BALLET ARABESQUE
XI COMPETITION FOR CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHY
BASED ON BULGARIAN MUSIC
FOR MARGARITA ARNAUDOVA AWARD
THIRD INTERNATIONAL EDITION
SOFIA
OCTOBER 2023
REGULATIONS
THE PROJECT IS SUPPORTED
BY THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE
An exciting finale, presented by the wonderful dancers of the Ballet Arabesque troupe, of the XI CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHY CONTEST FOR BULGARIAN MUSIC FOR THE MARGARITA ARNAUDOVA AWARD, THIRD INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Audience Award - Mikkel Alexander Toetrup
Jury Award - Mikkel Alexander Toetrup
Congratulations to Mikkel Alexander Toetrup!
Congratulations also to the finalists: Elena Marinova, Stephanie Handjiiska, Raphael Holzer
SELECTED CHOREOGRAPHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 11TH ANNIVERSARY COMPETITION FOR CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHY ON BULGARIAN MUSIC FOR THE MARGARITA ARNAUDOVA AWARD
HOREOGRAPHERS
RAPHAEL MIRO HOLZER, AUSTRIA
Rafael Miro Holzer is choreographer, director and educator based in Barcelona and Vienna. He received his ballet education at the University of Music and Arts in Vienna. He specialized in contemporary dance at the Austrian University of Music, Drama and Dance "Anton Bruckner". In the period 2018-2021, he graduated and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Choreography and Interpretation, from the Theater Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
In 2021, he founded the vanholzers dance company as a platform for his further choreography work.
He received the "Best Choreography" award from the Moving Body Festival for the film "Truth is in the Details", which is currently screening at film festivals around the world.
The choreographer is supported for his participation in the Competition by the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Bulgaria
"Remember to"
Music - Milen Apostolov
Choreography – Raphael Miro Holzer
Costumes – Elitsa Georgieva
Rehearsal Director- Olessia Pantikina
Dancers: Victoriya Petrova, Benedetta Grassi, Gennaro Desiderio, Ervin Esen, Mariya Kasabova, Tanya Katsarova
In a mesmerizing dance of shadow and light, this ethereal performance takes the audience into a transcendent odyssey.
There the enigmatic interplay of death and love unfolds a visual meditation on the tapestry of our existence.
“When the last shadow comes to douse the white radiance of day, it well may close my eyes; it may unbind mu soul, so that it flies free, towards its eager wish, full of delight…” Francisco de Quevedo
STEPHANIE HANDJIISKA, BULGARIA
Stephanie Handjiiska is a Bulgarian choreographer and dance artist based in London, UK. Her work explores femininity, belonging, beauty, and deals with big metaphysical questions and social themes. Stephanie is an alumna of the MA Contemporary Dance at London School of Contemporary Dance, the New Bulgarian University with a BA in Anthropology, and NATFA, Bulgaria with a BA in Dance.
In London, she works with names such as ABBA, Studio Wayne McGregor, Woolwich Works, The Place London, Rambert and others, and her work on migration is supported by Arts Council England.
Ms Handjiiska has won numerous awards for her work, including the Sofia Municipality Award for Contemporary Performing Arts and an "IMPULS" Bulgarian Dance Award for the project "Focus Kino Tanc", the European Commission "Juvenes Translatores" award for translation, and a nomination for the "ICAR" award for contemporary dance and performance for "Ion (a play on adoption)".
All of the love, towards everyone, all the time
Music - Milen Apostolov
Idea and choreography - Stephanie Handjiiska
Costumes - Veronica Blagoeva
Rehearsal Director - Teodora Stefanova
Dancers: Elizabeth Yakimova, Yana Nikolova, Lorenzo Alba, Svetoslav Seropyan, Svetlozar Tinev
A dance piece about the eternal yearning of our souls to meet, beyond time, beyond space. The work explores the inexorability of time, the frenzy of love, the longing to meet, our fragility as humans, the rare opportunities of being together, and the opportunity of being alone.
"Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved [...]" Jack Kerouac, On the Road
ELENA MARINOVA, BULGARIA
Elena Marinova is a contemporary artist from Bulgaria. She is a graduate of Trinity Laban and specializes in contemporary dance. Elena is actively involved in organizing events that aim to develop the Bulgarian art community. She is a member of the DUNE Dance Company, founder of the DANCE FRAME Collective, and also works as a freelance choreographer.
Throughout her career, she has drawn inspiration from numerous international artists, but the choreography process of Nigel Charnock has had the biggest influence on her. Although she is still a newcomer, she has successfully staged several dance works, including "Geography of Sighs" at ATOM Theatre, "WHEN I AM NOT NAKED ON STAGE, I FEEL SO OLD FASHIONED" at Bonnie Bird Theater, and "Something Stupid or Thoughts about How I Move" on the stage of Toplocentrala.
"Light Hunter"
Music – Milen Apostolov
Choreography – Elena Marinova
Costumes – Elitsa Georgieva
Rehearsal Director – Angelina Gavrilova
Dancers: Viktoriya Petrova, Benedetta Grassi, Teodora Drumeva, Valeri Milenkov, Gennaro Deziderio, Lorenzo Alba
"Light Hunter" is a dance performance that explores the feeling of anxiety and its effects on individuals who face social pressures. The term 'light hunter' refers to those who seek light as a means to escape their fears and find the light within themselves. The dance piece follows the journey of a depersonalized light seeker who experiences the turmoil of fatigue, social tension, loneliness, and inner struggle. When we search for ourselves in our thoughts, it's easy to get lost in a labyrinth. But is there a way out? Light is a moment that reveals all and can be both seen and heard, leaving us with a sense of clarity and understanding.
MIKKEL ALEXANDER TOETTRUP, DENMARK
Dancer, creator and choreographer
Mikkel Alexander Toetrup is a Copenhagen-based choreographer and dancer from Denmark. In 2020, he graduated from Iwanson International School (contemporary Dance) in Munich Germany. Teaches contemporary dance at Stepz Dance Education, Copenhagen Denmark; at the Danish School of Performing Arts; Contemporary Dance / Fredericia, DK; at Savery Academy.
Mikel's choreography works have been presented at numerous international festivals and competitions. His original choreography works: "Barbarian Sun" with the Royal Danish Ballet / Copenhagen, Denmark; : "JALA'' winner in residence of the XVII Choreography Competition / Sabadell, ES; performance "The Gray Zone", nunArt Guinardo / Barcelona, Spain; “Chicks” at Teater Momentum for the HS Andersens Festival / Odense, Denmark; and others.
"Oblivious Days"
Music – Milen Apostolov
Choreography – Mikkel Alexander Toettrup
Kostume – Elitsa Georgieva
Video – Ralitsa Georgieva
Reheaesal Director – Olessia Pantikina
Dancers: Daniela Ivanova, Elizabet Yakimova, Yana Nikolova, Vasil Dipchikov, Svetoslav Seropyan, Svetlozar Tinev
"Oblivious Days" challenges societal norms and prompts introspection through a multi-layered experience that explores themes of disharmony, resilience, and the quest for humanity. This performance blends intense physicality, multimedia projections, and symbolic costumes. Within this three-part performance, we encounter three central characters: GIRL, BOY, and COUPLE. Each of them serves as a catalyst, encouraging the audience to reflect on their own roles in perpetuating disharmony. The audience is transported to a captivating world that challenges perception right in the middle of an apocalypse.
THE COMPETITION
“Margarita Arnaudova” Competition was founded by assoc. prof. Kalina Bogoeva in 1996. The international edition of the Competition is organized together with Ballet Arabesque and “Kalina Bogoeva” Foundation with the support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.
The Competition is an expression of the creative necessity of Ballet Arabesque to seek interaction between Bulgarian composers and contemporary choreographers. The Competition encourages the quest for original ideas expressed in authentic, natural, contemporary dance language and style.
Margarita Arnaudova (1941-1994), whose name the Competition bears, is a whole epoch in contemporary dance in Bulgaria and her spirit is still perceived in Bulgarian culture as a bridge connecting the best from the past with the future.
In the competition can participate choreographers and dancers with professional experience in the sphere of contemporary dance . The competitors must be up to 40 years of age (i.e. born after December 31st, 1983). The competition takes place every three years.
Music compositions by five Bulgarian composers are offered, each of them with duration of about 20 minutes. Each competitor has to choose one of them and make a choreography including three to six dancers. The choreographers selected in the final round of the competition will perform their works with professional dancers from Ballet Arabesque.
Selected Bulgarian composers:
- George Strezov
Album Flourish:
https://youtu.be/KytrFeLqnFo
Album Birth of a Flower:
https://youtu.be/NCyfY9drXuk
- Dobromir Kisyov
Spotify:
- https://open.spotify.com/album/4aNL3Bf8ivScFvaHDzPKdz?si=2vAQ-ROcRu-hB9vlr_54mg
- https://open.spotify.com/track/3hIdRH3ee0wuZdAdAK5gkM?si=44cf1220a54c4cfe
- Milen Apostolov
https://soundcloud.com/milenapostolovmusic/sets/music
- Petar Dimov
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F71m1MYSjdtMbWUf2xY-h2OGpz7OHZQh?usp=sharing
- Petar Dundakov
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&;list=OLAK5uy_nH5GehPAR3W37RYis8zRVHMs26lrlTAY8
- Peter Kerkelov
https://youtu.be/nSKZXAl67FM
- Roumen Boyadjieff-junior ( Rumen Boyadzhiev)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12wNLWZBK6-J5F4NIcLkTATzgSHf_5h8j/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-UI2mY766RfONqn99STdWvWwNhZHSe9B/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nI20kASb9oi6NQ18p-RyedAhGoUDJpn-/view?usp=drive_link
Suggested music can be used only for the purposes of the Competition.
All application materials are listed in the PRELIMINARY SELECTION column.
AWARDS
There are two awards:
“Margarita Arnaudova” Award – BGN 5000 (EUR 2500) is awarded by the audience by voting with tickets and it is presented by prof. Kalina Bogoeva, the founder of the award and president of “Kalina Bogoeva” Foundation.
The International Jury Award – BGN 5000 (EUR 2500)
The award-winners grant the rights of presenting their production to Ballet Arabesque for one year.
The choreographers have to be available to be photographed and interviewed by the media, for free; also they may not have any financial claims when parts of their productions are shot by TV companies for the purpose of advertising the event.
I ROUND –PRELIMINARY SELECTION
Required application materials:
- Application form – you may download it from the site www.margaritaarnaoudova.org, or by email on request.
- Applicant’s CV containing detailed information for his/her professional experience in the sphere of dance as well as feedback information for contact
- Choreographer’s photo
- Preliminary design of the production that is to be presented at the Competition (participants: 3 to 6 dancers)
- Video containing 3-minute fragment of a choreography based on one of the offered music compositions by Bulgarian composers.
- Video containing fragments of former productions by the choreographer made during the last three years
Deadline for sending all needed documents and materials via e-mail to Ballet Arabesque
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is till 31.07.2023, with copy to
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Selection Committee chosen by the Management of Ballet Arabesque will evaluate the sent materials and will pay special attention to the originality of the concept, music interpretation and dance language demonstrated in the fragment
Deadline for announcing the participants admitted to II round: The chosen participants will be informed via e-mail till 5.08.2023.
Selected choreographers confirm the participation in the final round of the competition till 10.08.2023 via email.
The contracts will be signed upon their arrival in Sofia at the beginning of September.
II ROUND – FINAL
- In the II round participate from 3 to 4 selected projects
- The chosen choreographers will accomplish their productions with the participation of professional dancers from Ballet Arabesque – from 3 to 6 dancers
- The choreographers must be available for rehearsals with the group for a period of 20 days between September 7th, till October 7th, 2023 specified in advance signed contract
- All choreographers will have equal number of rehearsal hours depending on the duration of chosen music (not less than 50 rehearsal hours).
- Travel expenses –in both directions – and health insurances for the period of their stay in Sofia are on the account of the applicants.
- Accommodation and daily expenses (according to the Bulgarian legislation) of the finalists for their stay in Sofia are on the account of the Competition.
- Each choreographer will have a budget at his/her disposal for non-complicated costumes, and probably for minimal décor and requisite necessary for the scenic performance of the production
- All choreographers will have at their disposal and on the account of the competition a professional Bulgarian artist for the costumes and décor as well as a lighting designer, they both will work together with the choreographers to form the whole vision of the Competition evening helping choreographers with their requirements and ideas.
- The copyright of the music played at the final evening is settled by the competition.
- For the final evening a stage with black background and with the size of 12 х 15 m will be provided, as well as a black dance floor.
- The final evening will take place on the 6th or 7th of October in front of audience and international jury on the stage of the State Music and Ballet Center-Sofia.
Ballet Arabesque
3 Panajot Volov str.
1504 Sofia, Bulgaria
Mobile: + 359 897 920920 Boriana Sechanova – Artistic director
+ 359 897 969780 Maya Mihailova - Manager
+ 359 897 880554 Olessia Pantikina -Choreographer
e-mail:
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,
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www.margaritaarnaoudova.org
www.arabesque.bg
