Dance North Scotland today announces the programme for RISE 2026, its annual festival of contemporary dance and performance, taking place from Saturday 23 May to Saturday 6 June 2026 across Caithness, Inverness, Findhorn and Glasgow.
Centred on global indigenous voices, this year’s RISE brings together artists and performers whose work connects land, story and movement, offering audiences a powerful programme grounded in cultural exchange, environmental consciousness and intergenerational knowledge.
Guided by cultural respect and ethical collaboration with a broad range of partners, RISE 2026 positions Scotland as a meeting point for international Indigenous performance, creating space for connection, reflection and shared understanding.
For the first time, Dance North Scotland’s RISE Festival will be presented in collaboration with global First Nations artists, Indigenous-led organisations and cultural networks, andScottish partners including Lyth Arts Centre (Caithness), Eden Court (Inverness) and Tramway (Glasgow).
RISE 2026 will present a two-week programme of performances, workshops, talks and community gatherings. The programme spans intimate solo works, cross-cultural collaborations and intergenerational storytelling, inviting audiences to engage with diverse artistic practices shaped by deep relationships to place and identity.
RISE 2026 First Nations artists and performers include:
- Larrakia choreographer Gary Lang (Northern Territory,Australia) with The Other Side of Me, exploring the ongoing impact of the Stolen Generations. Produced by BlakDance and presented in partnership with Lyth Arts Centre at Wick High School in Caithness (Sat 23 May) and Eden Court’s One Touch Theatre in Inverness (Wed 27 May).
- Oji-cree artist Lara Kramer (Turtle Island Canada) bringing Gorgeous Tongue to Findhorn’s Universal Hall (Fri 29 May) and Glasgow in partnership with Tramway (Wed 3 June). Kramer’s This is the Place Where We Pray will be performed in The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn, on Sat 30 May.
- Choreographer Daina Ashbee (Turtle Island Canada) with the durational installation performance Serpentine at Universal Hall in Findhorn (Sat 30 May) and Glasgow in partnership with Tramway (Sat 6 June).
- Narungga/Kaurna artist Jacob Boehme (South Australia) with GUURANDA X RISE, a large-scale participatory performance reimagined for The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn (Sun 31 May).
- Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo (Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk, Kahnawà:ke / Turtle Island Canada) and Martha Hincapié Charry (Colombia / Berlin), who will present We Are the Land – A’nowarà:ke & AbyaYala perspectives at Universal Hall, Findhorn (Fri 29 May).
- Maori dancer and cultural advocate Paige Shand Haami (Aotearoa New Zealand) facilitating movement-based participation work and hosting Dance North Conversations… in dialogue with other indigenous artists during RISE Festival Weekend (Sat 29 – Sun 31 May).
- Narungga Elder Aunty Lynette Newchurch (South Australia) leading a cloak-making workshop rooted in cultural knowledge and practice.
As well as performances, RISE 26 will have a festival weekend on Sat 29 – Mon 31 May) at The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn, which will offer performances, talks, workshops, parties and community events for audiences of all ages.
Get your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.com/dance-north-scotland?eventref=rise2026
Header image of Daina Ashbee in Serpentine.