Difference between revisions of "Dance Theatre Ljubljana"

Revision as of 20:31, 17 October 2010

Ljubljana Dance Theatre (PTL) was founded in 1984. Throughout the 1980s, PTL played a pioneering role in the development and promotion of contemporary dance in Slovenia. Most of today's established contemporary dance choreographers and dancers have collaborated with the theatre, and some of them later founded their own companies in the 1990s (e.g., Flota Institute, Fourklor, etc.). Recently, the theatre constitutes itself increasingly as a production venue, presenting around 80 performances a year, including both its own productions and innovative domestic and foreign performances. PTL is a member of Contemporary Dance Association Slovenia and Asociacija, Association of Arts and Culture NGOs and Freelancers.

History

Ljubljana Dance Theatre was initiated by the choreographer and dancer Ksenija Hribar (also one of the co-founders of London Contemporary Dance Theater 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 necessary 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 important and 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, Mladinsko Theatre, Kapelica Gallery and elsewhere. During the next years, the theatre was led artistically by Ksenija Hribar, Matjaž Farič, and Sinja Ožbolt.

From 1992–1996, PTL has organised five international Video Dance Festivals, held in Cankarjev dom. In 1993 it presented three première performances in the frame of European Cultural Capital in Belgium, which were praised for their innovative approaches.

Production

During 25 years of creative activities, over 80 full-length dance-theatre productions, experimental projects, and productions for children have been staged and several of them have won awards. Nowadays PTL functions as an umbrella production house to several choreographers with very different modes of aesthetic expression, and regularly premières new productions (in 2008 by Tanja Zgonc and Stephan Maria Barb, Matjaž Zupančič, Sebastijan Horvat, Tanja Skok, Milan Tomášik; in 2009 by Sinja Ožbolt, Rosana Hribar and Gregor Luštek, Robert M. Hayden, etc.) or shows for children (Petra Pikalo, Katja Povše).

It collaborates with the majority of Slovene independent institutes, its co-productions during the past years include: Expensive Darlings (2007) by Emanat Institute, Silent Body (2008) and 3niti (2008) by Flota Institute, Move As (2008) by Exodos Institute, When the Moon is Increasing (2008) by City of Women Festival, Utopia I by EPI Centre, etc. Each year, Ljubljana Dance Theatre also produces a début by an emerging maker, offering rehearsal spaces and post-production. Its productions regularly appear at the Gibanica (Moving Cake) Festival of Slovene Dance which it has been co-organising since its beginnings in 2003.

PTL collaborates internationally in joint productions with guest choreographers and overseas dance festivals (for example, with the Choreographic Center CCL Linz, i-Camp in Germany, and the Dance Centre Colline in France). PTL also hosts foreign dance productions. Most recently, it hosted Francesco Scavetta's performance I Just Stood There Watching the Sky, produced and performed by the Norwegian group Wee.

Professional training and Ukrep - Festival of Dance Perspectives

PTL offers regular professional contemporary dance classes and other performing arts related education programmes. The series Dancelab offers regular improvisation events, "work in progress" showings, and different lectures. Practical and theoretical workshops during the past years have included the following lecturers and makers: the choreographer Mala Kline, the director Sebastijan Horvat, the dramaturg Ivana Ivković, the dancer Karima Mansour (organised by Emanat Institute in the frame of the Agon programme and co-organised by City of Women), etc.

In 2008 the biennial festival Ukrep (Taking Measures) – Festival of Dance Perspectives was launched. Attempting to redefine the emancipatory potential of contemporary dance and performing arts practices, the festival focuses on presenting emerging dance makers and aims for a strategic development of contemporary dance in Slovenia. Thus, a number of discussions and theoretical/dramaturgy workshops were organised. The festival closely collaborates with the Seminar of Contemporary Performing Arts, organised by Maska Institute.

Venue

Type of venue: Theatre hall;
main use: dance performances;
seating: 90 seats;
performing area: 10m W x 10m D x 4.85m H flat sprung wooden stage floor suitable for dance;
wing spaces: available through use of black masking, 1.5m W SR, 1.5m W SR;
2 exits;
suspension equipment: max load 30kg;
soft hangings: grey opera horizon screen, black wall background;
lighting: 48-channel mixer, 2kw dimmers, lanterns include 16 x PC 1kw, 16 x PC 500w, 5 x zoom profile 15-38, 30 x PAR 64, stroboscope;
sound: Mackie mixer, 4 active loudspeakers, 1 equalizer, 2 CD, 1 DAT, 1 wireless microphone;
stage equipment: Video Beam Infokus (2,500 lumens) video projector, Antracit opera 9m x 4.85m projection screen;
backstage: dressing rooms accommodating 30 persons total;
availability: available for hire

==See also

External links

Ljubljana Dance Theatre website (in Slovenian)

Gallery

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

Dance performance DUET 012 at Dance Theatre Ljubljana

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 *'''availability: ''' [[availability::available for hire]]
-==See also==
+==See also
+* [[Ukrep - Festival of Dance Perspectives]]
 * [[Gibanica (Moving Cake) Festival of Slovene Dance]]
 * [[Contemporary Dance Association Slovenia]]