The 2026 festival’s international artist in residence is Djibril Sall.

It is part of an annually occurring residency initiated and funded by the Goethe-Institut New Zealand, and supported by Wellington City Council.

Djibril Sall, is a queer Senegalese performer, choreographer, and writer. Born in Dakar, he grew up in a working-class family in the Deep South of the United States of America and was educated at the ‘elite’ Wesleyan University. He describes himself in these terms to illustrate the range of privilege he holds as someone who worked from the peripheries of the Global South to someone who can now move unencumbered within and outside of the borders of the Global North. His work is situated at the intersection of (racialized) migration and belonging, where he questions the reasons that compel people to leave. This questioning includes his own migration background and his insights into (non)belonging and being in-between. "The central question he poses to himself and his audience is: How can trauma become a departure point for exploring pleasure, letting go, disclosure, and open-hearted connection?"

The residency will run from late may till June 22. During his time here, Djibril will be offering several dance workshops and performing a new work. These will be announced before April 25.