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. Since 2007 Maribor Dance Room organises two festivals: Contemporary dance Platform [Platforma sodobnega plesa] and NagiB Contemporary Dance Festival, which is also intended to younger authors but focuses on foreign productions.

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. In December 2010 and in 2011 the Maribum Festival was organised, presenting international performances of drum & percussion music.

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.

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 Slovene National Theatre Maribor. 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.

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 a dance dramaturgy workshop, classes of oriental and flamenco dance, as well as offers weekly drumming workshops.

Stage production

Maribor Dance Room annually produces three to five 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 (I Can See Under the Skin [Vidim pod kožo] (2009); Anita Čanadi; Mojca Ussar; 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, etc. Maribor Dance Room also produces improvisation events held by various makers also in non-theatrical spaces.

In 2008, Maribor Dance Room prepared the project SLO Moves which presented Slovene contemporary dance at the International Dance Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, for which Tomaž Praunseis created a video that presents production conditions in Slovenia and gives an overview of the dance scene.

International cooperation

The four-year project Modul-Dance conceived by the Spanish organisation Mercat de les Flors includes 18 partners from 14 countries and is 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 are Plesna izba and Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture in Ljubljana.