ADVOCATES OF DANCE

International Advocacy Meeting for Contemporary Dance

13 – 15 May, Red House Center for Culture and Debate

OPENING

with an international artistic action:

13 May, 5 pm, National Stadium “Vasil Levski”

 

ADVOCATES OF DANCE

 

WHY?

 

We, artists and cultural managers from the field of contemporary dance in six countries in South-East Europe (Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia), founders of Nomad Dance Academy – Balkan network for contemporary dance, have a message for you. 

In 2005 we founded Nomad Dance Academy network with the aim to stimulate the development of regional cultural cooperation on the Balkans. It was driven by the need to establish new links among individuals and organizations active in the field of theory, practice, critique and management in contemporary dance in order to foster education, professionalization and promotion of this field in our countries. We achieved a lot and we also learned a lot from our experience. 

In 2012 Nomad Dance Academy gathered in Skopje, Macedonia partners, supporters, decision-makers and a wider artistic community from the Balkans and its neighborhood to talk together, discuss and meet the possibilities for improvement of cultural policies, how they can ensure the sustainable development of the local scenes and enhance closer cooperation in the region and beyond. This was the beginning of NDA initiative Nomad Dance Advocates.

In order to continue these efforts, 

The Balkan network Nomad Dance Academy Balkan organize ADVOCATES OF DANCE – a second advocacy meeting for contemporary dance that will take place between 13th – 15th May 2015 in Sofia. 

 

WHY SOFIA?

The independent performing arts scene in Sofia has been developing intensively in the last decade and now it is in a crucial phase of establishing and renegotiating its position in national and local cultural policies. In the meeting we will share what was achieved in the field of contemporary dance as well as its urgent needs highlighting its role in contemporary culture and the importance of regional collaboration. 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

 “Advocates of  Dance” Sofia 2015 is a space for meeting and dialogue between experts working in the cultural field, decision-makers, politicians, cultural operators and contemporary dance artists from Bulgaria, the Balkans and Europe. 

Our message is:

Contemporary dance is one of the most vibrant and challenging arts fields in the Balkans. It contributes to the recognition of the Balkan contemporary performing arts around the world, but it also faces the threat of brain drain. Basic conditions and long-term support are lacking and therefore our most talented artists to countries offering better opportunities.

We need your support to maintain this dynamic sector and to make this Region one of the leaders on the European scene.

 

Therefore, we call for the  improvement of the instruments for development of contemporary dance on a local, national and regional level and improving the conditions for cultural collaboration and exchange on the Balkans by:

• securing permanent spaces for production, creation and presentation of contemporary dance and developing its audiences; 

• developing regional grants for collaboration in the sphere of contemporary dance that enable the exchange of experience, knowledge, productions and coproductions;

• fixing matching percentages for EU culture programmes

• enabling multiyear project based support on national and local level.

 

BECOME AN ADVOCATE OF DANCE!

Support the future of the independent contemporary dance artists and of the development of this art field!