The IFMC’2004 was held from November 26 till 28. What is the most significant about it, what will it be stick in memory with? The festival showed that the new stage of the process of development of modern dance art in Belarus had begun. The times of Lone Rangers are gone. It doesn’t mean that the pioneers are disappeared. They established their own schools and studios of contemporary choreography. The generation of their followers, who were brought up in the new creative principals came to Vitebsk to take part in the National Competition together with teachers.

The participants of the Competition:

- “Parallels” modern dance studio, Vitebsk
- “Foliush-ballet” choreographic studio, Grodno
- “Quadro” contemporary dance group, Gomel
- Irina Staminskaya’s project, Orsha
- Dance Company of Vitebsk State University
- Olga Labovkina, Grodno
- “TAD” contemporary dance group, Grodno
- Contemporary dance group of children choreographic school, Gomel
- Diana Yurchenko’s choreographic studio, Vitebsk
- Dance ensemble of Grodno Arts College
- Contemporary dance studio of Vitebsk State Arts School
- Ensemble of sub-faculty of choreography of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, Minsk

 It was the first time within recent five years that the rules of Competition changed considerably. Instead of the International Jury the Expert Council was formed to estimate the results of creative activity of the contemporary dance schools and studios, as well as art level of choreographic works, submitted for the national competition. Among the members of the above Council were:

Julia Churko, Minsk - art historian, doctor, professor, head of sub-faculty of choreography of the Belarusian Academy of music. Chair of the Council
Vita Mozuraite, Vilnius - ballet critic, a lecturer of history of dance art for the Vilnius Musical Academy
Tatiana Kotovich, Vitebsk - theater critic, candidate of art history
Natalia Maslennikova, Perm - laureate of international and national dance competitions, ballet-master for the “Evgeny Panfilov Ballet” state theater
Sergey Smirnov, Yekaterinburg - laureate of  international contemporary dance competitions, winner of the Russian National Theater Prize “Golden Masque”, the First Prize winner of the International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk IFMC’2003 

THE IFMC’2004 AWARDS:

Nomination “Style” 
Special Prize – spectacle “Suprematist Ballet”, choreography: Anastasia Makhova, idea: Tatiana Kotovich, computer design: Aleksey Yermak, Contemporary dance studio “Parallels”, Vitebsk

Nomination “Debut” 
miniature “Two songs”, choreography: Irina Staminskaya, Irina Staminskaya’s project, Orsha

Nomination “School”
Contemporary dance group of the children choreographic school, Gomel. Most of choreographies: Inna Aslamova

Nomination “Teacher” - Inna Aslamova, Gomel

Nomination “Choreographer”
Inna Aslamova, Gomel, one-act ballet “The winter disappeared”, contemporary dance group “Quadro”, Gomel

Nomination “Choreographic work”
Aleksey Litvin, Vitebsk, spectacle “Samaliotchiki”, dance company of the Vitebsk state University

Nomination “Mastery”
Ensemble of the sub-faculty of choreography of the Belarusian State University of Culture, ballet “Five beds, children of dream” , choreography: Neta Pulvermakher, art-director: Svetlana Gutkovskaya

Nomination “Artist”
Olga Labovkina, Grodno, miniature “Dreams of the redheaded manikin”, choreography: Olga Labovkina

Evgeny Panfilov memorable Prize
Diana Yurchenko, Vitebsk, miniature “Jealousy”, idea: Anastasia Kurzhalova, Alexander Andrienko, choreography: Diana Yurchenko, Diana Yurchenko’s contemporary dance studio 

Guest-performance program included the ballet “Flowers in the window” by dance-theater “Gallery”, Grodno, remake of Evgeny Panfilov’s  “Waltz for the mad” and “Bolero” by Evgeny Panfilov Ballet, Perm; premiere of dance-spectacle “Rags nook” by Sergey Smirnov dance company “Eccentric-ballet”, Yekaterinburg.

IFMC executive director Eduard Chernivchan
Photos by Igor Gusakov
Poster IFMC'2004