Dear visitors, dance professionals, colleagues,
In spring 2009, the Slovenian dance festival Moving Cake (Gibanica) was taken over by a new Art Board composed of Goran Bogdanovski, Tamara Bračič Vidmar and Rok Vevar. The partners decided to entrust the festival, which was organised by the Exodos Institute from 2003 to 2009, to the Contemporary Dance Association. The new Art Board engaged in searching for ways to – through different Moving Cake programmes – implement some strategic moves in order to promote the development of contemporary dance in Slovenia. Our mandate expires with the organisation of this February’s platform.
In the last two and a half years, we have organised two dance platforms (Moving Cake 2011 and 2012), formed the Slovenian Dance Network with additional funds and, last year, organised a series of mini Moving Cake On Tour festivals (in Novo Mesto, Kranj, Nova Gorica, Koper and Ljubljana). In addition to dance performances, these festivals featured a number of art, work and educational events aimed at connecting local NGOs and public institutes in an initiative that might facilitate the flow of contemporary dance contents across Slovenia and allow various professionals of this art practice a higher degree of cohesion. Over the recent years, these various activities contributed to the revitalisation of the Contemporary Dance Association.
Over the last three or four years, we have witnessed a number of initiatives and activities in the field of Slovenian contemporary dance intended to ensure this art practice a systemic stability. The Art Board of Moving Cake not only took an active part in this process but initiated them on several occasions. It would definitely be a lot easier if our mandate took place in an economically and politically less turbulent period, but, at the same time, we believe that over the recent years we have managed to outline in the contemporary dance in Slovenia some symbolic territories for a systemic operation for this art practice; initiatives that are binding and will have to be – one way or another – realised in the future. Ahead of us, there is a series of art events and discussions, meetings and moments in which to review the last two years. There is a huge number of differences between the partners and protagonists in this field, which sometimes also results in a clash of opinions. The Art Board of Moving Cake firmly believes that we have to – in opposition to the current politics that call for unity – learn to work and live with differences. Indeed, some theoreticians and historians have maintained that contemporary dance is the art practice of democratic milieus and that the affirmation of differences is one of their characteristics.
At this year’s Moving Cake, the professional awards named after Ksenija Hribar, an important Slovenian dancer and teacher, will be granted for the first time by the Slovenian Contemporary Dance Association. Due to the fact that throughout the years in which Slovenian contemporary dance was taking important developmental steps the professional award by the Contemporary Dance Association didn’t yet exist, this year – in order to compensate at least a little bit for this loss – 13 awards will be granted in 11 different categories.
In addition, two Moving Cake festival awards will also be granted: the Best Performance Award selected by the audience and the Best Performance Award selected by the jury.
We wish the new Art Board that will be formed after Moving Cake 2013 successful work and persistence in the initiatives that will ensure contemporary dance in Slovenia a more creative and less stressful future, we wish the festival’s visitors a lot of aesthetic pleasures and mental challenges with this year’s programme, and we wish the professionals in the field of contemporary dance creativity in human-friendly conditions and the opportunity to make a decent living out of their work.
Moving Cake Art Board:
Tamara Bračič Vidmar, Goran Bogdanovski, Rok Vevar