The panel discussion “Contemporary Dance Scene Twenty Years Later” took place on November 10th, 2023, starting at 7:00 PM at the “Plus” Gallery, Masarikova 5.
The panel was moderated by Dragana Stanisavljević and Tijana Malek, with distinguished guest speakers who responded and confirmed their participation:
- Ivana Milovanović – founder and editor-in-chief of the art dance magazine Orchestra and president of the Belgrade section of CID-UNESCO, a longtime member of the Association of Ballet Artists of Serbia.
- Prof. Dr. Snežana Arnautović Stjepanović – vice dean for teaching at the Belgrade Dance Institute in Belgrade.
- Nela Antonović – founder and representative of MIMART theater in Belgrade.
During the panel, the following topics were discussed:
- Establishment of DDT – Creative Center for Movement.
- Conditions at the time – how challenging it was to engage in contemporary dance two decades ago.
- Collaborations.
- Changes that have occurred in the meantime.
- Current state of the contemporary dance scene.
- Shared desires and visions for the future.
DDT – Creative Center for Movement is an independent theater troupe founded in 2003, focusing on researching, developing, and promoting contemporary dance. DDT-kcp simultaneously develops a project for a creative center for movement with the idea of educating and introducing young generations to the world of movement and contemporary dance. DDT-kcp’s productions include dance performances, choreodramas, performances and miniatures, children’s shows, workshops on dance techniques, video dance works, photography, and publications.
In Serbia, there are rarely discussions related to the history of contemporary dance. In November 2003, we came up with the idea to unite and establish the organization DDT – Creative Center for Movement (founders: D – Dragana Stanisavljević, D – Dubravka Subotić, T – Tijana Blagojević, now Malek). The circumstances at the beginning of this century were bizarre, with no possibility of progress, no possibility of education in the field of contemporary dance, but we had unprecedented enthusiasm. The ten-year embargo had a lasting impact, and even today, we can say that contemporary dance existed in its early stages, on the shoulders of a small number of individuals who fought for contemporary dance and new theatrical forms. The circumstances after the 1999 bombing were as follows: visas, waiting in lines to leave the country (even for a day), Europe and the world’s disinterest in helping Serbia, regardless of the political situation. Culture existed “in small doses,” without the internet providing information from the outside world, so without available information. The only thing we could rely on was the VideoDance festival in Belgrade, organized once a year by the French Cultural Center, the Festival of Choreographic Miniatures, also organized once a year by UBUS, and Orchestra magazine, the only one dealing with artistic dance in Serbia, which was one of the few windows to the world for us.
