Academician Katica Kjulavkova (Risima Risimkin and Ivana Vujic - behind)

Conference "Dance as an expression of cultural diversities" Macedonian Academy for Sciences and Arts, December 2007

List of participants:

1. Academician Cvetan Grozdanov, Macedonia . Historian of medieval and Byzantine art. Present President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as honorary member of the Serbian and the Bulgarian Academies of Sciences. Author of many referent scientific works from the sphere of visual art in the Balkans and in Macedonia.

"Elements of Rhythm and Dance in the Macedonian Medieval Art"

2. Academician Kata Kulavkova, Macedonia . Poet, theoretician of literature and professor of Theory of literature and Literary Hermeneutics. Chair of the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee of P.E.N. International. Author and editor of many theoretical and poetry works and anthologies.

"From Body to Culture, from the Dance of the Body to the Art of Dance"

Dance is a common, shared locus, an aesthetic vertical of the human civilization, a catharsic universalism. Both the art of the dance and the art of the word leave the impression that they are characteristic for every ind ividual. Dance is a transition from the unconscious play of the body towards a conscious coding of the beauty of the dance, according to the rules of Art. Dance is a transition from body to art, and since it is predisposed to unite the collective and to express the collective representations about the aesthetics of the bodily gesture - dance is culture.

3. Academician Georgi Stardelov, Macedonia . Professor of philosophy, specialist in aesthetics, philosophy/history of culture and sociology of art. He held the position of a President of the Macedonian P.E.N.-Center, Head of the Philosophers' Association of Macedonia and Yugoslavia and a visiting-professor at several European and North-American universities. Author of many scientific works, anthologies and translations.

"Philosophy of Dance"

4. Emica Dzipunova , Macedonia . Ballerina and a ballet critic, one of the founders of the ballet art in Macedonia. Author of two television series about the art of the ballet, as well as of many critiques. Co-author of many scientific publications.

"Dance as a Non-material Spiritual Heritage"

In all of the civilizations and cultures of the antiquity, the play/dance had an extremely important role in the political, the societal and the personal life of the people. The ritualistic sacred-magical and folk dances of the ancient civilizations could be observed through the different cultural contexts of these civilizations - such as the Indian/Hindu, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Ancient Greek, the Roman and the Byzantine. The dance occupied a central place in all of them, however with different dimensions characteristic for each cultural context.

5. Adam Darius, Finland. Ballet dancer, choreographer, and the greatest living mime artist. He is also an author of many written works and founder of his school, the Mime Center.

"The Role of Dance in Bridging Diverse Cultures "

In a world of conflicts, alienation and hostility, the dance as a wordless expression and a particular language manages to overcome all the barriers and to establish a particular type of communication and understanding. Through his personal experiences, the author was a witness of this spiritual connection of different people from diverse cultures precisely by the art of the movement. The dance is oblivious of boundaries and time and represents a universal manifestation of unity and love.

6. Sonja Zdravkovska - Dzeparovska, MA, Macedonia. She is part of the educational and pedagogical team at the School of Music and Dance in Skopje, where she teaches several ballet disciplines. She regularly cooperates with the Theatrical Institute at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. She is the author of a considerable number of academic works from the field of the dance.

"From the Meta-cultural Towards the Personal"

The substance of dance could be observed in three layers/levels: meta-cultural, cultural and personal. They can be analyzed by using the example of the most prominent Macedonian dance matrix - the folk dance "Teshkoto" ("the difficult one"). Each of these layers conveys different messages and meanings, but at the same time they are all complementary and coherent.

7. Helge Letonja , Germany . Dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director of the Steptext dance project. His numerous ensemble and solo productions were presented in Europe, USA, Canada, Israel and South America, receiving international awards as well. He is regularly teaching and is a jury member of the International Dance Platform.

"Dance as Expression of the Cultural Richness"

The dance on the stage also reveals the cultural background of the dancer. Thus, the contemporary dance lives the European model "United in Diversity" and often includes the cooperation with other art disciplines, such as music, film, applied arts and acting. Today dance plays an essential role in the international cultural dialogue. The individual acts/initiatives are those which build the bridge for artistic dialogue.

8. Goce Smilevski, Macedonia. Writer. His novel Conversation with Spinoza won the "Novel of the Year" Award and it has been translated in several languages (the most recent one being published by Northwestern University Press).

"Memory and Dance: the trilogy DIARIES by Risima Risimkin"

Yulia Kristeva suggests that while writing an autobiography, the woman renounces its most profound essence, because the autobiography is a genre which aims at revealing an ultimate truth - something which is typical for the male. The diaries, on the other hand, with the orientation towards the world of intimacy, are the opposite of the autobiography. The dance trilogy Diaries by Risima Risimkin is a look at the intimate world of Stravinsky, at that which is hiding on the opposite side of the excentric in Dali, and a look at the eternal axis of the history of the Macedonian people.

9. Iztok Kovac , Slovenia . Artistic director of EnKnapGroup (EKG) and EnKnap Productions, which was the fist to present the idea of institutionalization of contemporary dance in Slovenia. EKG is composed of a permanent professional dance company and an ensemble of young dancers.

"Contemporary Dance in Slovenia

10. Prof. Tatjana Petkovska, Macedonia. Member of the first generation and one of the founders of of the Macedonian ballet, later she held the position of a Headmaster and a professor at the Skopje Ballet and Music School. Until her retirement she also worked as a professor of scene movements and dances at the Theater of Dramatic Arts in Skopje. Author of several publication for dance and balet critiques.

"The Knitting Together of Cultures through Dance"

Although dance has been long questioned as a legitimate artistic discipline, the development of the art of the dance can be followed in continuity since the pre-historic times, through the performance art of the Ancient world, the folk dances until the final establishing of the ballet art in the 18 th and the 19 th centuries. The modern and the post-modern tendencies in the contemporary ballet choreography allow for a free bodily expression and reveal the entire historical heritage in the dance sphere.

11. Prof. Ivica Dzeparoski, PhD, Macedonia. Philosopher, aesthetics expert, poet and translator. He teaches aesthetics, history of aesthetics and theories of culture at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje. Author of many publications from the fields of aesthetics, cultural studies, as well as several books of original poetry and translations.

"Dance as Art in the System of the Fine Arts"

The long history of dance, as well as the attempts to be observed through the prism of the different theories of art, established the theories of the dance as: imitation (mimesis), form and expression. Each of these theories has had its own supporters and influences, but none of them is presently fully capable of interpreting the art of dance in its entirety, i.e. as it has been manifesting itself in our post-modern context. Hence, one could conclude that there are tendencies for theoretical reconsideration of the magical component of dance, as well as of its self-expressiveness and playfulness.

12. Prof. Ivana Vujic, Serbia. Director, professor at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, theoretician. She has worked as an Artistic director of many well-established theater festivals, such as BITEF, FIAT, etc. At the moment she is leading the Beton-hala Theater in Belgrade.

"The Spread Energy of the Different"

The dilation of energy as one of the basic notions of performance art. Dance as a generator of this dilated energy, the dance as an archetypal remembrance. The body of the dancer as a dilation of the territory for contacts/meetings.

13. Risima Risimkin, MA, Macedonia. Choreographer, professor at the European Film Academy ESRA. She is the author of many individual dance projects, as well as choreographies for theater plays. She has performed in many European cities. Artistic director of "Week of modern dance" for Ohrid summer festival (1996-2002) and DANC FEST SKOPJE. She was awarded the prize for Excellent achievements in the sphere of culture and art.

"Dance, History and Contemporary"

If we look through the window of history , without doubt we will encounter remembrance . Fragile, strong, it will lead us to the doorstep of the thoughts , which passing through the body are a contemplation, which reshapes the motion through the form of gesture, and then flows it out to the ether without any trace.

The dance, so simple in its pre-archaic form, contrary to what one would expect, preserves its simplicity throughout the time which passes us by and carries it here and now.

Dance - mood, "contemplation with the body", a unique part in each of us which brings us closer, unites us, puts us into a framework where we all speak without words.

14. Marija Ilieva, PhD, Bulgaria. Prima ballerina at the National Opera in Sofia and a professor in her own ballet school for children and at the National music academy . Apart from the academic and the performance work, she is also involved with dance-theater. She received the title of Best ballet professor from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.

"Ethnic Integration of Children through Ballet"

The ballet classes for the children aged 3-7 should be especially adjusted for this age, while this in turn would positively influence their psychological, physical and the general cultural development. The early ballet education is an already established practice which has its own rational and scientifically justifiable reasons, while its aims are - from the early development of the entire muscular system until the refinement of the sense for aesthetics and rhythm.

15. Ivona Tatarchevska, Macedonia. Ethno-musicologist, researcher of folk dances and member of the International Society of Traditional Music (ISTM). She has taken part in the program/organizing boards of many folk festivals as well as in many international conferences.

"Dance and Identity: the Folk Dance scene in the Republic of Macedonia "

Within the framework of the state cultural politics, the folk dance scene has passed through different concepts, here-below identified as social, ethnic and multicultural . The three concepts do not contradict each other, but they exist as parallel. Unfortunately, it is the ethnic which is still the dominant one. The folk dance scene becomes more and more ghettoized, in such a way that the opening of the cultural dialogue among the cultures which exist in this region seems to be the unique solution.

16. Nadica Bitoljanu Delinikova, Macedonia. Professor of History of Art and Classical ballet at the Skopje Ballet and Music School. She is also a critic in the ballet sphere.

"The Dance as Inspiration in the 20 th Century Painting"

The dance as a complex expression of the human nature has been often present as a motif and a topic in painting, such as in some of the works by Henri Matisse. The same could be inferred also for the beginnings of the contemporary Macedonian painting, where the dance is present through the everyday folk motives and the authentic Macedonian folk dances.

17. Olga Pango, MA, Macedonia. Ballerina, professor and choreographer. Master of Arts in ballet directing and pedagogy. She was a soloist at the Ballet of the Macedonian National Theater. Acted as a protagonist in many classical ballet performances. She worked as a choreographer in Macedonia and abroad.

"Dance as a Bridge for Cultural and National Unity"