THE STAGE of the Slovak National Theatre historical building will be transformed into a dance floor for the 12th Bratislava in Movement, an international festival of contemporary dance.
The ten-day presentation of the best in contemporary dance will feature 10 performances by prestigious dance troupes from Israel, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the SND and the ElleDanse Alternative Theatre.
The festival opens with a performance by the world-renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company at the SND on June 7. Their routine, Kef-Kafim, marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel, and has received acclaim in the United States and Europe.
The name of the show is derived from a Hebrew play on words, which can be translated as Games and Entertainment. Organisers promise a pleasurable show full of movement and dance, with appealing light and sound effects. Josef Nadj will represent French contemporary dance with Journal d'un inconnu (The Unknown's Diary), inspired by his own diary and poems by Otto Tolnai. Belgian dance company Peeping Tom Collective will perform Le Jardin (The Garden), which contains a film that represents a dream or a nightmare, followed by a dance performance about a couple and a man. For the first time, the festival has a separate Czech-Slovak section, which will take place in Bratislava's alternative ElleDanse company. Farma v jeskyni (Farm in Cave), a company from Prague led by Slovak director Viliam Dočolomanský, will perform the Slovak premiere of Čekárna (Waiting Room). This show earned Farma v jeskyni an award from the Czech weekly Respekt for the most powerful dance piece and is a candidate for the prestigious XI Europe Prize New Theatrical Realities.
DOT 504, the first professional Czech contemporary dance company, will perform Holdin' Fast (Dreamlike ballade of sexual dependency). This 50-minute project by Slovak choreographer Jozef Fruček and Greek choreographer Linda Kapetaney is based on themes from Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
The ElleDanse theatre, Štúdio Tanca, Bubla Company and projects by dancers Lucia Kašiarová with Jaro Viňarský and Petra Fornayová will represent Slovakia.
Accompanying events include three workshops focusing on classical and contemporary dance and partner dancing; a photo exhibition by Noro Knap titled You Can Only Move 2007; and Dance in Streets, improvisations of Slovak dancers and musicians in the streets of the Old Town on June 7 and 8.
For more information, go to www.abp.sk.
