Zala Dobovšek
Zala Dobovšek is a Slovenian dramaturg, theatre critic and theatrologist.
In 2009, she graduated from dramaturgy at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT), and also studied at the DAMU Theatre Faculty in Prague (Divadelní fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze).
In 2019, she completed her PhD at AGRFT (Performing Arts department) with the thesis Theatre and War: basic relations between performing arts and the wars in the area of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
She is assistant professor of dramaturgy and performing arts at AGRFT. In the 2017/2018 season, she was a member of the selection team for the Maribor Theatre Festival (Borštnikovo srečanje).
Bettina Masuch
Bettina Masuch (Artistic and Managing Director of the tanzhaus nrw Düsseldorf, Germany) after studying Applied Theatre Studies in Gießen, worked as a dramaturge at the Volksbühne in Berlin amongst others, where she collaborated in productions of Frank Castorf, Christoph Schlingensief and René Pollesch.
From 2003 to 2009 she was dance and performance curator at Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, and following posts as the artistic director of the Springdance Festival Utrecht and the artistic director of the Berlin dance festival Tanz im August, she has been the Artistic and Managing Director of the tanzhaus nrw in Düsseldorf since January 2014.
Benjamin Perchet
Benjamin Perchet (until reacently he was director of the Dublin Dance Festival, and on August 1, he became the artistic director of the Carlow Arts Festival) the was previously Deputy Programme Manager and Artistic Advisor for two major French institutions in Lyon: Maison de la Danse (since 2004) and Biennale de la Danse (since 2008).
In his roles in Lyon at Maison de la Danse and Biennale de la Danse he has embraced dance in all its forms, being loyal to the most important choreographers of the 20th century and highlighting young creators, while developing the international profile of these two institutions.
He has also been an Aerowaves Partner for France since 2012, a member of the specialist regional cultural affairs committee for dance at the French Ministry of Culture since 2011 and a board member of European Dancehouse Network (EDN) since 2009.
STATEMENT FROM THE SELECTION TEAM
The selection for the 10th Gibanica in 2021 reveals a varied and vibrant Slovenian contemporary scene. We hope this range of movements, topics and emotions will bring pleasure and encourage reflection on the times we live in.
A choreography of objects, drag, urban cultural influences, a reflexive city tour, a choreographic explosion or gestures of everyday’s life, intimate or historical testimonies: we cannot wait to gather together again in Ljubljana to celebrate in person the multi-faceted art of dance.
After a year of separation, we look with admiration to all the artists who submitted their applications, while theatres went dark, upcoming productions were cancelled, and future plans were thrown into disarray.
Our objective was to reflect the creativity and uniqueness of the artists in Slovenia and to highlight the most important work being made here at the moment.
The criteria we followed were excellence, eclecticism and audacity. Wide shot or close-up, the selection has been scrutinised through the lens of diversity, considering culture, gender, age, and style.
Zala Dobovšek, Bettina Masuch, Benjamin Perchet