The International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk is planned to be held from November 23 to 27
Previously, the forum organizers were forced to cancel two festivals in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions. This year, Vitebsk is making an attempt to resume the IFMC, which will be the 33rd in a row.
"The main event of the festival is the international competition, which is held in even years. We are trying, no matter how difficult it may be, to hold this international competition. Participants pay for their travel themselves, all transfers, flight logistics are quite expensive. Nevertheless, 51 applications from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Armenia were submitted in our selection video tour. 22 collectives passed this stage, and they were invited to take further part in the competition. We hope that they will all come and perform on the Vitebsk stage. The finals will be held on Saturday, November 26," said Marina Romanovskaya.
According to her, for the first time, they want to bring the "Altai" collective from Barnaul to Vitebsk. This refers to the State Youth Theater of Song and Dance. The sophisticated viewer might think that the collective does not quite fit the festival format, but the organizers assure that this is not the case. The intrigue about what specific stories and performances the collective will bring is promised to be revealed in November.
With trepidation and excitement, the festival awaits the Perm Theater "Ballet of Evgeny Panfilov". Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of the death of its creator, a memorial evening dedicated to the maestro will be held at IFMC. A number of miniatures have been restored, as well as one of Evgeny Panfilov's ballets. In addition, a number of new works will be presented, one of which is the performance Libertad, dedicated to the work of the Latin American artist Frida Kahlo. The show promises to be spectacular.
"Since the festival's inception, many of the participating companies have been granted the status of state contemporary dance theaters. These include "Provincial Dances" from Yekaterinburg, and the "Kannon Dance" theater from St. Petersburg. I believe we will be able to present their work on our festival stage this year," said Marina Romanovskaya. - The play "Gaudi" will be presented on the drama theater stage.
The program of the International Festival of Contemporary Choreography will be complemented by exhibitions of painting and photography, master classes, and other meetings in various formats.