Bratislava in Movement’s 30th edition begins in one month
The anniversary edition opens with Rebecca Journo’s French production PORTRAIT at Divadlo Aréna
In less than a month, the 30th anniversary edition of the Bratislava in Movement International Contemporary Dance Festival will begin. From 14 to 26 October, it will bring works from France, Spain, Lithuania and Slovakia to Bratislava. This year’s French focus also marks a return to the festival’s beginnings. Since 1997, Bratislava in Movement has connected the Slovak dance scene with international artists and introduced audiences to new artistic approaches.
The festival opens on 14 October at 7 pm at Divadlo Aréna with PORTRAIT by choreographer Rebecca Journo and the company La Pieuvre. The work explores our need to capture and preserve our own image at a time when identity is constantly changing. Four female figures create a series of living portraits, as if standing simultaneously before the audience and a mirror. The choreography works with the idea of a “selfie museum”, transforming the stage into a space where bodies appear, disappear and become distorted like images captured through a lens.
PORTRAIT brings contemporary dance into dialogue with photography and visual art. Journo also drew inspiration from the work of visual artists Cindy Sherman and Francesca Woodman. French critics have described PORTRAIT as an unsettling world “rich in sensations”, while praising Rebecca Journo as a choreographer with a distinctive artistic language and a “unique world of great intensity”.
Rebecca Journo is based in Paris, and her work moves between dance, performance, music and photography. She returns to Bratislava after five years. In 2021, she appeared at the festival with her solo La Ménagère.
Audiences confirm their interest in contemporary dance
The anniversary edition returns to the festival’s French roots. The French Institute in Bratislava, the Contemporary Dance Association and a group of artists and contemporary dance enthusiasts were instrumental in establishing the festival. Since its first edition in 1997, Bratislava in Movement has brought major figures from the international dance scene to Bratislava and created a space for encounters between Slovak and international work.
The 30th edition is being prepared under more difficult conditions, without financial support from the Slovak Arts Council. Despite this, the organisers have managed to preserve the festival’s international character and prepare a programme that has attracted strong audience interest. Several festival evenings are already close to selling out.
“We are very pleased by the audience’s interest in our anniversary edition. The remaining festival evenings are already close to selling out, which means even more to us in a year when we are organising the festival without financial support from the Slovak Arts Council. We are glad that audiences continue to find their way to contemporary dance and, through their interest, support the festival’s continuation,” says Katarína Figula, Executive Director of Bratislava in Movement.
The programme continues on 15 October with L’EXPAT + BLACK, on 23 October with CLAP & SLAP + VOLVAMOS AL BAILE, and on 25 October with WHAT THE FOLK. The festival closes on 26 October with MALDONNE by French choreographer Leïla Ka.
