For four vibrant days, Ljubljana, Rijeka, and Zagreb became the dynamic heart of contemporary dance in the Balkans.
The inaugural Moving Balkans Contemporary Dance Showcase proudly connected regional talent with international presenters, curators, and dance professionals. Nearly 200 participants took part in the event, featuring 10 powerful performances and 6 Dance Scape pitches from a diverse range of emerging and established artists across the Balkans. Mateusz Czekaj from the Dance Impresario Department (NIMiT) participated in this important gathering.
We’re thrilled to announce a significant collaboration milestone: Atanas Maev of the Derida Dance Center, a key organizer of Moving Balkans, is now a jury member for the Polish Dance Platform 2026. This marks a promising start for future cooperation between the National Institute of Music and Dance and Moving Balkans, aimed at promoting Polish dance in the Balkan region in the coming years.
The Moving Balkans Contemporary Dance Platform, established in early 2024, is a new and energetic collaboration of dance professionals from across the Balkans. Its core mission is to elevate contemporary dance in the region and boost its competitive standing within Europe. Through a strong regional partnership network, showcase festivals, artist mobility initiatives, workshops, co-creations, and capacity-building activities, the platform strives to empower dance professionals and highlight the vibrant and diverse dance scene thriving in the Balkans.
At the heart of the platform are esteemed international partners, each playing a crucial role in shaping the contemporary dance landscape in the region. These main partners include (in alphabetical order): Albania Dance Meeting (AL), Art Link Foundation (BG), Contemporary Dance Association Slovenia (SI), Croatian Cultural Center Rijeka (HR), Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance (HR), DAN.C.CE UNITIVA (GR), EN–KNAP Productions (SI), Interart Culture Center (MK), Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture (SI), The National Center for Dance Bucharest (RO), and Students’ Cultural Center Novi Sad (RS).
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