The first prize of IFMC-2023 was awarded to the Center for Contemporary Choreography of Nadezhda Kashkan from Minsk
As noted by the chairman of the jury, ballet master-repetiteur of the ballet of the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus, Konstantin Kuznetsov, who has evaluated the works of Belarusian choreographers and dancers more than once, the level of the contestants is growing, and there is a trend towards increasing choreographic complexity.
– Compared to previous years, both the performance level and the level of the dancers have increased. It is evident that planned work is being done, and a foundation is being laid in the training of dancers. The old reflection, when everything on stage is slow, sad, and thoughtful, is, in my opinion, gradually fading away. This is understandable – time is accelerating.
The audience gets tired of watching long performances that last endlessly and without peaks. The era of mobile phones and high-speed internet dictates its own rules, and the trend is towards acceleration. We observed harsher rhythms, often extreme techniques, although it is not an end in itself, but a tool. And this is wonderful! – emphasized Konstantin Kuznetsov, who presented the first prize to the Center for Modern Choreography of Nadezhda Kashkan from Minsk.
Nadezhda has been practicing modern dance for seven years, and five years ago she created her own collective, which has won top awards at world and European dance championships.
– But those were small forms; this is the first time I've tackled a large one. The production "Loksar" is the story of a girl with dissociative disorder. Unfortunately, society pays more attention to physical ailments than mental ones. We wanted to emphasize this, to convey the complex inner world of a girl named Loksar. For me, this is my debut at IFMC. I am happy that it has been so highly appreciated, – shared Nadezhda.
Second place was awarded to the joint project of Yulia Kasabutskaia and Maria Izmer from Minsk for the composition "After" (choreographer Olga Labovkina). Third place went to the project by Pavel Luntsevich, also from Minsk, for the production "Voyager-1".
Dmitry Bezzubenko became the recipient of the Evgeny Panfilov Prize. The jury highly appreciated his work "Conjugation" performed by dancers from the contemporary dance workshop of the choreography department of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts.
Special prizes were awarded to Maria Isakova's project Hands from Gomel for the production "Nagori" and to Yulia Sulyak (Minsk State College of Arts) for the composition "Reinterpretation".
Their prizes were presented by the festival's general sponsor, Belvest company, and the IFMC directorate. The recipients were the Minsk dance company "Around 30" and Sabina Mozgovaya's project.
The audience had the opportunity to see the performances of the winners and prize-winners at the closing gala concert of the forum.
The spectacular final act of IFMC-23 was a performance by the favorite of the Vitebsk audience – the Perm Theatre "Ballet of Evgeny Panfilov". The troupe brought a performance from its golden fund – "Romeo and Juliet" based on the work of the same name by Shakespeare. Its premiere took place in November 1996. Evgeny Panfilov created the concept, choreography, staging, scenography, and costumes.
The ballet was shown on the Vitebsk stage more than twenty years ago, and the choreographer himself danced the role of the Nurse in it. The current production, recreated by the troupe, became a tribute to the talented choreographer and a gift to the festival.