A group of enthusiasts from the Contemporary Dance Association (Asociácia súčasného tanca) came in 1997 with the ambition to follow the dynamically developing scene of contemporary dance in Slovakia and to confront it with world dance creations. They founded an event called Bratislava in Movement, an international festival of contemporary dance. The festival very quickly became both an integral part of the Slovak dance scene and a significant platform for the presentation of world dance creations in Slovakia. In 2000, a separate organizational structure was established for the festival – the civic association Asociácia Bratislava v pohybe (Bratislava in Movement Association), which is  the main organizer of the festival.

The festival began to establish itself in international structures as well: in 1998, the director of the festival, Miroslava Kovářová, became the representative of Slovakia in the international Aerowaves network, where she still works today. Bratislava in Movement Association has been a member of IETM for several years. It is also an associate partner of the international network of major European dance festivals, the Big Pulse Dance Alliance.