Miory Regional Executive Committee

The recent meeting at the Media Center of the Vitebsk Region was dedicated to a high art form that settled in Vitebsk more than thirty years ago and annually delights enthusiasts, residents, and guests of the city. It concerns the oldest forum in the post-Soviet space and one of the most prestigious in Europe – the International Festival of Modern Choreography, or IFMC.

– The festival is eagerly anticipated by both audiences and choreographers, as well as dancers. This is evident from the numerous applications received from troupes and the buzz at the ticket offices, – noted Gleb Lapitsky, General Director of the Vitebsk Culture Center.

Gleb Lapitsky also emphasized that IFMC draws attention to Vitebsk as a center for the development of elite art and proves that world-class projects can be implemented in our city.

What will this year's, the thirty-fourth in the series, festival look like? How will it delight and surprise lovers of modern dance? The creator of the project and the soul of IFMC – Deputy General Director for Special Projects of the Vitebsk Culture Center Marina Romanovskaya, spoke about this.

A national competition will take place this year. It is encouraging that in Belarus, the community of dancers has grown significantly in recent years and is increasingly making itself heard.

– More than 40 works were submitted for preliminary selection, and ultimately 25 remained, which demonstrated a worthy level. Some works pleasantly surprised us, for example, with a staging in the style of the theater of the absurd, – said Marina Romanovskaya.

In the guest program, BALLET MOSCOW will perform, presenting the results of a contemporary dance laboratory and the performance "All Roads Lead North", the Theater "Evgeny Panfilov Ballet" with two productions: "The Prince and the Pauper" and "Romeo and Juliet", the Contemporary Dance Theater "KANON DANCE" from St. Petersburg with the ballets "The Inexpressible Cube" and "Heartlessness", and the Belarusian State Youth Theatre with the performance "Contact. A Little Story About What Is Inside … And Everything". By the way, the latter was staged by Vitebsk choreographer Diana Yurchenko.

The jury, headed this year by soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus and People's Artist of Belarus Konstantin Kuznetsov, includes representatives from North Macedonia, Croatia, and Italy.

Traditionally, the festival program features master classes, lectures on contemporary art, presentations, press conferences, open discussions, as well as exhibitions: paintings by Alexander Solovyov and photographs by Igor Gusakov, who has been documenting the festival for 30 years. Notably, the photographs will be viewable even before reaching the "Vitebsk" concert hall, by sitting on the installed smart benches equipped with built-in panels.

XXXIV International Festival of Contemporary Choreography will take place from November 22 to 26, 2023. The main event of the IFMC will be the republican competition, which has registered 200 participants. The roster of contestants, international jury members, and the expert council includes representatives from ten countries worldwide.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by