National Conservatory in Lisbon and holds an MA in Choreography from the Zurich University of the Arts.
He danced with the National Ballet of Portugal and as a principal with the Zurich Ballet under the direction of Heinz Spoerli and Christian Spuck.
His choreographic work includes creations for leading international companies, among others Ballet Ireland, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Zurich Ballet, the Shanghai Ballet, the Croatian National Ballet in Rijeka, and the National Ballet of Portugal. He has been the artistic director of Tanz und Kunst Königsfelden since 2024.
Arman Grigoryan
Staging & Rehearsal Director
Goldberg Variations
Arman Grigoryan studied at the Armenian Ballet School from 1994 to 2001 and began his professional career with the Israel Ballet. In 2002, he joined the Zurich Junior Ballet, continuing with the main company from 2004, and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2007. In the 2015–2016 season, he worked with the Staatsballett Berlin.
He has worked with choreographers such as Heinz Spoerli, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Hans van Manen, and George Balanchine. Arman works as a teacher and choreographic assistant at the ZHdK and sets works by Heinz Spoerli internationally. He will be responsible for setting Goldberg Variations.
Salomé Martins
Rehearsal Director
Salomé Martins was born in Setúbal, Portugal, where she began and completed her professional dance training at the Contemporary Dance Academy.
After her first professional engagement in Portugal, she pursued an international career, working with various theatres and companies in Germany, France, and Switzerland, including Ballet Theater Munich (DE), Ballet National de Marseille (FR), and Tanz Luzerner Theater (CH). There, she worked for seven seasons as a soloist under the artistic direction of Kathleen McNurney, before ending her stage career in 2017.
Salomé Martins is responsible for the pedagogical projects at Tanz & Kunst Königsfelden and works as Rehearsal Director. She will assist Caroline Finn and Filipe Portugal in their creations for Mind the Gap – Edition II.
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