European Dance since 1989 Communitas and the Other

East-European contributors:

Serbia - Ana Vujanović

Romania - Mihaela Michailov

Estonia – Heili Einasto

Slovenia  – Bojana Kunst

Lithuania – Vita Mozūraitė

Hungary – Annamária Szoboszlai

Czech Republic - Jana Návratová

Russia – Natalia Kuryumova

Bulgaria – Mira Todorova

Central Europe and the former Soviet Bloc countries were a major presence in dance – particularly theatrical dance – throughout the twentieth century. With the fragmentation of traditional structures in the final decade of the century came a range of aesthetic and ideological responses from dance practitioners. These ranged from attempts to reform classical ballet to struggles for autonomy from the state, and the nature of each was influenced by a set of contexts and circumstances particular to each country.

Each contribution covers the strategies of a different country’s dance practitioners, using a similar structure in order to invite comparisons.

In general, they address:

•Historical context, showing the roots of contemporary dance forms

•The socio-political climates that influenced emerging companies and forms

•The relationships between aesthetic exploration and institutional patronage

•The practitioners who were central to the development of dance in each country

•A diagnosis of the current state of the art and how it has come about