Dancing Histor(y)ies Festival - Still Moving Bodies: A Contemporary Dance Performance at Viminacium

Last week, the ancient Roman site of Viminacium came alive with the contemporary dance performance "Still Moving Bodies," part of the first Dancing Histor(y)ies festival. The event, a confluence of historical resonance and modern artistry, unfolded in the Roman baths, transforming the archaeological wonder into a stage for a unique cultural experience.

The Dancing Histor(y)ies Festival 2024 in Viminacium, titled "ReMOVING Borders," was a dynamic celebration of cultural heritage and community. The festival featured a rich program of activities including a conference, creative EU showcases, workshops, and performances.

The festival aimed to unite diverse communities through shared cultural experiences, culminating in a vibrant closing ceremony that emphasized the festival's theme of transcending borders through art and history.

The pre-festival activities kicked off with press conferences in Požarevac and in Belgrade, marking the beginning of a series of interactions with the local community, including lunch with the vice mayor of Požarevac and engagements with various local institutions like the music school in Požarevac, which contributed to the festival’s soundtrack. You can watch the conference in Belgrade HERE

The community engagement activities during the Dancing Histor(y)ies festival ReMOVING Borders saw a blend of workshops, exhibitions and performances. Notable among these was a movement class for participants of the Creative Europe Serbia conference, conducted by Israel Aloni.

Having prepared choreographic material inspired by the meetings and workshops with local communities during the co-creation process, the artistic team spent the initial days at Viminacium exploring and matching the movement elements with the characteristics of the site. The amphitheater was prepared to host the performance, though later adjustments saw the shift to the area of the Roman baths due to weather conditions. This adaptation was significant, changing the dynamics of the performance to suit the new environment.

The decision to move the performance from the amphitheater to the baths was a pivotal moment. This venue change required significant adaptation, altering the performance to fit the new setting. The baths, with their unique architecture and ambiance, provided a distinct backdrop, enhancing the audience's experience.

Each visitor had a unique experience of the performance because everyone brought headphones and could choose the offered compositions that fit with the performance. The performance was created in cooperation with professors and students of the School for Primary and Secondary Music Education "Stevan Mokranjac" Požarevac. The costumes were created in cooperation with the Design School from Belgrade. ilDance's performance was embedded into a day of presentations and activities with all local stakeholders who significantly inspired the making of "Still Moving Bodies". Festival visitors were able to see some of the sketches made during the creation process of the costumes by the students of the School of Design, and experience a live concert by students of the music school "Stevan Mokranjac" , featuring some melodies used in the soundtrack of the performance, and engaging with the local Roma community through dance, workshops, and presentations by KUD Amare Roma and Uspešne žene Kostolca.

"Still Moving Bodies" at Viminacium was more than a dance performance; it was a cultural exchange, a blending of history with contemporary dance. The festival not only highlighted the rich heritage of Viminacium but also showcased the potential of collaborative artistic endeavors.

We are looking forward to our next step the performance titled "One day we will be statues" in Merida!

CREDITS:

Concept: Israel Aloni

Choreography: Israel Aloni & performers

Performers: Arunas Mozuraitis, Victor Persson, Elias Kraft, Elias Khanamidi

Original soundtrack: Didi Erez

Costumes design and creation: Amanda Wisselgren

Production manager: Hanna Magdalena Gödl

Production assistant: Arunas Mozuraitis