From November 23 to 27, Vitebsk hosts the XXIX International Festival of Modern Choreography (IFMC)

At the first press conference on this occasion, the General Director of the Vitebsk Culture Center, Alexander Sidorenko, noted that tickets for all festival projects are already on sale at democratic prices, and now it's up to the audience.

— The program of this year's festival is extensive, the competitive component is impressive – people are coming from different countries of the world, with different perceptions of what is happening around, but with the hope of conveying their experiences and revelations to the audience in the language of dance and being understood by the Vitebsk audience. In addition, the poster promises a meeting with beloved troupes and world stars of contemporary choreography. The entire IFMC-2016 program gives me reason to believe that the festival has already been a success, — noted Alexander Sidorenko.

 

The main event of this year is the international contemporary choreography competition. Based on the results of the video round, which received applications from 68 dance companies, 35 contenders from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, China, Poland, and Sweden have been admitted to the competition by the expert council.

— There are many new names that we haven't heard of before, which is understandable, as contemporary choreography is getting younger. Another characteristic of this year's competition is the high level of choreographic education and the brilliant training of the participants. The competition promises to be stronger and larger than ever before – 10 blocks of the closed round. So, the jury will have an intellectual "load," and they will have to decide who among the contestants will reach the final on November 26, when the audience will be able to see the best competitive works, — said Marina Romanovskaya, Deputy General Director of the Vitebsk Culture Center for Special Projects, the mastermind and director of the festival.

At one time, the IFMC saw the emergence of the "Chinese Syndrome," when representatives of the Celestial Empire consistently took home the Grand Prix from Vitebsk. The participation of a Chinese soloist might heighten the intrigue, but it will certainly be present at the festival, as there are many other strong contenders for the main prize this year, believes Marina Romanovskaya.

The jury of the international competition will be headed by Professor Xiao Suhua of the Beijing Dance Academy, a choreographer and dance theorist, who is returning to Vitebsk after six years at the invitation of the organizers (as always, the Vitebsk Culture Center). It was not easy to "get" the renowned Chinese dance expert again, as he is in high demand and works on a tight schedule. However, Xiao Suhua retains pleasant memories of Vitebsk and has once again agreed to work at the IFMC – according to the master's admission, for the 50th international festival's judging panel.

The names of the IFMC-2016 competition laureates will be announced during the grand closing ceremony on November 27.

Over thirty years, the festival of contemporary choreography has acquired a traditional form but always remains fresh in its content, into which the organizers do not forget to inject a special touch. This time, after the opening concert and contestant presentations, a national-style party will take place. "We will invite a village orchestra, another village ensemble, I won't say which one yet, and together with participants from 20 countries, we will learn the Belarusian quadrille. We will also try to treat them to national cuisine dishes – sausages, draniki… We really want our guests to enrich themselves with the legends of Belarusian dance culture and embrace our traditions," shared Marina Romanovskaya.

For the Vitebsk audience, judging by the IFMC poster, an immersion into the context of world dance culture is offered. The festival in Vitebsk will be opened by Radu Poklitaru's premiere performance "Giselle" performed by the artists of "Kyiv Modern Ballet" – this is a large-scale production with excellent costumes and fantastic props, involving 32 artists. It is an interesting reflection by the choreographer, who managed to immerse the well-known libretto into the modern world. Belarus is the fifth country to which Radu Poklitaru brings his sold-out ballet (as part of the festival, on November 22, "Giselle" will also be presented in Minsk, at the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus).

France at IFMC will be represented by Compagnie Autre MiNa with the performance "AkhmatModi" by choreographer Mitya Fedotenko. The choreographer will tell the story of the love between Anna Akhmatova and Amedeo Modigliani through dance. IFMC fans are already familiar with the work of Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren from his pieces "Hospital" and "Dance Dedication to the Art of Football". This time, the audience will see a masterpiece created in the 1990s and shown in many countries on all continents – the choreographic production "There", dedicated to the theme of emigration (it is noteworthy that the author was deeply inspired by the experiences of people after the collapse of the Soviet Union, their emotional state after changing "scenery"; Jo Strømgren used Russian music for the soundtrack).

The festival also awaits its long-time friends – the Perm Theatre "Ballet of Evgeny Panfilov" with the premiere performances "She" staged by Alexey Rastorguev and "The Son of Mr. Pierrot from Vinci ('Mona Lisa')" by Moscow choreographer Sona Hovsepyan.

The festival will conclude on November 27 with the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, which will present in Vitebsk wonderful works by the renowned choreographer Jiří Kylián – "Six Dances" as an encore for the Vitebsk audience and, for the first time, the ballet "Petite Mort", which was recently staged at the theatre.

Nataliya KRUPITSA, "Vitbichi".