FREE DANCE Festival in Ukraine:seven unforgettable years

    Ancient esoteric teachings say that life of a man is divided into cycles and periods seven years each, which is our life “in miniature” –  from being an infant to an old person. Having lived within this period a whole life, a man moves into a new life cycle and everything begins from the very beginning.
  
     We dare suppose, that events, particularly those related to art and, therefore, appealing to spiritual values have their own life cycles. Ancient Teachers were right when thinking that within a single eternal life the periods of birth, growing, maturing to wisdom and gradual dying make up the whole rejuvenation cycle.

     Seven springs in a row the FREE DANCE International Festival has been gathering in Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev professional theatres of dance from around the world.  Having started in 2001 with a small spectacle brought to Dnepropetrovsk by Christian Burigo Dance Theatre (with the support of the French Cultural Centre) and the audience of 30 people who by chance turned to become witnesses of then avant-garde spectacle, the festival was maturing and developing year after year. It was growing in size (in 2008 the festival geography and nationality mix included 12 countries) and weight - nowadays the project is supported by 7 embassies and foreign cultural centers in Ukraine, 6 international foundations, as well as a number of strong commercial structures and high-rating mass media.

   Our spectator was also growing and maturing together with the festival. The process was seen not only as a result of yearly increasing  box-office sales and number of festival guests who came from all over Ukraine and neighboring Russia, Belarus and Moldova to watch the festival spectacles.  The festival process was gradually shaping its spectator audience which has grown to be more and more curious, eager for something new and far from stereotypes, ready to ruin clich?s and accepting an experiment.  This is now the audience which is advanced intelectually, tolerant and democratic (which doesn’t at all mean it is ‘all-eating” or not demanding).  This is the audience ready not to consume, but to think. This particular postulate was announced as the basic one in the festival mission. It was important for us from the very beginning and we find it to be the main achievement of the way we’ve gone.

    The seven-year cycle of the festival development is finalized. We decided, as a classic would say, to HOLD A PAUSE. To observe,  to think, to set new goals.

     In Ukraine the process of development of contemporary dance has started: new names, interesting spectacles and projects appear. We are very pleased to hear from our colleagues, partners and spectators that FREE DANCE Festival gave a powerful impulse to the beginning of this process. This is another super task which the festival solved, as we believe.

    In the FREE DANCE portfolio there are still a lot of interesting projects, the flow of letters we receive from those who became our friends and partners thanks to the festival is not diminishing. We are grateful to the festival for that. 
Like before, we know there’s no end to the road. There’s just the end of a cycle and taking a breath-in before the new ascending.

Until we meet again at the FREE DANCE!

Marina Lymar

Director-producer of the festival

Marina Shkuropat

Executive director of the festival