The 58th Bitef will be taking place from 25th September to 4th October under the slogan "Beauty Will (Not) Save the World". The main program will introduce the Belgrade audience to as many as 10 productions, hailing from Germany, France, Switzerland, Bolivia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.
The opening ceremony of this year's festival will feature the dance performance Mellowing by the Dance On Ensemble from Berlin, co-produced with Onassis Stegi from Greece and the National Choreographic Centre Rillieux-la-Pape from France, choreographed by Greek artist Christos Papadopoulos.
What sets this German company apart is that the dancers are all over forty. In this collaboration with Papadopoulos, their first mutual project, they explore the essence of the ensemble itself, posing the question of what it means to mature. How does the body mellow and change as it matures?
Eleven dancers gradually fill a clean, white space and, subtly shifting weight from one joint to another, accompanied by music composed by Italian-Greek composer Coti K. that resembles the ticking of a metronome, they explore the possibilities of human attention and concentration through a minimalist and almost meditative scenic expression.
Finally, the mellowing in Mellowing is precisely reflected in the subtly executed idea of individual rebellion through just barely noticeable disruptions of established limitations. Papadopoulos and the Dance On Ensemble explore moments that create a certain feeling of unrest, yet which also possess a kind of calming power, both for the bodies on stage and for those in the audience.
"It is a joy to watch these experienced and expressive dancers. In Mellowing they manage to keep the tension, to increase the intensity and to find freedom in the strict form", German daily Der Tagesspiegel reports. Portal Tanznetz.de comments on the lasting impression Papadopoulos and Dance On invoke with the audience: "The result of this finely choreographed performance is incredibly effective: a compelling pull is created that is almost impossible to resist."
The Dance On Ensemble has previously participated in the Bitef festival through a collaboration with choreographer Jan Martens. Their piece any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones shared the Mira Trailović Grand Prix at the 56th Bitef with Solo, performance by Nina Rajić Kranjac. Also, Martens received the Politika Award for the best director, their 44th annual recognition.
Patrons of the festival are the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia. General sponsor of the 58th Bitef is 1664 Blanc. Traditionally, the festival has received support from the Goethe Institut, Institut français and the EU Delegation. Partner and friend of the Bitef festival is the New Moment New Ideas Company, creative agency of the festival. Generali osiguranje Srbija, Erste Bank a.d. Novi Sad and Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia are once again partners of the festival.
