A Herd of Wild Horses Will Gallop Through the Streets of Bratislava
Bratislava in Movement Presents CITY HORSES A Unique Site-Specific Performance Adapted for Bratislava
On 12 and 13 September, a group of female dancers will transform into a herd of wild horses and move through the streets of Bratislava. CITY HORSES, a site-specific work by Swedish artists Helena Byström and Anna Källblad, will bring untamed female energy and a female perspective on the city into public space. On both days, the performance will begin at 4:00 PM in the Baroque Garden at Bratislava Castle and end at approximately 6:00 PM near Eurovea. Bratislava in Movement will present the work as part of the accompanying programme of its 30th edition.
CITY HORSES is a site-specific dance performance created by Swedish visual artist Helena Byström and choreographer Anna Källblad. The artists create works for both the stage and public space, drawing on specific places and encounters with the people who live there.
The starting point for CITY HORSES is the image of men on horseback, whose statues dominate squares and other prominent sites in European cities. Against this static image, the artists place a living herd of female dancers. They move through the city, gallop, stop at monuments and use their movement to change the familiar way in which we perceive public space.
The work premiered in Stockholm in 2017 and has since been presented in Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo, Barcelona and other cities across Europe and Australia. The artists adapt the performance to each city and prepare it in collaboration with local female dancers.
“Through a sensitive yet striking artistic gesture, CITY HORSES challenges the familiar image of urban space, which is often dominated by symbols of power and male authority. The work has travelled through several cities, but each time it is created anew. It will now take on its Bratislava form,” says Miroslava Kovářová, Artistic Director of the Bratislava in Movement festival.
The Bratislava route will begin in the Baroque Garden at Bratislava Castle. From there, it will continue along Zámocká Street and Kapucínska Street, through Župné Square, Suché mýto, Hodžovo Square and the Presidential Palace Garden, then through the city centre to the Danube embankment. The performance will end at the M. R. Štefánik statue near Eurovea.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT CITY HORSES
Dates: 12 and 13 September 2026, from 4:00 PM until approximately 6:00 PM on both days
Starting point: Baroque Garden at Bratislava Castle
Finishing point: M. R. Štefánik statue, Eurovea
Route: Bratislava Castle – Zámocká Street – Kapucínska Street – Župné Square – Suché mýto – Hodžovo Square – Presidential Palace Garden – city centre – Danube embankment – Eurovea
Website: www.bratislavavpohybe.sk
CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM
Artistic direction, choreography, site selection, spatial concept, costumes, rehearsal direction and camera: Byström Källblad
Performers: Lucia Bielik, Nina Boldocká, Cécile Da Costa, Martina Hajdyla Lacová, Tereza Holubová, Alexandra Mireková, Jasmína Miťková, Michaela Pockľanová, Emily Jane Steele, Alica Šaling, Natália Vacková and Patrícia Valterová
Production: Bratislava in Movement
The project is supported financially by the Bratislava City Foundation.
Project partners: DPOH, LITA, E.SK Foundation
We would like to thank the Envirokone Riding Club and Ms Iveta Chodilová.
