Opening of the 25th Dance Week Festival
Dance Week Festival, Croatia’s primary dance festival and one of the largest of its kind in the region, celebrates a querter century since its inception. This 25th edition presents an eclectic program compiled of works of a variety of world acclaimed stars as well as those that are emerging, providing also a window into works of authors that have been featured at earlier festival editions and whose works Zagreb audiences recognized and awarded.
On Sunday, May 25 at 6pm, in front of HDLU, popularly named the Mosque, a presentation of the youngest of local dance forces, presents a foray into the Festival, with a public presentation the «B-Boy and B-girls» featuring the results of a hip-hop workshop racilitated Robert Hylton, with students from the School of contemporary dance Ana Maletić, and the group What Evaa. This activity continues on the prior year initiative by HIPP which offers emerging and pre-professional dance artists to gain experience in working with acclaimed professional choreographers and expand their performing skills.
The honour to officially open the festival was awarded to Canadian company Daniel Leveille Danse, which received the Audience Award at the 22nd Festival. This year the Company will presents its perhaps most distinguished and most acclaimed work on its repertoire created by Artistic Director Daniel – choreography ‘Le pudeur des icebergs‘ to the Prelude op 28 by Frederic Chopin.
Among other groups featured in the Festival and who are also somewhat tied to the Festival are companies such as Belgian Thierry Smit’s Thor’ (his last work Corpse presented at DK Gavella in 1998 was true hit!); as well as that of Paulo Ribeiro, who was for a period of time Artistic Director of Ballet Gulbenkian, and who returns to the Festival also as a dancers. Amongst other names well known to Zagreb audiences is Wayne McGregor and Random Dance Company, who are third time guests of the Festival. Today, undoubtedly one of the world’s most distinguished choreographers, MacGregor’s early dancemakers days are linked to the Festival, and so it comes as no surprise to us that the Company has chosen the Festival as one of four places of an exclusive world tour with his recently premiered «Entity» that critics have determined to be a true masterpiece.
Another part of the Festival features trends related to multidisciplinary and multimedia choreographic endeavors which push the boundaries of dance expression. This part features two Bessie Award winners – Australian company Chunky Move which fuses in a most fascinating way dance with new technology; and, the gem of New Yorks experimental dance and performative scene – DD Dorvillier. Within similar sphere of interest in terms of format is Brother Karamazov – made in China – a project by choreographer Mateja Bučar already announced at last year’s and two works by japanese choreographer on the rise Hiroaki Umeda. Also announced is the Swiss Company 7273 considered as the «enfants terribles» of the French-Swiss dance scene; as well as performance by Croatian born Ivana Muller recipient of two of the three awards presented at last year’s Impuls Tanz Festival.
The remaining titles representing croatian works is traditionally grouped under the banner of the Croatian Choreographic Platform which this year features: Selma Banich, Andrea Gotovina, Aleksandra Janeva, Sanja Tropp Frühwald i Žak Valenta.
The part of the Festival which also announces artists on the rise we will have the opportunity to see works by RFI Découvertes Danse recipient Ketlly Noel, and Simone Bertozzi the award winner of Giovani Danz’Autori competition recently presented at Aerowaves, and finally one of the most promising French emerging choreographers Jasmina Prolić.
The Festival will feature 12 companies from five continents while the now traditional part of the Festival which occurs also in Rijeka will this year present a total of 6 titles a result of a strengthenign of the support of Rijeka municipality as well as with Prostor + as associate partner.
A special Festival feature is the presentation of the «Biography of Ana Maletić» the most recent publication and CD, of the Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance. This is also a multimedia edition of the Development of Contemporay Dance Series by editor Maja Đurinovi and which for the first time in history in detail documents and analyises the life and work of this author and dance artist who retains a critical position in the development of the local dance scene.
As part of the now traditional supplimentary programe, the Festival will continue to provide the audiences opportunity to meet and talk to artists and encourage artistic encounters both formal and informal in the Festival club, while the public will have an opportunity to cast their vote of this Year’s Audience Award. In voting, members of the audience also get an opportunity to win a gift package from Iskon, sponsor of the Audience Award.
25th edition of DANCE WEEK FESTIVAL is supported by:
Ministry of Culture Croatia | Office of Cultural Affairs City of Zagreb | Office of Cultural Affairs City of Rijeka| County Primorsko Goranska | Association for artistic development Prostor+ | Embassy of the Republic of Francuske | Italian Cultural Institute in Zagreb | Embassy of the Netherlands in Zagreb | Japan European Fund | Canada Council for the Arts | British Council | Pro Helvetia | CLP – Institut Camões – Centre for Portuguese culture and language | Canadian Embassy in Zagreb; and, media sponsors Metro and Teatar.hr.
The Festival box office is, as prior years, located in the lobby of the Mamut stage of DK Gavella Theatre, (tel. ++098 9484725), and is open daily Noon to 6PM except Sunday. All information is available round the clock through Festival website: www.danceweekfestival.com, as well as through YouTube, MySpace and Facebook channels.
