The Theatre Institute in Bratislava has prepared, together with the Les Halles de Schaerbeek culture centre, a programme focused on contemporary dance and contemporary drama, in connection with Slovakia’s presidency of the Council of the EU. The programme has several lines which follow the story of theatre and dance in Slovakia: SLOV:motion (the main programme); SLOV:view (exhibitions and dance films); SLOV:connect (debates), and SLOV:talk (lectures and scenic readings of new Slovak dramas). It starts with a lecture on contemporary tendencies in Slovak theatre, in the centre of performative art La Bellone, and ends with the motion installation of renowned artist Jozef Fruček (of Rootlessroot), Endless Composition.
In SLOV:motion, top Slovak dancers and choreographers will be presented – Jaro Viňarský, Soňa Ferienčíková, Martina Hajdyla Lacová, Stanislav Dobák, dance ensemble of the Divadlo Štúdio Tanca theatre or Brussles-based company Les SlovaKs.
An important part of the programme includes exhibitions, on Slovak theatre posters, Slovak dance and independent cultural centres. At the Body Danced Body Seen exhibition of curator Maja Hriešik – composed of a photo exhibition and an interactive installation – visitors will even be able to try various forms of contemporary dance with Slovak performers, organisers informed.
Representatives of two cultural centres, Stanica Žilina-Záriečie and Tabačka Kulturfabrik, which were both founded by initiatives of local enthusiasts, will debate their activities in the New Ideas bloc; while theatre reviews and screenings of dance films will also be on offer during the Slovak theatre weekend.
“Four days of Slovak contemporary dance and theatre within Slovakia’s first presidency of the Council of the EU / SK PRES 2016 are also the first complete and compact presentation of Slovak dance abroad,” head of the Theatre Institute Vladislava Fekete said. “We believe that partnerships formed on this occasion with many cultural institutions, universities and individuals in Brussels will last and become a platform for further creative collaborations.”
