Schedule

Michal Heriban is a Slovak choreographer, performer, and visual artist based primarily in Bratislava, Munich, and Prague. He is a co-founder of the theater company Jedným dychom and has been participated in over 40 full-length productions since 2012. For the past 10 years, he has closely collaborated with German choreographer and visual artist Micha Purucker. His focus includes physical theater, contemporary dance techniques, improvisation, voice in movement theater, prop work, and visual art. In the Czech Republic, he has been nominated for the Thalia Awards in 2020, 2022, and 2023 and has collaborated with tinstitutions and companies such as he National Theater in Prague, the National Theater in Brno, 420PEOPLE, BURKIKOM, Lenka Vagnerova & Company, Losers Cirque Company, Petra Fornayová, Nude Theater, DPM Theater, Move Ostrava, Anna Konjetzky, Ceren Oran, Renana Raz, Rotem Tashach, Elledanse Theater, and Radoslav Piovarči. He has also taught workshops in Seoul, Algeria, Israel, Germany, and at dance conservatories in Prague, Ostrava, HAMU (The Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing arts), as well as at various dance festivals.

Tomas Danielis, choreographer and media artist is known for creating artworks founded on the totality of perception, aiming at integral arts. His choreography engages in a type of dramaturgy overruling the primacy of music and libretto in dance, engaging instead with sociological works on stage. After working on the mechanics of power, he founded the collective Radical Empathy in 2021, where, along with his colleagues, he explores empathy, the fundamentals of human perception and interaction, and their impact on creation sociological structures. His work is characterized by a high intensity of movement expressiveness, a defined intellectual concept, and uncompromising dramaturgical stylization. His choreography is composed of extraordinary images, expressed in a rich physical language and complemented by spare poignant and often ironically funny texts, making it as comprehensible as music, sculpture, painting, or architecture. Danielis´s works have been presented in over 20 countries across three continents. His most notable creations include Custom View, Faidrós, 21&Counting, Mainly Love and Carry. In 2016 and 2017, Danielis served as the head teacher and resident choreographer of Ballet Moskva, where he created performance Equilibrium, based on game theory research, as a part of a series exploring mechanics of power, with a particular focus on abuse of power. From 2007 to 2009, he was the artistic director of International Bühnenwerkstatt Tanztheater Festival Graz. His teaching engagements have taken him to Charleroi Dans, Henny Jurriens Amsterdam, NRW Düsseldorf, CODARTS,TQW Wien, Hot Summer Kyoto, Dansehallerne Copenhagen, Bora Bora Arhus, Ballet Moscow, Danceworx New Delhi, Tsekh, Ukrainian Contemporary Dance Platform, International Bühnenwerkstatt Tanztheater Festival, Anton Bruckner University Linz. Tomáš Danielis has received numerous awards for performing arts and choreography, including the 2007 Contest – TanzRat Wien, a special prize for choreography and performing arts at the 2007 Theatre Arts Festival in Rybnik. As a performer, he was part of the Reumert Award-winning productions Men and Mahler (2013) and Rite of Spring – Extended (2014) as a member of Danish ensemble Granhøj Dans.

Radical Empathy is an art group created in Autumn 2021 by Tomáš Danielis as a reaction to contemporary events. Its main goal is to support creating and distributing contemporary art pieces as sociological probes. Radical Empathy focuses primarily on creating performative art (dance and stand-up), original texts (mainly for performing arts), photography and media work. It does that without geographical restriction, but with (critical to) the European region and events in mind. The first art pieces created by the group had been Mainly Love inter-media performance (Nuit Blanche Festival, 2021), Custom View (Moyzes Hall Bratislava, 2022), followed by the photographic exhibition Entelechiea (Arteska Detva, 2022). People, whom participated on this 2 events are Tomáš Danielis, Marek Godovič, Soňa Kúdeľová, Zuzana Husárová, Lenka Sršnová Ľubomír Panák, Anthony Rouchier, Samuel Velebný (as curator of exhibition). In their work together they used, re-used and recycled besides documentary materials also works of David Bowie, Pat Matheny, Vladimír Godár, Gioachino Rossini and others.

Michal Heriban is a Slovak choreographer, performer, and visual artist based primarily in Bratislava, Munich, and Prague. He is a co-founder of the theater company Jedným dychom and has been participated in over 40 full-length productions since 2012. For the past 10 years, he has closely collaborated with German choreographer and visual artist Micha Purucker. His focus includes physical theater, contemporary dance techniques, improvisation, voice in movement theater, prop work, and visual art. In the Czech Republic, he has been nominated for the Thalia Awards in 2020, 2022, and 2023 and has collaborated with tinstitutions and companies such as he National Theater in Prague, the National Theater in Brno, 420PEOPLE, BURKIKOM, Lenka Vagnerova & Company, Losers Cirque Company, Petra Fornayová, Nude Theater, DPM Theater, Move Ostrava, Anna Konjetzky, Ceren Oran, Renana Raz, Rotem Tashach, Elledanse Theater, and Radoslav Piovarči. He has also taught workshops in Seoul, Algeria, Israel, Germany, and at dance conservatories in Prague, Ostrava, HAMU (The Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing arts), as well as at various dance festivals.

Juraj Korec is choreographer working under the artistic brand Yuri Korec & Co., has created several successful full-length dance works, including the duet about bodily memory d-BODY-m (2017), the performative lecture Solo Not Just for One Body and its loose continuation Nesolo (2018), a remake of the multimedia solo Habibi 2196-18 (2018), exploring human rights, and the performance Sapiens Territory (2020), addressing violence within us. He is also the co-author of internationally award-winning dance films Deň (J. Vlk, 2004), Darkroom (P. Bebjak, 2008), and voiceS (P. Bebjak, 2010). He currently works as an assistant professor at the Dance Department at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and as a therapist specialising in the somatic method Rolfing®.

Yuri Korec & Co. is the project platform and artistic brand of choreographer and performer Juraj Korec. Under its auspices, artistic collaborations result in contemporary dance works. Since 2017, when the full-length dance performance d-BODY-m was introduced under this brand, several other works have been created and successfully presented, including the lecture performance Solo Not Just for One Body (2018), the solo performance Not a Solo (2018), and the group performance Sapiens Territory (2020). Long-term collaborators include dramaturg Maja Hriešik, performers Eva Priečková, Silvia Sviteková, Lukáš Bobalik, Jakub Jautz (D), as well as sound designer Matúš Bolka and producer Martin Krištof. The thematic focus of Yuri Korec & Co.’s works explores the phenomenon of one´s body performativity in various minimalist contexts, often aligning with the principles of ‘non-dance’.

Lukáš Bobalik explores the variability of physical performance. He is interested in the potential of functional movement in choreographic composition, examining techniques of self-sustainment, methods of managing energy and effort, and the use of concrete physical experience as a foundationfor creating dance material.

Dana Tomečková primarily works with objects and installations. She creates ephemeral situations that are difficult to capture but easy to feel, focusing on the relationship between space and the body. Her artistic approach is rooted in a fascination with the unstable nature of reality.

Maja Hriešik prefers minimalism and a consistent work with simple elements. Her deep engagement with life often leaves her breathless, which is why, in her work, she embraces slow dramaturgical processes, allowing insights and ideas to mature over time.

T-O-K is more than just a production platform; it emphasizes the need for the continuous development of dancers and a deeper understanding of the dancer’s profession. The project encompasses various activities – including research, dance creation, workshops, lectures, and discussions – all connected by the central theme of sustainability, continuity, and psychophysical health. Its initiator, Lukáš Bobalik, has extensive experience as a freelance performer, collaborating with a numerous independent creators and project-based dance companies. He also worked as a teacher at various educational levels, including the Conservator). All of this has deepened in the ambiguous nature of becoming a professional dancer today, especially in the context of self-produced work. Additionally, his experience of near burnout, which almost led him to quit dance, motivated him to launch the T-O-K project.

Milan Kozánek graduated from the Department of Dance at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (SK). Since the graduation he has worked as a dance teacher, choreographer and expert advisor. He has developed his own particular pedagogical aproach and system throughout more that 20 years of regular teaching and researching in institutions such as Tanz Quartier Wien, Konservatorium Wien University (A), Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds (UK), University of Calgary (Canada). In 1996, he and Zuna Vesan Kozánková founded the Artyci Dance Company. They have created 16 dance works that were presented in Slovakia, as well in abroad (Germany, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, Thailand, China, Taiwan etc.). Since 2010 he has been developing intensive artistic cooperation with creators and theater actors who are looking for a connection between physical theater, movement, text, voice and singing. Milan has been a part of many theater research projects with theater artists from artistic groups. His main topic and fascination with his artistic as well as pedagogical work is a human. He implements his relationship with eastern philosophies.

Divadlo Štúdio tanca is the only professional theatre in Slovakia dedicated to contemporary dance with a permanent artistic ensemble. Based in Banská Bystrica for almost a quarter of a century, it has been creating original dance productions, offering movement courses for children and adults, organizing dance festivals, providing artistic residencies, and producing a variety of activities and events that bring contemporary dance closer to the public. With a diverse repertoire that caters to both discerning audiences and children, the theatre performs on its home stage as well as on tours across Slovakia and abroad. It operates in its own fully equipped building, home to an international artistic ensemble of dancers and performers from three continents. Throughout its existence, it has brought contemporary art, people, and atmosphere from around the world to the city, and it has no intention of stopping.

Med a prach (transl. Honey and Dust) is an artistic group that operates at the intersection of various art forms and genres. Under its roof, works are created that blur the lines between theater performances, concerts, and installations. Their works are presented in theaters, galleries, and concert stages alike. The basic starting point is complementary art, an artistic language rooted in the symbiosis of different means of expression. Performers are equally musicians, visual artists, actors, and dancers, striving to discover new ways of artistic expression through dynamic movement between diverse artistic communities and means. An essential aspect of Honey and Dust´s work is not only the fusion of the artistic forms but also within the individual works, the exploration of connections between art and other fields such as biology, psychology, philosophy, history, physics, and genetics.

Jaro Viňarský is a dancer, choreographer, and performer. He studied ballet and dance choreography at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU) and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU). He has received numerous awards, including the SAZKA AWARD for Discovery in Dance, the Audience Award at the Czech Dance Platform, and the prestigious BESSIES NEW YORK DANCE AND PERFORMING ARTS AWARD in the Outstanding Performer category. In 2011, he founded the non-governmental organization SKOK! in Slovakia.

thereeiscompany is an interdisciplinary female collective with a strong interest in blurring the boundaries between different artistic fields.In 2017, dancer and choreographer Soňa Ferienčíková, digital visual artist Mária Júdová, and sound artist and architect Alexandra Timpau joined forces to explore how interdisciplinary collaboration and audience involvement can further expand the horizons of contemporary dance.

Her professional training includes academies such as the J. L. Bellu at Banská Bystrica in Slovakia, the SEAD Salzburg experimental dance academy in Austria, P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, Belgium. She has worked with the Portuguese choreographer Rui Horta, with the French company Kubilai Khan, and in November 2012 she joined the renowned company Última Vez in Brussels. In November 2015 she founded the performing arts company Colectivo Priekopník Veverička resulting in several performances (#whateveristrendingnow, PRACH/POLVO, La Plancha) and collaborations around the world such as the co-creation with Slovak artistic collective MimoOs (DoDna, Millennial Magic Mirror) also with Honey and dust Company (EU.GENUS), with Divadlo Štúdio Tanca (Čin, Punk Pajama Party, SEN, re-member), with Divadlo K (Nefotografie, Neistota, Jaskyňa) and with Odivo (Vnorená/Immersed). The performance Čin won the Dosky 2019 award in the category extraordinary performance in dance theater, and the performance Vnorená received 3 nominations for the Dosky 2022. Also has shared her movement practice workshops Mindcross and Multipartnering-Infinite Synapses together with Zebastián in Germany, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Slovakia, Hungary, Mexico, Nicaragua, New York, Panama, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Russia, Austria and Greece. In the year 2020 co-founded the RED Movement Network online training platform.

Radoslav Piovarči (creator, choreographer, performer) – Dancer, performer, tutor, choreographer, and stage director, Radoslav Piovarči has been part of professional scene of contemporary dance and physical theatre for nearly a decade. Throughout the time he collaborated with a number of leading names, theatres and ensemble, such as Lenka Vagnerová & Company, Artyci Dance Company, Theatre elledanse, Lucia Holinová, Staatstheatre Kassel, Štúdio tanca dance theatre, Total Brutal Company, VerTeDance, Jana Burkiewicz, Virus Theatre. His hitherto collaborative portfolio includes over thirty different dance projects, films and advertisements. As choreographer and director he made, since 2010 the productions of Munnie (Enfin seuls 2010), HOLD YOUR BREATH (Theatre elledanse 2012), SET UP (Theatre elledanse 2013), DUST (Liptov Dance Theatre 2015), and the modular dance project MIMO (Culture centre Dunaj 2017). Currently, he is a member of tanC or. and works as a freelance artist on projects such as Charón, Just Ask Her, Inventors, Ich habe genug. In addition to his performative work, he is a workshop lecturer and the author of various site-specific projects.

tanC o.z. was founded in 2020 The civil association is dedicated to dance and movement performances, site-specific projects, productions, movement collaborations, and choreographies in non-traditional spaces. It engages with various art forms and artists from different disciplines, researching and exploring unique and contemporary movement principles and their potential applications. Lucia Bielik, Michaela Šeligová, Jakub Bielik, Radoslav Piovarči, and Lucia Piovarči work under the banner tanC.

Petra Fornayová is a choreographer, theatre director and performer. She graduated from the Law Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava and studied dance at the Academy for Performing Arts in Bratislava and EDDC Düsseldorf. After being a member of verious companies, including Théâtre du Movement Paris and the ballet of the State Opera in Banská Bystrica, she embarked on a freelanced career. She has created more than 20 original performances, such as Grass is Green, Manifesto of Possibilities, Subjective Future, and has directed contemporary theatre plays by authors like Vyrypajev and Spregelburd. Her performances have been presented both in Slovakia and internationally at festivals and venues such as New Drama Bratislava, Opera Nova Prague, Divadelná Nitra Festival, Jamais Vu! Paris, Tanec Praha, and Korespondance CZ, among others. She is the founder of the contemporary dance festival Nu Dance Fest and a member of the editorial board of the contemporary art magazine VLNA. Her works DWCHP and Patterns, created in collaboration with Cluster Ensemble of Contemporary Music, were nominated for the Tatra Bank Award for Art in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, she was nominated for the National Film Award – Sun in the Net for her role in Juraj Lehotský’s film Nina. She also played one of the main characters in Mira Fornay’s film Cook F**k Kill, which was nominated for the Best Film at the Czech Lion Film Awards in 2021. She has been a member of the artistic team of the Slovak Pavillion at the Venice Art Bienalle 2024.

www.petra-fornayova.sk

Lucia Holinová is a choreographer, dancer, dance teacher, dance dramaturge, editor-in-chief of the magazine TANEC, and a publisher of dance literature. She graduated from the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, specialising in dance and modern dance pedagogy. During her studies at the Academy of Performing Arts, she clearly defined the nature of her future work. Her approach to contact technique and partner work explores themes of relationships without emotional overcharge. Instead, she portrays them through an objective lens of principal interest and quest that follows after the triggering tension and conflicts. Her first full-length performance, Škára (1999), marked the beginning of the theme of hiding and peeking into the inner world, which she revisited in Fuga/A Gap (2012). She further developed themes of fragility and vulnerability in the face of external manipulation and abuse in her productions Watch (2015) and Watch Now (2016). In 2019, she created Niveau Stable (2021), a tribute to Mary Fulkerson, and site – specific performance The Other side (Genius Loci) created for the Bratislava in Movement festival in 2021. In 2023, she premiered Sen/A Dream. As a dramaturge, she has collaborated with the choreographer Šárka Ondrišovová on productions for the Slovak Nationale Theatre, Theatre elledanse, and Ballet Bratislava, as well as with other Slovak choreographers. In 2014, she co-founded the civic group Neskorý zber alongside Monika Čertezni, Daniel Raček, and Anna Sedlačková, bringing together mature dancers. Within this collective, she contributed to the team choreography of Zámerné čakanie (Theatre elledanse, 2014). Between 2010 and 2013, she served as the managing director of Theatre and Dance School elledanse. She collaborated with theatre LEN TAK TAK, which integrates disabled and non-disabled dancers, and created the productions Pi Story (2015) and Dunaj (2016) for the company.

The performance was created as a collective work and offers a unique insight into the possibilities of active perception – a play with body, space, time, silence, and words. It invites the audience to freely explore the infinite interconnections and the meanings that emerge from them. During the performance, both creators and performers intuitively respond to each other and to the dramaturgical structure, which allows them the freedom for creative decision-making in the present moment. Renowned Slovak dancers and dancers and exceptional Slovak musicians, dedicated to the open form of dance and music performance, collaborated on this production. Choreography and dance based on a concept by Marta Poláková Lívia Balážová, Silvia Bakočková, Marta Poláková, Andrej Petrovič, Andrej Štepita.