The opening of the International Festival of Modern Choreography took place in Vitebsk

Vitebsk is smiling and dancing again! The third week of November has arrived, bringing with it the magical holiday known as IFMC. On the evening of November 20th, the Vitebsk Concert Hall applauded the participants of the gala concert for the grand opening of the International Festival of Modern Choreography. This is the 26th edition of the festival.

At a press conference before the festival's opening, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, Boris Svetlov, noted that the Vitebsk festival is "in the trend of the development of world choreographic art." "We are not so much reflecting the trends themselves, but to a certain extent, we are trendsetters, defining new directions," he said.

It has also become a trend that Vitebsk is increasingly referred to as the "uncrowned cultural capital of Belarus." The Minister of Culture began his speech at the festival's opening ceremony with this compliment. He then wished IFMC to continue for "at least another quarter of a century" and presented diplomas of gratitude to the sponsors.

The chairman of the jury, the artistic director of the "Kyiv Modern-Ballet" contemporary choreography theater, Radu Poklitaru, was brief. Addressing the contestants who came out to bow to the audience, he said: "We all – the public, critics, and judges – expect a miracle from you. So give it to us! And we love you all in advance."

And one must think that the miracle will surely happen!

In the first part of the gala concert, festival fans were delighted by the "Ballet of Evgeny Panfilov" theater (Perm, Russia), the Street Jazz ballet (Moscow), the D.O.Z.SK.I contemporary choreography theater (Minsk), Arts Printing House (Vilnius, Lithuania), soloists from the Felix Parnell Ballet School (Łódź, Poland), and "Kyiv Modern-Ballet" (Ukraine).

In the second act, the audience enjoyed the renowned ballet "Six Dances" by Dutch choreographer Jiří Kylián, performed by soloists of the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus. It is set in the era of Mozart, but its plot is suitable for any contemporary theatre. Its backstage world: romances, betrayals, gossip, and rivalry are depicted in the production with sparkling wit and good humor. According to specialists, the fact that this world masterpiece has entered the repertoire of our Grand Theatre is an event for the entire country.

The main event of the festival remains the contemporary choreography competition. This year, it is national (held internationally in even-numbered years). Thirteen ensembles from the capital and all regional centers of the country have passed the preliminary selection. Initially, there were 22 applications, but the jury rejected 9 of them. On Saturday, November 23, during the competition performances, the audience will be able to see and compare how modern dance is performed in Minsk, Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev, and Brest.

The guest program will continue to surprise. Today, for example, the drama theatre stage will host "The Potato Eaters," a ballet dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, performed by the Moscow Theatre-Studio of Contemporary Choreography. Choreographer Ekaterina Kislova translated the enigmatic artist's painting of the same name from canvas to stage. And there will be sunflowers on stage too...

And, of course, there will be surprises from the favorites of the Vitebsk audience – the Panfilov troupe. The Perm artists have participated in the festival since its inception: first in the competition, and then in the special program. A special prize named after Evgeny Panfilov has been established at IFMC. This time, the Perm theatre brought the modern dance performances "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Cage for Parrots" to the Belarusian capital of dance.

The festival will conclude on November 24 with an awards ceremony. But before that, for three whole days, Vitebsk will be enchanted by a magical fairy tale of dance.