The XV Naples Open Dance Festival returns from November 28 to December 3, 2026. The event has been presented by its organizers as a major Italian and South European dance festival since 2012, and it has hosted the Solo World Championship since 2017.
The 2026 edition brings together Solo World Championship categories, WDO championship events, Pro-Am competitions, couples events, team events and training camp opportunities across a multi-day festival program.
Judges 2026
The 2026 adjudicator roster is listed as:
- Shirley Ballas - USA
- Karina Smirnoff - USA
- Lorna Lee - UK
- Allen Wen - China
- Carolyn Smith - Italy
- Emanuele Soldi - Italy
- Elisa Nasato - Italy
- Dasha Chesnokova - Ukraine
- Roxie Chan - China
- Alex Wei Wang - China
- Graham Oswick - UK
- Michael Stylianos - UK
- Ksenia Kasper - Germany
- Manuel Frighetto - Italy
- Jack Zang - China
- Franco Formica - Germany
- Paul Killick - UK
- Warren Boyce - UK
- Arunas Bizokas - Lithuania
- Oxana Lebedew - Germany
- Dekatra Lapaeva - Norway
- Wook Lee - Korea
- Snieguole Wood - Lithuania
- Zhivo Yankov - Greece
- Irina Zur - Israel
- Avi Zur - Israel
- Luis Delgado - Spain
- Svetlana Karmaz - Spain
- Michel Aufrere - France
- Artem Petrukhin - Spain
- Jelena Samuilova - Latvia
- Lia Jang - Korea
- Bob Song - Korea
- Kelvin Choo - Malaysia
- Lynn Harman - UK
- Jay Hsu - Taiwan
- Uapan Snidvong - Thailand
- Anna Galisheva - Portugal
- Alexandra Yeremeyeva - Kazakhstan
- Ivan Kimlach - Kazakhstan
- Alessandro Maggioni - Italy
- Anna Sevastjionava - Ireland
- Eka Archaia - Georgia
- Charles - China
- Verka Jajanidze - Georgia
- Naira Markina - Ukraine
- Craig Draper - UK
Venue
The festival is connected with Naples and the Cercola area in Italy. Dancers should confirm the final hall, timetable and arrival information through the official Naples Open channels before booking travel.
Location Context
One of Naples' historic performance landmarks is the Salone Margherita, created in the wake of the success of the French cafe-chantant tradition represented by the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere in Paris. The idea was included in the project for the new Galleria Umberto I, built as a tribute to King Umberto and named after Queen Margherita.
At the time, Naples had a lively intellectual and social scene around literary salons, cafes and restaurants including the circles of the Prince of Tricase, the Marchesa Sessa, the Baraccos, the Starace cafes, Stella d'Italia, Croce di Savoia and Scoglio di Frisio. The Salone Margherita opened before princesses, countesses, politicians and journalists, including Matilde Serao, and became a symbol of the Italian Belle Epoque.
The venue followed the French model closely: posters, artists' contracts and menus were written in French, staff used French, and performers adopted stage names inspired by Parisian stars. It is remembered as the first venue in Italy to present can-can dancers, and its stage welcomed artists including Kitty Gordon, Anna Fougez, Lina Cavalieri, Amelia Faraone, Bernardo Cantalamessa, Lydia Johnson, Leopoldo Fregoli, Ettore Petrolini, Raffaele Viviani, La Bella Otero and Cleo de Merode.
Grand Gala Show
The Grand Gala is scheduled for December 1, 2026, at the Gran Teatro Salone Margherita. Participation in the Gala Dinner is by reservation only through naplesopen@gmail.com.
Grand Gala Dinner tickets are listed at EUR 75 per person, with seating in the Arena or first balcony.
The evening also includes the "My Amazing Show" opportunity. Couples, professionals and solo dancers can reserve a place to perform during the Grand Gala in front of the Naples Open Dance Festival guests. Places are limited, and reservations are required by contacting naplesopen@gmail.com.
What to Expect
- Solo World Championship Latin and Ballroom events
- Solo Naples Challenge events
- W.C.C.T. Syncro, Choreo, Freestyle, Show and Open categories
- WDO Professional Latin World Championship
- WDO Professional Showdance Championship
- WDO World Cup and World Title events
- Pro-Am and Teacher-Student competitions
- Rising Star, Under 21, Amateur, Senior and Youth couples categories
- National, open and international championship events
- Training camp activities
Program Highlights
The attached program list includes W.C.C.T. categories for Under 8, Under 12, Under 16, Under 21, Over 16 and Over 30 dancers across Syncro, Choreo, Freestyle, Show and Open sections.
Solo World Championship sections include Latin single dances, Latin multi-dance events, Ballroom single dances and Ballroom multi-dance events across age groups from Under 8 through Over 30.
The broader festival program also includes Solo Naples Challenge sections, Pro-Am and Teacher-Student events, WDO championship titles, and couples competitions for youth, amateur, senior and professional dancers.
Private Lessons
Private lessons are listed as available with the following teachers and adjudicators:
- Shirley Ballas - USA
- Karina Smirnoff - USA
- Lorna Lee - UK
- Allen Wen - China
- Carolyn Smith - Italy
- Emanuele Soldi - Italy
- Elisa Nasato - Italy
- Dasha Chesnokova - Ukraine
- Roxie Chan - China
- Alex Wei Wang - China
- Graham Oswick - UK
- Michael Stylianos - UK
- Ksenia Kasper - Germany
- Manuel Frighetto - Italy
- Jack Zang - China
- Franco Formica - Germany
- Paul Killick - UK
- Warren Boyce - UK
- Arunas Bizokas - Lithuania
- Oxana Lebedew - Germany
- Dekatra Lapaeva - Norway
- Wook Lee - Korea
- Snieguole Wood - Lithuania
- Zhivo Yankov - Greece
- Irina Zur - Israel
- Avi Zur - Israel
- Luis Delgado - Spain
- Svetlana Karmaz - Spain
- Michel Aufrere - France
- Artem Petrukhin - Spain
- Jelena Samuilova - Latvia
- Lia Jang - Korea
- Bob Song - Korea
- Kelvin Choo - Malaysia
- Lynn Harman - UK
- Jay Hsu - Taiwan
- Uapan Snidvong - Thailand
- Anna Galisheva - Portugal
- Alexandra Yeremeyeva - Kazakhstan
- Ivan Kimlach - Kazakhstan
- Alessandro Maggioni - Italy
- Anna Sevastjionava - Ireland
- Eka Archaia - Georgia
- Charles - China
- Verka Jajanidze - Georgia
- Naira Markina - Ukraine
- Craig Draper - UK
Registration
Registration and detailed entry information should be confirmed through the official Naples Open website and organizer announcements.
Grand Gala Dinner and "My Amazing Show" reservations should be requested directly by email at naplesopen@gmail.com.
Contact
- Email: naplesopen@gmail.com
- Website: naplesopen.com
- Instagram: @naplesopendancefestival
Notes
Program details, category names, venue information, schedules and registration rules may change before the event. Participants should always confirm the latest official information before making travel arrangements.