Dance Theatre Ljubljana

A pioneer in the development and promotion of contemporary dance in Slovenia since 1984, the Dance Theatre Ljubljana (or PTL) is one the most important contemporary dance production venues in Ljubljana, presenting both its own productions and domestic and foreign performances.

PTL offers regular professional contemporary dance classes and, since 2008, organises the biennial Ukrep - Festival of Dance Perspectives.

Background

Ljubljana Dance Theatre was initiated by the choreographer and dancer Ksenija Hribar (also one of the co-founders of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre and recipient of the Župančič Award of the City of Ljubljana) and co-founded with the choreographer and director Damir Zlatar Frey. The establishment of the theatre presented a decisive step towards the professionalisation of contemporary dance in Slovenia and the then-Yugoslavia. Under the artistic leadership of Ksenija Hribar (Damir Zlatar Frey left the theatre in 1986), PTL was an open dance-theatre group that created a number of stylistically ground-breaking and widely influential performances. Until 1996, when PTL obtained its own rehearsal and performing spaces in the Prule neighbourhood of Ljubljana, the majority of performances were presented on the stages of Cankarjev dom, the Mladinsko Theatre, Kapelica Gallery and elsewhere. During the following years, the theatre was led artistically by Ksenija Hribar, Matjaž Farič and Sinja Ožbolt.

Programme and international cooperation

Over more than four decades of creative activity, Ljubljana Dance Theatre has staged over 300 full-length dance-theatre productions, experimental projects, and performances for children, several of which have received significant national and international awards. Today, PTL serves as an umbrella production house for numerous acclaimed choreographers and other performing arts practitioners whose work spans a wide range of aesthetic approaches. Each year, Ljubljana Dance Theatre also supports an emerging choreographer by producing a debut work and providing rehearsal space and post-production support.

The theatre collaborates with most Slovenian independent performing arts organisations and regularly participates in international co-productions. Its productions frequently appear at Gibanica (Moving Cake) Festival of Slovene Dance, which PTL has co-organised since its inception in 2003.

Dance Theatre Ljubljana is a partner in the Tovarniški project, a combined season ticket for six independent Ljubljana theatres: besides PTL, also Mini Theatre, Španski borci Culture Centre, Stara Elektrarna - Old Power Station, Vodnik Homestead and Glej Theatre.

PTL is member of the International European Theatre Meeting (IETM); Keđja, the Baltic-European Dance Network; Generator Dance Platform, which brings together partners from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Serbia. Since 2018, PTL has also participated in Be SpectACTive!, a large-scale European cooperation project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe programme, which develops performing arts productions and participatory practices that actively involve audiences and citizens in artistic and organisational processes.

For a list of PTL's partners and co-producers see below.

Ukrep – Festival of Dance Perspectives

In 2008, PTL's team launched the biennial festival Ukrep (Taking Measures) – Festival of Dance Perspectives. Attempting to redefine the emancipatory potential of contemporary dance and performing arts practices, the festival focuses on presenting emerging (contemporary) dance makers and aims for the strategic development of contemporary dance in Slovenia, also through a number of discussions and theoretical/dramaturgy workshops organised in the festival's side programme.

External links

Gallery

Butoh dance performance Between by Tanja Zgonc and Stefan M. Marb, Dance Theatre Ljubljana (2008)

Dance performance DUET 012 at Dance Theatre Ljubljana

Dance Theatre Ljubljana

Contents

Background

Programme and international cooperation

Ukrep – Festival of Dance Perspectives

See also

External links

Gallery

Operated by

Financed by