The end of dank autumn in the center of Europe is contemporized with a stunning cultural event: the heart of old city of Vitebsk starts beating in unison with contemporary dance. The Culture&Business Center “Vitebsk” becomes The Center of New Dance, while its stage hosts the most metaphoric kind of arts – contemporary choreography. Vitebsk is Vitebsk, so behind all that is happening invisibly stand Pan, Malevich, Chagall… Grayish sky suddenly bursts out with famous Chagall’s blue, mysterious suprematic shadows of vanished buildings grow up in the streets, people with bright eyes and intelligent faces are hurrying to the festival concert.

So, here is the 19th International Festival of Modern Choreography in numbers and facts. The founders of the festival: Vitebsk regional executive Committee, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, National Academic Bolshoy Theater of Ballet of Republic of Belarus, Culture&Business Center “Vitebsk”. Among the participants of the Competition were 24 dance companies and projects from Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and China:

1. «Theater-school of modern choreography, Moscow
2. Dance Company of the University of Drama & Dance, Berlin
3. Dance theatre "Incluses", Kaliningrad, Russia
4. Contemporary dance and performance group “Voices”, Moldova
5. Dance theatre "nOga", Omsk, Russia
6. The Occasion Dance Theatre, Poland
7. Fine 5 Dance Theatre, Estonia
8. Diana Yurchenko school of modern choreography, Vitebsk, Belarus
9. Chamber ballet "Panther", Kazan, Russia
10. School contemporary dance "Parallels", Vitebsk, Belarus
11. Teatr tanca ART, Poland
12. "Leg Art" ballet, Hanti-Mansiysk, Russia
13. BGU arts and culture choreography sub-faculty ensemble, Minsk, Belarus
14. Dance theatre "Screem", Samara, Russia
15.  Contemporary dance group "TAD", Grodno, Belarus
16. Modern choreography theatre "D.O.S.Z.K.I.", Minsk, Belarus
17. Olga Zimina dance theatre, Sarapul, Russia
18. Maluma & Takete, Ukrain
19. The Chinese Army Singing & Dancing Ensemble
20. Contemporary dance theatre "Vortex", Moscow, Russia
21. Kaunas choreography shcooll, Lithuania
22. Ensemble "Line", Cheliabinsk, Russia
23. Modern dance school "Improve", St. Peterburg, Russia
24. Olga Labovkina & Zanna Maglish project, Belarus

---

THE INTERNATIONAL JURY
VALENTIN YELIZARIEV– People artist of USSR, People artist of the Republic of Belarus, professor of the Academy of Music of the Republic of Belarus, choreographer and director of the National Academic Bolshoy Theater of ballet of the Republic of Belarus, the Chairman of the IFMC International Jury (Belarus)
XIAO SUKHUA – choreographer, professor of the Beijing Dance Academy, dance theorist, the Executive Secretary of the Society of ballet statesmen of China
YURI TROYAN – People Artist of Belarus, head of the ballet troupe of the National Academic Bolshoy Theater of ballet of the Republic of Belarus
GENRIH MAJOROV – artistic director of Moscow State Academy of Choreography, professor, Russia
DITHMAR SEIFFERD – choreographer, professor, the honorable chairman of the International Council on Dance for UNESCO, the dean of sub-faculty of stage direction of Berlin University of Drama and Dance “Ernst Bush”, Germany
VITOLD JUREVICH - choreographer, dance theorist, Poland

---

THE FESTIVAL BOARD OF EXPERTS
Vita Mozuraite – ballet critic, lecturer of History of Dance for the Vilnius Music Academy, Lithuania
Svetlana Gutkovskaya – candidate of Philology, head of the sub-faculty of choreography of Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, Belarus
Aleksander Azarkevich – choreographer, dance theorist, Poland
Audronis Imbrasas – director of the Lithuanian Center for Information and Dance, Vilnius, Lithuania
Tatiana Yurieva – director of the St. Petersburg Diaghilev Center, Russia

---

 During the 4 days of the festival participants and spectators could visit the photo-exhibition “PHOTO-CHOREO-GRAPHIA” by Vladimir Lupovskoy (Moscow) and Igor Gusakov (Vitebsk). A series of theoretical and practical master-classes were held by Vita Mozuraite (Lithuania), Natalia Kasparova (Russia), and Tiina Ollesk (Estonia).

The festival performance program consisted of the dance spectacles by Sergey Smirnov’s “Excentric Ballet” from Yecaterinburg, Russia, and «Taktus & Obvian est» from Switzerland. 

As usual the festival Party for the participants of the International Competition was held. And of course, the principal event was the Competition itself. It took place on two grounds: in the main festival venue Culture&Business Center “Vitebsk” and in the National Academic Drama Theater named for Y. Kolas.

---

THE FESTIVAL SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS

Special prize «Debute» at the rate of $ 500
Olga Kostel
choreographic miniature «A White house»
Dance Company of the University of Drama & dance, Berlin

Special prize at the rate of $ 500
choreographic miniature «Soldier»
choreographer: Nail Ibragimov
Chamber ballet "Panther", Kazan, Russia

Evgeny Panfilov's memorial prize at the rate of $ 1000
choreographer: Larisa Alexandrova
one-act ballet «Journey against the wind»
«Theater-school of modern choreography», Moscow, Russia

THE LAUREATES OF THE COMPETITION

One-act ballet nomination

The first prize at the rate of $ 1500
one-act ballet «Next to you»
choreographer: Denis Boroditskiy
Contemporary dance theatre «Vortex», Moscow, Russia

The second prize at the rate of $ 1000
one-act ballet «Simple things»
choreographers: Alexandra Soshnikova and Sergey Golovnia
Contemporary dance and performance group «Voices», Moldova

Choreographic miniature nomination

The first prize at the rate of $ 1500
choreographic miniature «Two steps from...»
choreographers: Olga Labovkina & Zanna Maglish
Olga Labovkina & Zanna Maglish project, Belarus

The second prize at the rate of $ 1000
choreographic miniature «1 spot, 2 shadows»
choreographers: Matteo Moles, Dmitri Kruus, Laura Kvelstein
Fine 5 dance theatre, Tallinn, Estonia

Grand Prix at the rate of $ 3000
choreographic miniature «Rhythms harmony»
choreographers: Sin Na & Jhan Chian
Chai Mingming & Tang Liwei – the soloists the Chinese Army Singing & Dancing Ensemble

---

Sure, one can speculate about “fair play” within the competition, magnitude of Laureate titles, but wouldn’t it be much better just to share the joy of victory with the winners and wait for the next, jubilee 20th festival! 

All the best, the Festival direction
Poster IFMC'2006