Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 11 AM & 5 PM

𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 is an outdoor performance that combines dance and sound. It invites audiences and passers-by to see their city and the people around them in a new way. Together with choreographers Pascal Merighi and Thusnelda Mercy, six local performers from Bucharest – Cristina Lilienfeld, Eva Danciu, Ema Alexandrescu, Tamara Găgeatu, Robert Popa și Cosmin Manolescu – guide the audience on a sound-walk dance journey through the streets of Bucharest.

The show is based on a special sound composition created by the artist Mikel. R.Nietto (Spain) and takes place on the route – departure Goethe Institute Bucharest, Calea Dorobanti 32, Str. Ernest Broșteanu, Str. Polonă, Bdul. Dacia, Parcul Ioanid, Parcul Gradina Icoanei. At the end, everyone gathers in the courtyard of Rezidența9, str. I.L.Caragiale no. 32, for a glass of wine and a discussion session. Here, the artists and the audience can exchange impressions, feelings and questions.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
To participate, people only need headphones, a smartphone with internet and geolocation, and the event’s QR code. Through a simple app, the city of Bucharest is displayed on a map with different sound zones. When participants enter one of these zones, a specific sound begins to be heard. In this way, the route from the Goethe Institute Bucharest to Rezidenţa9, two emblematic cultural institutions of Bucharest, becomes a special listening and walking experience.

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Emotional Sound Walk will premiere on 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟴 with two performances 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭 𝗔𝗠 & 𝟱 𝗣𝗠.
We meet on the platform in front of the Goethe Institute Bucharest, Calea Dorobanti 32, where the technical and artistic team provides technical assistance and guidance. For approximately 60 minutes, each spectator present on the journey can create their own sound and spatial experience and become part of the show. Passers-by also have a surprising and creative encounter with the dance and sound of the city. No reservation is required for this show. If you have any questions, you can contact us at cosmin@arealcolectiv.ro, mobile 0722 322 366.

A second series of performances will take place on October 4th, at 11:00 and 17:00 on the same performance route.

𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸
concept: Thusnelda Mercy & Pascal Merighi (Germany)
choreography: Pascal Merighi together with the performers
performers: Cristina Lilienfeld, Eva Danciu, Ema Alexandrescu, Tamara Găgeatu, Robert Popa, Cosmin Manolescu
sound universe: Mikel. R.Nieto (Spain)
management: Cosmin Manolescu
production: Sabina Popescu
photo: Cornel Brad
visual layout: Bogdan Ceaușescu
duration: approx. 60 – 70 minutes

𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 is a performance by AREAL and Tanz Station Barner Bahnoff Wuppertal as part of the choreographic exchange program “Moving Encounters Wuppertal- Bucharest”, a component of the AREAL European Choreographic Program, a project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund and realized with the support of the Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB – the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Bucharest and Rezidenta9. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the program or for the way in which the results of the program may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary. Media partner: Zile si Nopti.

The international premiere of Game of Life, the last project created by Cosmin Manolescu, co-director AREAL, will take place in th Frei Arts Festival in Freiburg in the frame of European Choreographic AREAL, an exchange program proposed by AREAL in partnership with Studio Pro Arte, cultural project co-funded by Administration of the National Cultural Fund in Romania.

In a fragmented world in which we experience a decresing respect for life and individuality, we must find ways to live with other people, emotions and ongoing challenges. What is next in our lives? How can we enjoy the present moment? Do you like to dance? Have you ever thought about how you would like your life to end? How can we take better care of our body and soul?

“Game of Life”, the workshop & performative experience led by Cosmin Manolescu (RO) between September 15 – 18, is an opportunity to reflect to some of these questions, have an authentic dance experience and think together about life and death, moving through light and shadows. The workshop will conclude on September 18, when the participants, together with artists Eva and Cosmin, and the audience will share the stage dancing together. For more information please click here.

“Game of Life is an intersection of dance, moments of mindfulness, touch and distance and maybe more. You decide to participate or not, to move or not, to connect to the other or not, to touch or not… Over the course of an hour and a half, an intensity of the temperature of connection between the participants is released that becomes palpable. Even as a witness, you feel it. Above all, a thought is transmitted: we are so alone and, at the same time, so connected to each other. If I had to enclose what I saw under a few anchor words, they would be: openness, candor, curiosity, longing. In the truest sense of the word, it is a performance about the other, about the inclusions and exclusivities in our lives, about the way we see ourselves and others, about invisible barriers in relationships and about the intense need to overcome them. The performance is also an invitation to the viewer to create their own story, one in which loss and love, meeting and parting play out endlessly. Exactly like in life.” (Corina Șuteu, article for Magazine 22, July 

+16. Game of Life includes moments of interaction between performers and the audience and can generate moments with emotional impact. 

𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
concept & artistic direction: Cosmin Manolescu
choreography & performance: Eva Danciu, Cosmin Manolescu
with: Eva Danciu, Cosmin Manolescu and the participants to the workshop “Game of Life”
soundscape: Lala Misosniky
video: Ioana Buraga, Alina Ușurelu
object design: Maria Mandea
duration: aprox. 120 minute
produced by: Gabriela Tudor Foundation, in the frame of What’s Next – European platform for research and creation, cultural program co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund and European Union – Creative Europe. The project was developed during several residencies supported by AREAL, AgitLab & Improvise & Organise Association (2024), OM Choreographic Center Cluj-Napoca (2025). 

COSMIN MANOLESCU is a choreographer, designer of performative experience, community builder and
artistic director of Serial Paradise Company / Gabriela Tudor Foundation and co-director of AREAL, based in
Bucharest (RO). He is currently interested in cross-border cultural exchange, experiments and artistic
innovation, leading a series of international projects taking place across world, organising residencies
projects, teaching and coaching young artists across borders and creating projects that challenge the
artists and audience in Romania and beyond. Since 1997, Cosmin Manolescu played an important role in the
development of contemporary dance in Romania and in the creation of National Dance Centre Bucharest
(2004) and AREAL – space for choreographic development (since 2020).

photo credit : Razvan Precup

a lecture-performance by Giselda Ranieri (IT)

20 February, 19:00 

I SCREAM – Performative Methodology is the final presentation of a three-week residency in Bucharest. This event will take the form of a lecture-performance, where Italian choreographer Giselda Ranieri will share her artistic research on the relationship between body and voice within the spectrum of laughter and crying. Through a combination of videos, images, and live performative demonstrations, she will illustrate her technique and methodology, offering the audience an immersive experience into her creative process. This evening is not just a presentation but an invitation to witness and engage with a practice that explores the fluidity of emotional states, the plasticity of the body-voice, and the transformative power of movement. 

The lecture-performance is free of charge, all people interested should book their place by making a reservation by email at areal@arealcolectiv.ro or WhatsApp number 0722.322.366

Giselda Ranieri is an eclectic and expressive dancer and choreographer specialised in Multimedia Production/Live Performing Arts and instant composition. Her creations often play between real/ fake autobiography with irony on live and digital stages. In Italy, she received support from different festivals, National theatres, MIBAC and she is Associate Artist at Gruppo E-Motion. She studied MA Performing Arts and Dance at DAMS in the historical Alma Mater Studiorum University (Bologna). Since 2010 she collaborates as dancer with ALDES/ Roberto Castello. She collaborates with Cosmin Manulescu for the triennial european project EMOTIONAL Rethinking Dance and the piece Fragile that toured in Europe and United States. Interested in public spaces project she co-created the participatory HO(ME) with the ItalianTunisian collective Corps Citoyen and her instant composed dance and music based project BLIND DATE toured in venues like Galleria degli Uffizi (Florence). She teaches in academies and institutions such as, Brera (Milan), Alma Artis Academy (Pisa), Accademia Nazionale di Roma, Balletto di Roma, CCNN Nantes. She is interested in embodied memories, poetry of gesture and real/fake autobiography. In December 2024, her last dance and voice production duet ICE_SCREAM premiered in Rome at Teatri di Vetro Festival. This production deepens Ranieri’s interest in an integration of the body, voice and the emotional in dance art and performance practice. https://giseldaranieri.com

The lecture-performance I SCREAM is organised part of the AREAL residencies 2025, offered in partnership by AREAL and Italian Cultural Institute Bucharest in the frame of the project European Choreographic AREAL, project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The programme does not necessarily represent the standpoint of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN cannot be held liable for the content of the programme or the manner in which the outcomes of the programme may be used. These shall devolve entirely on the beneficiary of the financing. 

The I SCREAM residency in Bucharest is organised with the financial support of Cultures Moves Europen, program co-funded by European Union. This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union. 

with the participation of: Adora Tănăse, Alexandra Petcu, Alexandra Alina Popa, Alina Tofan, Alis Nina,  Andreea Ionela, Ana Maria Cononovici, Catalin Munteanu, Catrina Prager, Catrinel Teodora Lazar, Cristina Antochi, Diana Bratu, Diana Zavalaș, Eliza Marin, Maia Axinte, Raluca Nancu, Sara Ciolpan, Octavian Preda

What brings us together? 
How do bodies meet?
What drives us beyond the body?

Vibrant center of our sensory experience, the body responds to the environment and is shaped by it, weaving a unique intelligence. Treasure chest of personal memory that intertwines with the collective one is a kaleidoscope of lived moments revealed through the dance.

The two Italian choreographers – Maruska Ronchi & Ilaria Verga – will present a restitution of the creative process of a collective and participatory creation with a group of 18 people with different ages, genders, and background in the frame of an artistic residency AREAL 2024. The residency Corpo Vivo, who took place in Bucharest between November 2-14, will end with a informal presentation & performance on 15 November, 19.00 at the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, Aleea Alexandru street 41. The participation to the performance is free of charge, reservation is compulsory, please book your place at email areal@arealcolectiv.ro.

Corpo Vivo | Corp Viu is a research project supported by AREAL in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest in the frame of AREAL Residencies 2024, project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN cannot be held liable for the content of the programme or the manner in which the outcomes of the programme may be used. These shall devolve entirely on the beneficiary of the financing.

Part of the AREAL Residency 2024 programme, two Italian Artists Maruska Ronchi and Ilaria Vergani, will offer a dance workshop & performance experience to a group of 10-12 people based in Bucharest for a collective and participatory creative process on the theme “What brings us together”. The aim of this workshop is to create a dynamic and collaborative space where Romanian participants work together to explore the theme and develop new artistic ideas and choreographies. The most important will be the process that will be shared step by step with all participants, and it will end a site-specific performance presented at the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest as a final presentation of the Corpo Vivo residency.

What brings bodies together? What collective needs do we have today and how can we raise awareness in our bodies? What physical forces are we subject to, time, gravity? What anthropological, cultural and social forces are we subject to? How do these forces affect us and change our bodies? How can we return to the “wild” within us to liberate, transform, unite? How is the nervous system of an adult who lived through the 90s in Romania different from a teenager today who spends a lot of time on social media, how does she react to movement, how do her archetypes influence her? What can we learn from different bodies/biographies? In this era of hyper globalization which constantly contradicts itself on the question of identity and borders where the need to belong is of purely economic interest, it is interesting to return to the wild/body to distinguish what truly brings us together and unites us from those instincts finally imposed by the system.

The body is the primary element through which we interact with the world, serving as the centre of our perceptual experience. The body (leib) as a living body is the body that responds to experience and is shaped by it. It possesses its own intelligence, a personal memory, but also a collective one. The body is like a treasure chest of memories that can be opened through movement and dance. In an increasingly complex society, where an overwhelming multitude of information travels at the speed of light, taking a step back, pausing, lingering, withdrawing, contemplating, and listening to oneself can be a revolutionary act. (Maruska & Ilaria).

FACILITATORS

The two facilitators of the workshop – Maruska Ronchi and Ilaria Vergani – are experienced professional dancers and choreographer based in Italy who will guide the creative process, offers technical suggestions, and help to maintain a collaborative and respectful environment. They may also provide specific tools and techniques to enhance the participants’ skills and facilitate the creative process. The workshop fosters a strong sense of community and mutual support. Sharing ideas and being open to others’ opinions are essential for the success of collective creation. Each participant is encouraged to contribute actively and support their peers. The workshop will take place in English. 

PARTICIPANTS & REGISTRATION

We are looking for a diverse group of 10-12 people with different ages, gender, ethnicities, and experiences. The project is open to artists, dancers, movers, actors, as well as people with any kind of experience. We are looking for people interested in a creative process. If you are looking for an inspiring and transformative experience that encourages collaboration and experimentation, leading to the creation of new and original dance works, this workshop is for you. Please register to the email areal@arealcolectiv.ro by October 25 with a short letter of interest mentioning age, profession and interest. If you have questions, please contact Cosmin Manolescu at cosmin@arealcolectiv.ro.

All participants should be available for the whole duration of the workshop as follows

Saturday 2 November, Sunday 3 November | 11h-17h00 with lunch break (1h), AREAL space 

Friday 8 November | 18.00 – 21.00, AREAL space 

Saturday 9 November and Sunday 10 November – – AREAL space | 11h-17h00 with lunch break (1h), AREAL space 

Wednesday 13 November & Thursday 14 November – rehearsals (time will be agreed later) – Italian Cultural Institute

Friday 15 November – final site-specific performance | 18 – 21 – Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest

Corpo Vivo workshop & final performance are part of the two-week AREAL residency 2024 offered to Italian choreographers Maruska Ronchi and Ilaria Vergani, jointly co-organised by AREAL and Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, cultural project co-funded by Administration of National Cultural Fund. The programme does not necessarily represent the standpoint of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN cannot be held liable for the content of the programme or the manner in which the outcomes of the programme may be used. These shall devolve entirely on the beneficiary of the financing.

photos : Paolo Gabrieli

Are you an Italian dance artist looking for a residency opportunity? Do you need space and financial support for exploring your ideas/project ? Do you want to enjoy the experience of a creative two-week residency in Bucharest in the AREAL space in November 2024? 

AREAL – space for choreographic development in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest are launching this spring a call for projects for a two weeks dance residency to take place in November 2024 in Bucharest.  This new residency-pilot is a follow-up and development of an exchange residency project with AREAREA dance company based in Udine (2023).The residency, which will be organised every year for the period 2024-2026, is aiming to enhance the collaboration between Romanian and Italian dance scene.

For this pilot-residency, AREAL will offer a dance studio (6 hours/daily) and an artistic fee of 1000 Euro (gross amount) for a project including two Italian artists. Flight tickets (up to 300 Euro/person), free accommodation in two rooms and a per diem of 20 Euro/person/day will be covered by the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, while the Italian artists applying will be in charge of their medical insurance and any production costs. 

The residency will take place between 1- 16 November, 2024 (arrival and departure days) and will end with a public presentation schedule on November 15, 19 PM at the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest. During the residency, the artist(s) are invited to lead a workshop addressed to the general audience based on the themes of their project 

The selection of the project and the artists will be based on an application folder which should include: 

• a letter of interest in English language
• a short presentation of the project and the workshop proposed for the Romanian community with bios included of the artists;
• two photos for the artists (portrait and dance photos)
• video links of previous artistic works and if possibile, a portfolio or press files.

Deadline for submissions: May 31, 2024.

Applications should be sent to areal@arealcolectiv.ro with the subject “AREAL Il corpo residency 2024” in a drive link or via wetransfer.ro (maximum 10 MG). The selection results will be announced by the end of June 2024. For more information please contact Cosmin Manolescu, cosmin@arealcolectiv.ro, project coordinator of the residency. 

The selection criterias for this residency are artistic quality of the proposed project, connection to the general theme of the residency programme – the Body/il corpo and type of performativity proposed and the approach in addressing the general public. 

Research or productions residency are welcomed but no stage and lighting possibilities will be provided for the final presentation in Bucharest. The call is open only to Italian artists living in Italy or abroad. The selection of the participants will be made by Valentina De Piante – co-director AREAL and Laura Napolitano, Director Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest. 

The dance residency offered by AREAL is part of the project “2024 AREAL Residencies”, a cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.  The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the programme or the way the results of the programme will be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

AREAL

AREAL | space for choreographic development is an artists’ run space open to research and collaboration, which supports artistic creation, professional development and the dialogue between dancemakers, public and the contemporary dance scene. The space has two studios, one accommodation room, two bathrooms, a lounge and a kitchen creates contexts. AREAL provides resources and supports the mobility of professional dancemakers with a view to the development of contemporary dance locally and internationally. Annually AREAL organises 2-5 dance residencies for the Romanian and international artists. The artistic coordination of AREAL studio is undertaken by an artistic board composed of choreographers Alexandra Bălășoiu, Cristina Lilienfeld, Cosmin Manolescu and Valentina De Piante. Since 2021 AREAL is a member of European Dancehouse Network. 

Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest 

Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest – IIC Bucarest is the official body of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the promotion of Italian language and culture in Romania. The main activities of the IIC include the organization and support of cultural events – exhibitions, conferences and lectures, concerts, film screenings, theatrical and dance performances -, in collaboration with local institutions; the organisation of Italian language courses; the incentives to publish Italian books; the organisation of the official Italian Qualification exams.

* * * * *

Bando per progetti – Residenza Il Corpo 2024

Sei un artista di danza italiano alla ricerca di un’opportunità di residenza? Hai bisogno di uno spazio e di un sostegno finanziario per esplorare le tue idee/progetti? Vuoi vivere l’esperienza di una residenza creativa di due settimane a Bucarest nello spazio AREAL nel mese di novembre 2024?

AREAL – spazio per lo sviluppo coreografico, in collaborazione con l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest, lancia questa primavera un invito a presentare progetti per una residenza di danza di due settimane che si terrà a Bucarest nel mese di novembre 2024.

Questa nuova residenza-pilota nasce come seguito di un progetto di scambio di residenze con la compagnia di danza AREAREA di Udine (2023). La residenza, che sarà organizzata ogni anno per il periodo 2024-2026, mira a rafforzare la collaborazione tra la scena della danza rumena e quella italiana.

Per questa residenza-pilota, AREAL offrirà uno studio di danza (6 ore al giorno) e un compenso artistico di 1000 euro (importo lordo) per un progetto che includa due artisti italiani. I biglietti aerei (fino a 300 euro/persona), l’alloggio gratuito in due camere e una diaria di 20 euro/persona/giorno saranno coperti dall’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest, mentre gli artisti italiani che si candidano saranno responsabili della loro assicurazione medica e di eventuali costi di produzione.

La residenza si svolgerà dal 1° al 16 novembre 2024 e si concluderà con una presentazione pubblica il 15 novembre alle ore 19 presso l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest. Durante la residenza, l’artista o gli artisti sono invitati a condurre un workshop rivolto al pubblico generale basato sui temi del loro progetto.

La selezione del progetto e degli artisti avverrà sulla base di un dossier di candidatura che dovrà includere:

• una lettera di interesse in lingua inglese
• una breve presentazione del progetto e del workshop proposto per la comunità rumena con le biografie degli artisti;
• due foto degli artisti (ritratto e foto di danza)
• link video di precedenti lavori artistici e un portfolio o file stampa.

Termine ultimo per la presentazione delle domande: 31 maggio 2024.

Le candidature devono essere inviate a areal@arealcolectiv.ro con l’oggetto “AREAL Il corpo residenza 2024” in un link drive o tramite wetransfer.ro (massimo 10 MG). I risultati della selezione saranno annunciati entro la fine di giugno 2024. Per ulteriori informazioni contattare Cosmin Manolescu, cosmin@arealcolectiv.ro, coordinatore del progetto di residenza.

I criteri di selezione per questa residenza sono: qualità artistica del progetto proposto, connessione con il tema generale del programma di residenza – il corpo/il corpo – in quanto, il tipo di performatività proposta e l’approccio nel rivolgersi al pubblico.

Sono ammesse residenze di ricerca o di produzione, ma per la presentazione finale a Bucarest non e’ previsto uno spazio con palcoscenico o luci. Il bando è aperto solo ad artisti italiani residenti in Italia o all’estero. La selezione dei partecipanti sarà effettuata da Valentina De Piante – co-direttrice di AREAL e da Laura Napolitano, direttrice dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest.

La residenza di danza offerta da AREAL fa parte del progetto “Residenze AREAL 2024”, un progetto culturale co-finanziato dall’Amministrazione del Fondo Culturale Nazionale romeno. Il progetto non rappresenta necessariamente la posizione dell’Amministrazione del Fondo Culturale Nazionale. L’AFCN non è responsabile del contenuto del programma o del modo in cui i risultati del programma saranno utilizzati. Questi sono interamente di responsabilità del beneficiario del finanziamento.

AREAL

AREAL | spazio per lo sviluppo coreografico è uno spazio gestito da artisti, aperto alla ricerca e alla collaborazione, che sostiene la creazione artistica, lo sviluppo professionale e il dialogo tra i danzatori, il pubblico e la scena della danza contemporanea. Lo spazio dispone di due studi, una camera di alloggio, due bagni, un salone e una cucina. AREAL fornisce risorse e sostiene la mobilità dei danzatori professionisti nell’ottica dello sviluppo della danza contemporanea a livello locale e internazionale. Annualmente AREAL organizza 2-5 residenze di danza per artisti rumeni e internazionali. Il coordinamento artistico di AREAL studio è affidato a un comitato artistico composto dai coreografi Alexandra Bălășoiu, Cristina Lilienfeld, Cosmin Manolescu e Valentina De Piante. Dal 2021 AREAL è membro dell’European Dancehouse Network.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest

L’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bucarest – IIC Bucarest è l’organo ufficiale del Ministero degli Affari Esteri italiano per la promozione della lingua e della cultura italiana in Romania. Le principali attività dell’IIC comprendono l’organizzazione e il sostegno di eventi culturali – mostre, conferenze e lezioni, concerti, proiezioni di film, spettacoli teatrali e di danza -, in collaborazione con le istituzioni locali; l’organizzazione di corsi di lingua italiana; gli incentivi alla traduzione e pubblicazione di libri italiani; l’organizzazione degli esami ufficiali di certificazione della lingua italiana.

“Mental health, well-being, burnout and equity are very important subjects for the European contemporary dance scene, especially after the pandemic time and the recent war in Ukraine. For us, they will be triggers for larger conversations about how we envision the future and how we can imagine new models of collaboration and exchange, able to improve our dance ecosystem. We invite you to a lively reflection on our specific ways of inhabiting our body, creating and entering into dialogue. Beyond time and space, beyond the everyday fight for survival, there is a space of infinity, where borders are meaningless, struggles for power transform into smiles and contradictions cooperate. We will hold space for us to experience different perspectives, embodied practices and tools for working towards a better and (more) sustainable dance environment. 

We invited several producers and artists – Rarita Zbranca from Cluj-Napoca (who worked directly for the Culture for Health Report  – the last document with culture’s contribution to health and well-being for Europe), Paulina Maloy from Wroclaw (a practitioner who likes to spend time between developing new formats of residencies and gardening), Laurent Meheust  (the current co-president of EDN who will share with us connections between the EDNext project and the topics of the conference), Andreea Novac, Irina Marinescu and Alina Ușurelu (a collective of female artists who developed last year a research project about burnout), choreographer Simone Sandroni (who left after 7 years an established German dance company to freelance again), Paula Dunker (a physical queer activist, actress and singer), Ema Alexandrescu (a specialist in therapeutic photography interested in the relation between movement and inner stories) and our colleague Valentina de Piante (for which dance is a powerful cognitive, social and political tool), to be our guides in this exploration. 

We also invited several recent dance productions – the Lucky Dust collaboration project between Vera Mantero, Mădălina Dan and Ștefania Ferchedău, where history becomes movement, A matter of time,  the very recent premiere of Timișoara’s emerging choreographer Alexandra Gîrbea or BLOT – Body Line of Thought, the joint collaboration between Romanian dance maker Simona Deaconescu and Vanessa Goodman from Canada in a special performance about bacterias, just to name some of the highlights.  

We hope that you’ll have plenty of opportunities for networking and discovering the rich and dense cultural programme offered by the city of light – Timișoara, the European Capital of Culture in 2023. We thank you all for coming to Timișoara for our conference to celebrate and together think and re-imagine the future of dance! 

(Alexandra Bălășoiu & Cosmin Manolescu, curators of Dancing from Burnout towards Equity Conference)

The European Capital of Culture is a continuous process, giving us a new set of reasons to showcase collaborations between European and local artists or performers. The cultural year is marked by festive events and peaks of celebration. Through the innovative cultural program prepared for the year 2023, the transformative journey is mapped around three main territories: People – the essence of the community, from their daily habits and forgotten dreams, to their collective joys and challenges; Places – Reclaiming people’s right to the city, engaging residents in more balanced and just urban development; Connections – People of Timișoara, Romania and Europe – all together and allowing the city to share and evolve. 

At the core of this programming architecture stands The Power Station platform, which  becomes a central point for the capacity building of the local ecosystem, acting as the main drive for the development of the cultural programme and a legacy structure of the European Capital of Culture. Partnering with the European Dancehouse Network and AREAL on this important topic of how culture is an integral part in our well-being and health, contributes to the efforts of the awareness raising and continuous dialogue on this topic, anchoring the debate in the local context of the city of Timișoara and bringing in international and national experts’ views. 

(Raluca Iacob, Power Station Coordinator) 

If you want to participate to the conference please register here.

PROGRAMME OF THE CONFERENCE

THURSDAY JUNE 29 

09.30  |  Burning through desire – artist trip with Alexandra Balășoiu

check in and departure from Hotel Perla | address: 9, Protop George Dragomir street

Alexandra Bălășoiu proposes an experiential journey, accompanied by her artistic practices and performative fragments from her solo creations. We look, we discuss, we ask, we try. We listen to what is already there, we discover what arises, and we illuminate our present. We question the boundaries, differentiation and labeling of the individual in the system.

between me and the other there is an infinite space that I forget to inhabit with non-action. 

i – you – he – she – we – you – they. we may all  be equally irrelevant and extremely important. by delving honestly into the depths of our own being, we become capable of validating the depth of the eye that looks at us.

Corneliu Mikloși Public Transport Museum

11.00 |  Conference – Dancing from Burnout towards Well-being (I) 

Introduced and moderated by Cosmin Manolescu, AREAL (RO)

Art & well-being 

by Rarița Zbranca, Cluj Cultural Center (RO) 

Rarița Zbranca has extensive experience in arts management, curating, cultural research and advocacy. She is the Programme Director of the Cluj Cultural Centre, where she initiated, among others, the Inner Space programme, an international cross-sector initiative on arts and well-being, including an annual conference, pilot interventions, research projects and policy proposals on the topics of art, health and well-being. She contributed to the CultureForHealth report and coordinated the development of the cultural strategy of the city of Cluj (2006-2012, 2013-2020, 2020-2030). She is a co-founder of the AltArt Foundation, an organization dedicated to experimental approaches in art, technology and society and a co-founder of the Paintbrush Factory/Fabrica de Pensule, a collective space for contemporary arts operating in Cluj between 2008 and 2020.

Burn out? How responsible are cultural organizations and what can we do in our daily work? 

by Paulina Maloy, Wroclaw Institute of Culture (PL)

Paulina Maloy – graduated from international relations at Nicolas Copernicus University in Torun (PL). After studies lived and worked for international organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, later in Berlin. Since 2008 was a program director at Edith Stein House in Wrocław – Center for Intercultural Dialogue; since 2015 involved in preparation and implementation of European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016. She coordinated international projects for artists and cultural operators, mainly mobility grants and AIR WRO residency program (initiated 2014). Since 2022 AIR WRO has been a partner of Magic Carpets European Platform. She likes gardens, gardening and train journeys.

Why, how and when burnout arrives in our dance field

by Laurent Meheust, Le Gymnase (FR) 

A philosopher by training, Laurent Meheust got involved very early in the world of culture and specialized in supporting artists for the theater and contemporary music at first, before devoting himself fully to dance. In 2008, he took part in the project of KLAP Maison pour la danse (Marseille / France), working to establish its status in local, national and international professional networks; He developed the artistic residencies and the programme of the annual festivals. He joined the Board of directors of EDN / European Dancehouse Network in 2018, was the President in charge between 2019 and 2022, and became Co-President in 2022. The same year he was appointed director of Le Gymnase CDCN (Roubaix / France), and developed an international project connecting to the residencies program and the 2 annual festivals – Forever Young and Le Grand Bain – in different cities and theaters in les Hauts-de-France.

12.00 Coffee break 

12:30 – 13.30 | Several points of view, some laughter and then rest 

workshop & discussion about burnout in dance with performative actions 

led by Andreea Novac, Alina Ușurelu, Irina Marinescu, Developing Art Association (RO) 

2022 marked the year when the three artists from Developing Art decided they wanted to do an artistic research on a thing that seemed to never really go away: burnout. Alina Ușurelu, Irina Marinescu și Andreea Novac each did a specific research, the findings of which they will share with you on this occasion. The three artists will guide you through a mix of theoretical and performing techniques that make use of dialogue, physicality and effort, energy and humor. The highlights of this experience stem from personal experiences and collective reflections.

14.00 – 15.00 Lunch provided by the conference 

15.00 – 16.00 | Moving Inner Stories

photo-movement workshop experience by Ema Alexandrescu & LUMENESC (RO)

Moving Inner Stories is an interweaving of creative therapeutic practices (conscious movement and photography), designed to guide us in a deep understanding of the inner mosaic we contain and how it shapes the reality we experience. We take a journey through movement, presence and feeling to explore the complexities of our stories. By building a bridge of communication between the seen and unseen worlds, we discover gentle and conscious movements that support self-knowledge without self-judgment. 

16.00 – 17.00 |  Check out – final discussion and reflection on dance, burnout and well-being

ARTISTIC PROGRAM 

FABER 

20.00 | Lucky Dust 

by Vera Mantero, Mădălina Dan, Ștefania Ferchedău

coproduction The Institute of the Present & O Rumo do Fumo 
event including live performance and film, approx. 90’

We can only observe the past. In each and every moment the present we are inhabiting becomes the past for somebody else. How is history becoming movement, how is a theme or an interest becoming movement, what can be uttered through movement and what procedures to use are the issues at the core of the “Lucky Dust” piece.“Lucky Dust” is triggered by a selection of writings and performances of the Portuguese choreographer Vera Mantero, dating mainly from the late 1980s and the 1990s, together with recent texts written during the working process in 2022 and 2023. 

Based on an idea, practices, and writings by: Vera Mantero / Concept & direction: Ștefania Ferchedău / Choreography & performance: Mădălina Dan and Vera Mantero / Set design elements: Andrei Dinu / Producer: The Institute of the Present / Co-producer: O Rumo do Fumo / Funders: The project is part of the national cultural programme “Timișoara—European Capital of Culture in the year 2023” and is funded by the City of Timișoara through the Center for Projects. Cultural project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. 

Corneliu Mikloși Public Transport Museum

22.00 | Connecting Pleasures, 55’

Connecting Pleasures began as a subjective investigation of pleasure-as perceived by each individual. Interviewing different people, I collected ideas that I juggled throughout the process, rather letting the bodies take in and process the information. The performance is a personal viewpoint of the performers and should be assimilated as such.

with: Oana Antonovici, Elizabeth Cron, Raul Lăzărescu, Beatrice Tudor 

music: Ovidiu Zimcea

video: Cristian Văduva

costume: Maria Dombrov 

performance by Unfold Motion Timișoara

cultural project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. 

FRIDAY 30 JUNE 2023

FABER

10.00 |  Waves of potentiality – Check in & warm up with Valentina De Piante (RO/IT)

Valentina de Piante is an adaptive trainer, as Barba would say, somebody in between the Orient and Occident, a person who studies the body through different technologies alongside with the mind and whom observes which effects produces this process on creativity, language, intuitions, new forms of thinking and art. In her warm-up Valentina proposes to create wellness. Through the Feldenkrais method she loves to guide  people to expand the potential of the mind by paying attention to their bodies and to become fearless. She believes that learning develops through quantum leap, exactly as the children learn. She loves to generate a sense of power and freedom working with sounds, with the tongue and then speaking about the experience 48 hours later.

11.00 | Dancing from Burnout towards Equity (II) – conversation about equity in the european dance scene moderated by Alexandra Bălășoiu 

Quantum mind 

by Valentina De Piante, choreographer & co-director, AREAL

Valentina De Piante’s latest research dimensions are the link between neuroscience and corporeality and the connection between imaginative methods and performance. Through shows, workshops, interdisciplinary projects in schools and embodied lectures, she explores the field. All her projects are part of an ample discourse about consciousness, seen through manifold fields. Her Ph.D. thesis, S.O.M.A and artistic creations, aims to achieve the redefinition of cognition, creativity and human potential, especially by drawing attention towards the moving body and its connection to the corporal, familial and public space. To further amplify her research activity, she also hosts conferences that bring guests from all types of backgrounds, calling into question the body-education and the art-science-performative language connection.  In 2016 she was selected to be one of the [8:tension] choreographers. In 2020 she received the CNDB prize as an independent artist. In  2021 she published her first book: Body of Knowledge. She is a lecturer and professor at the National University of Theatre and Film I.L.Caragiale, in Bucharest, practitioner of the Feldenkrais method®.  (RO/IT)

Art as a solution. From centrifugal to centripetal 

by Simone Sandroni, choreographer (DE)

Born in Italy he was a founding member of the Ultima Vez group in Brussels in 1987 and worked with Wim Vandekeybus’ company until the end of 1992 before founding his own group, Ernesto, in Brussels in 1993, and choreographing his first works.  Three years later he called the Déjà Donné company to life in Prague, with whom he enjoyed international success – their productions were seen in more than 30 countries winning awards including »Best Production« at the Na Hranici Festival, Best Dance Mise-en-scene of the Year Award in Prague and the Total Theatre Award in Edinburgh. In 2007 he started working regularly with the Bayerische Staatsballett and Bayerische Youth Ballet in Munich. From 2015 till 2022 was the head of the dance department at the Stadttheater Bielefeld in Germany. 

This is a lot, but there’s more & more is more 

artistic intervention by Paula Dunker, physical queer activist, actress, writer (RO)

Paul Paula Dunker promises that her (artistic) work is based on the analysis of the systems of representation, production and creation. She mostly works with the body. Romanian contemporary dance’s daughter, sister of the local political theater, mother in the Bucharest queer clubbing scene, she is (together with Alex Bălă) the initiator of the techno-faggothique music genre. Confronting existing patterns, she helps build up possible new worlds and heal this one.

Corneliu Mikloși Public Transport Museum

12.00 – 18.00  | Agency of Touch 

one to one tactile choreography by Mădălina Dan – 40’ each session

The Agency of Touch – one on one tactile choreography is a social intervention based on touch, bodily/ sensorial awareness and connectivity as a vehicle for communication and research within different social, cultural, economic, medical contexts.  The work consists in one – on – one tactile sessions happening on the body of the receiver.  “The Agency of Touch” is a sensorial/tactile work. In this approach the participant becomes the spectator of their own sensations. 

As a procedure, the participant is invited in a quiet and intimate space, in the decor of the Agency of Touch – a scenography created especially for the work, in a pleasant atmosphere, lies down on a massage table and keeps the eyes closed during the session. Touching is done with the hands and is accompanied by a sound background. The work then proposes a path of conscious integration, in which, after the tactile experience, the participant does an exercise of remembering and transposing the touch into drawing, color, shape, words and verbal guidance. All the drawings and maps are then collected one by one on a wall in the space where the installation takes place. A reflective notebook is also available for participants to write down impressions and thoughts. 

This long-term research aims to be materialized and framed as a symbolic Agency, the Agency of Touch, a space that will run as a public agency and/or will be temporarily installed in different institutions, social centers that are already providing social services (migration centers, integration and refugee centers, old people’s homes etc, working environments). The Agency stands for its soft, sensorial, sensible implicit politics. This practice brings empowerment to a non-sexualized, non-fetishized female touch precisely from its feminine representational place.

Available only by registration, only 8 slots available

12.30 – 13.00 | Check out and final discussion about equity 

moderated by Alexandra Bălășoiu and Cosmin Manolescu

13.00 – 14.00  Lunch provided by the conference at Miklosi Museum

14.00  | EDN Encounter (only for EDN Encounters and Romanian artists and producers)

Networking and informal exchange with representatives of dance development organizations

EDN Encounter is a visitors programme for representatives of dance development organizations to meet, share and network, embracing a model of intercultural dialogue and collaboration beyond EDN membership. In this session, EDN invites all representatives of dance development organizations to get to know EDN and some of its members better and to have casual space and time to network and exchange.

16.00 – 17.30 | Equity in the Romanian dance scene 

Romanian dance networking event co-organised with the National Dance Center in Bucharest

only for Romanian participants, Romanian language

How can we make sense of a discussion about equity in contemporary dance in Romania, a country where the field is struggling for survival, where most artists have the dual role of creator – producer, and spaces dedicated to contemporary dance are mainly supported by the constant efforts of the artists?

What are the actions that we can take at the national community level to create effective systems of support, practice sharing and cross-promotion? What can we learn from international organizations and their operating systems, through a gaze that looks beyond the major incongruities between their position in national systems radically different in terms of development compared to those in Romania? How can we professionally place ourselves in an organic network that supports the individuals and organizations that build up the ecosystem of this artistic sector?

How can we move beyond competition and organic alliances, into a uniform and integrative logic of cooperation that can give a boost to the contemporary dance scene beyond the limit of survival and beyond the threshold of invisibility in mainstream environments? How can we translate to a national level the initiatives of education and cultural intervention, which we carry out punctually as organizations, within the various initiated projects that address vulnerable groups, disadvantaged areas, hospitals, schools, etc.?

These are the key questions proposed by Alexandra Bălășoiu which, along with the recent experiences of the National Dance Center of Bucharest in their attempts to coagulate the contemporary dance sector, will guide a collaborative experiential format of meeting and dialogue between artists, producers and professionals active in the Romanian contemporary dance scene.

ARTISTIC PROGRAM

FABER 

18:30  |  A Matter of Time

multimedia performance by Alexandra Gîrbea & Uțu Pascu

𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 is a performance about the encounter between matter and time, through music and dance, aiming to explore various notions of time through an experimental approach of generative and tactile music. Created live, in the presence of the audience, and through partially improvised compositions, the music will be translated into visuals through video projections.

Synchronisations, dynamics, tempo, rhythm, meter, cadence, accents, deceleration, acceleration, dilution, vibration, resonance, echo, repetition, distortion, tranquility, suspension – these are all common terms in music and dance that evoke thoughts of temporality and perception. Based on these concepts, the show challenges you to question How music and dance modify the perception of the space we occupy. What is the time of the other? What is the time of our bodies?  –

music: Uțu Pascu 

dance: Alexandra Gîrbea 

lights: Cristian Popescu

The show is brought in Timisoara at the initiative of choreographer Alexandra Gîrbea and is part of 𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐄 &𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐄 – a complex dance program developed by Noi Re-Creăm and Unfold Motion associations, included in the Cultural Programme Timisoara – “European Capital of Culture” (Timisoara 2023) and funded by the Municipality of Timișoara through the Timișoara Project Centre.

Corneliu Miklosi Public Transport Museum

20:30 |  Sculpting Space

by Oana Mureșan & OM Choreographic Studio Cluj-Napoca 

I sought a synthesis between the arts of stillness and the arts of movement. We wanted to see her acting in the dancer’s body, the only one capable of uniting sculpture and rhythm. I also looked for an exercise in modeling and traversing space, shapes drawn by body movements and immobility as an act. Starting from these thoughts, the performance “Sculpting Space” was born, which poses the problem of the relationship between the body, matter, the space in which it takes place, and the audience; each of these components having a well-defined role in understanding the entire act. 

What does the public leave behind after visiting a space? What endures after a performer’s act? What kind of thoughts, emotions, movements are preserved?

concept and choreography Oana Mureșan

performers Varga Hunor-József, Oana Mureșan

scenography Gábor Zsófi

muzica Domokos Előd

curator Georgia Țidorescu

produced by OM Studio Choreographic Cluj Napoca | 

co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund Romania 

22.00 |  BLOT – Body Line of Thought 

by Simona Deaconescu and Vanessa Goodman

42 minutes

BLOT explores movement in relation to the bacteria in our body. The show presents the body as an interconnected system, strong and fragile at the same time. Designed as a hybrid performance, a mix of conference and choreographic show, BLOT talks about similarities between humans and other animals, such as perspiration, smell, reproduction, physical exercise, and immunity. From micro to macro, the performance addresses how bacteria influence these processes and connect us with the planet.

concept and choreography: Simona Deaconescu, Vanessa Goodman

performers: Simona Dabija, Maria Luiza Dimulescu

artistic consultants Olivia Nițiș, Marta de Menezes

music Monocube

object design Ciprian Ciuclea, Paula Viitanen, Juan Carlos Aldazosa Bazua 

light design Marius Costache, Alexandros Raptis, James Proudfoot

assistant choreographer Georgeta Corca 

production Laura Trocan, Andreea Andrei

graphic design PRETTY/UGLY DESIGN

produced by TANGAJ COLLECTIVE, ACTION AT A DISTANCE, The National Center for Dance Bucharest | co-financed by THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NATIONAL CULTURAL FUND ROMANIA, CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ART | supported by Cultivamos Cultura, in the frame of Biofriction | presented by Left of Main, Plastic Orchid Factory 

23.00 | Closing party D.A.N.C.E TM with Kablat (music) & Andrei Cozlac (video) 

Dancing from Burnout towards Equity Conference is co-organised by AREAL | space for choreographic development and Centre for Projects Timișoara, in partnership with European Dancehouse Network, co-funded by the European Union,  part of a larger platform of performances, films, conferences and networking D.A.N.C.E™.

D.A.N.C.E™ | Dance.Artists.Network.Conference.Encounter is part of the program “Power Station” and is co-organised in the frame of the Programme “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023”, a project co-funded by the Municipality of Timișoara through the Center of Projects. 

D.A.N.C.E™ is a project co-funded by the Adminstration of the National Cultural Fund. Cultural project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the standpoint of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN cannot be held liable for the content of the project or the manner in which the outcomes of the project may be used. These shall devolve entirely on the beneficiary of the financing.

Are you a choreographer with an idea or an artistic project you want to develop?

Do you need space and financial support for exploring your ideas or materialising your project? 

Do you want to enjoy the experience of a creative residency in Bucharest in the AREAL space?

In the fall of 2023, AREAL is launching a new choreographic residency programme open for any interested dance maker from Romania and abroad. This new residency continues and develops the annual artist-in-residence programmes organized at AREAL between 2021-2022, in which Romanian choreographers Andreea Novac, Alexandra Mihaela Dancs, Alexandra Gîrbea (Timișoara) and Ursula Eagly (New York) have participated so far. AREAL will now open a new 3-week residency for the development of a national or international choreographic project, artistic research or production.  

For this residency, AREAL will offer the work-space (6 hours/day), an artistic fee of 4000 RON/person (for a maximum of 2 artists, approx. 900 Euro/brutto/person) and free accommodation (for one person or a couple) in the AREAL hosting space. The residency will take place between 9-29 October 2023. The artists are in charge of their travel to/from Bucharest, medical insurance, meals and any other production costs.

The selection of the project and artists will be based on an application folder which should include:  

• a letter of interest
• a short presentation of the project (minimum two A4 pages)
• artistic biography of the participating artist
• video links and portfolio/press file

Deadline for submissions: 15 August 2023. 

Applications should be sent to areal@arealcolectiv.ro with the subject “AREAL 2023 residency”. The selection results will be announced around the 15th of August 2023.

The selection criteria for this choreographic residency will be: artistic quality of the proposed project, connection to the general theme of the residency programme – Borders of the Body – as well as the type of performativity proposed and the approach in addressing the general public. Both Romanian and foreign artists can participate. During the residency, the selected artist(s) are invited to propose a workshop addressed to the general public, as well as to open their work process in a public event organized at the end of the residency. The selection of the participants will be made by the AREAL artists- Alexandra Bălășoiu, Cristina Lilienfeld, Cosmin Manolescu and Valentina De Piante. 

The dance residency offered by AREAL is part of the project “AREAL – space for artistic residencies”, a cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.  The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the programme or the way the results of the programme will be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

ABOUT AREAL

AREAL | space for choreographic development is an artists’ run space open to research and collaboration, which supports artistic creation, professional development and the dialogue between dancemakers, public and the contemporary dance scene. The space creates contexts, provides resources and supports the mobility of professional dancemakers with a view to the development of contemporary dance. The artistic coordination of the AREAL studio is undertaken by an artistic board composed of choreographers Alexandra Bălășoiu, Cristina Lilienfeld, Cosmin Manolescu and Valentina De Piante. Since 2021 AREAL is a member of European Dancehouse Network.

Taking place between June 29-30 2022, in Timișoara – the European Capital of Culture in 2023, the conference Dancing from Burnout towards Equity welcomes dance makers, cultural managers, and representatives of dance organisations in Europe or abroad aiming to create a space for conversation, exchange and networking around relevant post-pandemic topics. The participants will have the chance to explore the vibrant city of Timișoara and discover the Romanian contemporary dance scene through a dense programme of presentations, talks, new performances and premieres, video projections and free dance sessions. 

Registration is open here until May 10. For more information, please contact us at areal@arealcolectiv.ro.

The Conference is organised part of a larger D.A.N.C.E ™ | Dance. Artists. Network. Conference.Encounter organised in connexion with the General Assembly of the European Dance House Network, co-funded by the European Union,  part of the national cultural programme “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in the year 2023” funded by the City of Timișoara through the Center for Projects.