Plesna izba - Maribor Dance Room

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Plesna izba Maribor was established in 1994 by Minka Veselič Kološa, whose pioneering work in the area of dance education has been awarded several times. Besides a highly successful and extensive programme of dance education, Plesna izba Maribor also produces dance and performing arts performances. In 2007 Maribor Dance Room has launched the Contemporary dance Platform [Platforma sodobnega plesa], intended to presentations of national and international makers in the field of contemporary dance art, which has been organised in 2014 and 2015 together with Performa Festival.

IZBINE PRIPOVEDKE - trailer by Plesna Izba Maribor on YouTube

Dance education

Maribor Dance Room has 22 years of experience in the field of dance education for children and adults. Its programmes are organised to offer a spectrum of different dance techniques, necessary for subsequent professional dance training and production. By introducing the young into the processes of contemporary art creation, Maribor Dance Room provides a strong foundation for the development of contemporary dance in Maribor. Numerous choreographers and pedagogues, who started their dance career at the Maribor Dance Room, continue their training at renowned dance academies across Europe.

The all-year-round education offers regular workshops different and classes for different levels and different age groups. The programme covers ballet, jazz and modern techniques, release technique, as well as intensive classes of different contemporary approaches to dance taught by different (mainly) Slovene dancers and choreographers. It also organises classes of oriental and african dance, hip-hop and yoga.

Each year, Plesna izba Maribor prepares two larger productions, where the students present their work to the wider audience: the New Year's production takes place in the Union Hall and the final performance in Maribor Puppet Theatre. The young dancers continually present their choreographies at Opus - Festival of Dance Miniatures and Živa Festival, organised by the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia to encourage dance creativity of the young.

Drums and percussion education

In addition to its dance education programmes, Plesna izba Maribor has been offering for already 10 years the all year-round drum and percussion education, including workshops for children and adults, taught by acclaimed percussion professionals. Participants of drum workshops join their forces with dancers in annual final productions, whereas for the past several years, the drum section has presented their work also in separate productions.

In December 2010 and in 2011 the Maribum Festival was organised, a follow-up to the drum festival held in Maribor from 2004 to 2008, presenting international performances of drum & percussion music.

In 2015 Plesna izba has organised an international music festival Maribum Afriqui, which a hosted a number of Slovenian and Malian musicians and offered workshops of African traditional and contemporary dance.

Stage production

Maribor Dance Room annually produces or co-produces several productions of established artists as well as gives opportunities to its students to present their work. Dance Room has thus produced works by Snježana Premuš (From Scratch #4, Stories of the Body 3 - You [Zgodbe o telesu 3 - Ti (2008)); Sebastijan Geč (Midnight Judgement [Polnočna presoja] (2009), co-produced by WUK, Vienna, and Slovene National Theatre Maribor); Mojca Kasjak (Strange Things Happened in the Town 2 [V mestu se dogajajo čudne stvari 2] (2008)); Nina Milin (Faster than the Body [Hitrejše kot telo] (2015)); Matevž Dobaj (Etudes for Fun [Etude za zabavo] (2014)); Jasmina Križaj (The Very Boring Piece [Zelo dolgočasen komad] (2014), co-produced by Hellerau, Europaïsches Zentrum der Künste, Dresden (DE) and Dansateliers Rotterdam (NL); and co-produced Tina Valentan's performance When the Moon is Rising [Ko luna raste] (2008), produced by City of Women International Festival of Contemporary Arts and Bara Kolenc performance Rhetoric [Retorika], the third in a series of performances titled Metamorphoses, produced by KUD Samosvoj Cultural Association.

Maribor Dance Room also produces improvisation events held by various makers also in non-theatrical spaces.

Trailer F.A.R.M.A. E.M.S.O. by Plesna Izba Maribor on YouTube

International cooperation

Early in 2010, Plesna izba Maribor entered the four-year project Modul-Dance, supported by the EU Culture 2007&ndash2013 programme and coordinated by the Spanish organisation Mercat de les Flors. The network included 20 partners from 16 countries and was aimed at supporting independent artists in production, post-production, international exchange and mobility, as well as consolidating the national and international dance audience. Slovene partners of the project were Plesna izba and Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture in Ljubljana.