The grand opening of the XXIX International Festival of Modern Choreography (IFMC-2016) will take place today in Vitebsk, organizers informed a BELTA correspondent.
The grand opening of the XXIX International Festival of Modern Choreography (IFMC-2016) will take place today in Vitebsk, organizers informed a BELTA correspondent.
During the opening of the dance forum at the "Vitebsk" Concert Hall, participants of the international modern choreography competition will be presented, comprising 32 ensembles from European countries and China. The celebration will continue with the premiere of the ballet "Giselle" staged by Radu Poklitaru and performed by the "Kyiv Modern-Ballet" ensemble. The evening will conclude with a surprise – a "PARTY pa-belarusk" (Belarusian-style party) featuring Belarusian folk ensembles will be organized for the contestants and guests of the festival. In addition, practical masterclasses will commence today in Vitebsk, an exhibition of paintings "Music of Colour" by Vitebsk artist Oleg Kroshkin will open, and photo exhibitions "Human Landscapes" and "Experiments" by Minsk photographers Anna Moiseuk and Olga Rabetskaya will be presented.
The events will continue until November 27 and will be held at the "Vitebsk" Concert Hall and on the stage of the Kolas Theatre. The programme includes performances by leading dance ensembles from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, France, Sweden, Norway, and others. Several premieres will be presented at the festival. In addition to the aforementioned ballet "Giselle," the programme also features premieres of "AkhmatModi" performed by the French dance company Compagnie Autre MiNa, and "The Son of Mr. Pierrot from Vinci"/"Mona Lisa" by the Perm Theatre "Ballet of Evgeny Panfilov."
The key event of the festival is the modern choreography competition. This year, it is international (alternating with national). The competition is held in three rounds. It begins with the selection of applications based on submitted video materials. Ensembles that pass the selection come to Vitebsk, where an international jury, based on closed viewings, determines the finalists who then proceed to the final public round.
At the current festival, the final of the international competition will take place on November 26 on the stage of the Vitebsk Concert Hall. The award ceremony and the performance of the laureates will be held during the grand closing ceremony of the XXIX International Festival of Modern Choreography on November 27. The Grand Prix winner will receive $5,000, while the first, second, and third prize laureates will receive $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively. In addition, special prizes will be awarded at the festival: "For the Semantic Content of Dance", "Post Scriptum", and the Evgeny Panfilov Prize (each worth $1,000). After the awards have been presented, the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus will present the productions "Six Dances" and "Little Death" to the festival audience.
The founders of the festival are the Ministry of Culture of Belarus, the Vitebsk Regional and City Executive Committees, and the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, with the state institution "Vitebsk Culture Centre" acting as the organiser.