Networking and sharing. Seminars, workshops, labs, performances. Experiences and results of other keðja activities.
Encounters are open to all dance professionals and students of the contemporary dance sector. Participants meet and exchange experiences and ideas, get acquainted with each other and each others artistic work and participate in debates, workshops etc. The encounters also embrace meetings, presentations as well as collaborative activities from other keðja 2012-2015 activities thus function as dissemination and exchange platforms for the entire project.
Encounters 2012–2016
keðjaVilnius 2016
Encounter “Digesting Dance”
13th -16th of October, 2016
Vilnius
Dear individual / company / institution
interested in the development of and networking within the contemporary dance area
Registration is now open for the 12th keðja Encounter which takes place in Vilnius, Lithuania from 13th to 16th of October 2016. Registration deadline is September 15, 2016. Participation at Encounter (plenary sessions, creative workshops, seminars) is open but pre-registration is obligatory. Register now here. And please find practical information below.
Encounter in Vilnius will focus on the theme of “Digesting Dance” examining questions of dance perception on various aspects. Referring to biological description of the word “digest”, we see dance digestion as the breakdown of large insoluble dance molecule into small brain-soluble idea and movement molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery mind and body plasma. We suggest to look at the dance from different perspectives: from audience of different age, experience, cultural and social background, from dancers and choreographers who face challenges of creative processes or teachers who meet problems in dance knowledge transmission. And all this we will digest in the context of super-complex, contemporary, post-postmodern, web-bounded but very colourful and tasty world.
As keynote speakers renowned dance professionals are invited: Efva Lilja from Sweden, Dr. Eeva Anttila from Finland, dr. Gediminas Karoblis from Norway, Siegmar Zacharias from Germany, Dr. Yaron Abulafia from the Netherlands and others.
During the four-day Encounter practical workshops as well as dance expert discussions will be held and contemporary dance program by the most famous Lithuanian choreographers and young creators will be organized, presenting up to 10 new dance performances. Addition to this – few Nordic performances or Baltic-Nordic co-productions will be also shown.
What is keðja?
- keðja is Nordic-Baltic dance meetings in the form of Encounters as well as other activities related to the development of contemporary dance.
- keðja is for anyone interested in taking a closer look at how contemporary dance is organized and works in the Nordic-Baltic countries and beyond.
- keðja is for people who want to co-operate across borders to create better circumstances for the art of contemporary dance, and thereby stimulate and develop the art of dance.
- keðja is the Old Norse and Icelandic word for chain and is highly associated with the old Nordic chain dances that are still being danced. The name symbolizes our aim to connect, attach, encircle and move outwards, as well as to strengthen already existing networks.
Download program of events – Vilnius 2016
Practical info
Download Kedja Vilnius map with locations and hotels
Info on the hotels:
Bernardinu B&B House
ECOTEL Reservation form
Litinterp
We look forward to seeing you!
keðjaMariehamn 2014
keðjaMariehamn took place August 6-9 2014 on the self-governing Åland Islands located between Sweden and Finland.
The keðja dance encounters are for dance professionals and students from all Nordic and Baltic countries that want to meet and network, exchange ideas and experiences as well as learn and develop their skills. Participation is free of charge, but requires registration.
keðjaMariehamn was the last of the keðja Encounters in the 2012-2015 project cycle It summed together the outcomes, themes and artistic projects of the keðja activities since 2012. Wilderness, the Mentoring Scheme, Writing Movement as well as the Think Tanks all had their part in the programme.
A sustainable future
The theme of the Encounter was ”Building New Bridges and Sustaining the Community”. We looked at the future of the keðja network and cherished the sense of community that keðja has achieved during the past years and discussed and decided how the fruitful collaboration can be sustained in the future.
The programme consisted of talks, workshops, performances and other ways of sharing artistic work. The programme also included morning classes and plenty of social events that facilitated meeting and networking in the beautiful and inspiring archipelago setting.
On Facebook and under #kedjamariehamn on various social medias, you can find impressions from the Encounter.
During the four days of keðjaMariehamn 14 performances were shown from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. The program included a screening of Nordic dance films and lots of workshops and panel discussions.
keðja collaborated with Åland dance enthusiasts on organizing the ÅlDance Festival that showed local performances by young dancers as well as elder amateurs.
Some outcomes
For a long time there has been a demand for more active touring of performances in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Now keðja is giving birth to a touring network that will be tested next year with an international pilot tour.
An important part of the keðja project is Wilderness Dance, a genuine cooperation between local communities and visiting artists is now established and new performances have been created. The residency programme is planned to continue.
The Mentoring Scheme will be continued by keðja partners in other collaborative structures.
The chain of Encounters will not be broken: on the final day in Mariehamn the ball was passed on to dance colleagues from Dansearena nord in the very North of Norway – the next Encounter will take place beyond the Arctic circle, in Hammerfest in 2015.
Organization
The Encounter was organized by Dance Info Finland in collaboration with the other keðja partners. Other Finnish partners as well as local artists and organizations also took part in the realization of the Encounter.
Proceedings
Notes and results from the Encounter will be published here.
Contact
Project manager, Katarina Lindholm, katarina.lindholm@danceinfo.fi +358 (0) 9 6150 0936
keðjaMariehamn is supported by:
keðjaKlaipeda 2013
The keðjaKlaipėda Encounter took place 13–16 June, 2013.
The theme of the Encounter was: National Artistic Identity in Dance
keðjaKlaipeda Programme (pdf of printed brochure)
keðjaKlaipeda programme overview (pdf)
June 13 2013 Video from the official opening day of keðjaKlaipėda. From keðja – dance activities on Vimeo.
Watch videos/clips from the indoor and outdoor performances in Klaipeda:
June 12 2013 June 14 2013 June 15 2013
Watch TV report (in Lithuanian) from keðjaKlaipėda.
Read the Report/extracts of interview with Goda Giedraityte and Agnija Seiko
Read the Summary of the public discussions
Powerpoint by Laurie Uprichard Identifying Audiences
About the theme – National Artistic Identity in Dance:
The contemporary dance arena in the Baltic-Nordic region is one of the most diverse dance scenes in Europe. However processes of EU expansion, globalization and the international “nature” of the dance scene creates conditions that enhances the loss of national distinction in a work.
- Can contemporary art be influenced by/get local flavor and relate itself to local identity? And if it does, then by what means and techniques do we emphasize our uniqueness?
- How can unique expression in a work be present and the work at the same time communicate widely?
- National artistic identity in dance – myth, speculation or real need?
- National artistic identity in dance: education, expression, perception: how much do we derive from our past, folk traditions, mentality, etc.?
- Does a concept/subject in dance reveal markers of identity?
- Do we have to create universal art to exist in the globalized market?
- Can we find links of collaborations, while emphasizing our distinctiveness?
- Can we sell the identity as a brand?
- Contemporary Europe – beyond identity?
These are some of the questions that were raised in Klaipeda.
Organization
The Encounter was organized by The artist group Fish Eye .
The keðjaKlaipeda Team
Agnija Šeiko
Artistic Programme
agnija@zuviesakis.lt
Goda Giedraitytė
Project Coordinator
goda@zuviesakis.lt
Akvile Eglinskaite
Encounter officer
akvelija@gmail.com
keðjaTallinn 2012
keðjaTallinn took place September 18-20 2012.
The theme of the Encounter was: Dance Partnerships.
View the programme for kedjaTallinn
Read the report
Powerpoint from Kristel Lipand Volunteer Management Cycle
Powerpont from Laura Navndrup The Dance Artist’s Multifunctionality
Some feedback from participants:
- Just getting people together is incredibly beneficial, even beyond all the formal programmes. If everyone of the hundreds of people attending made just one new contact or found one potential partner for a collaboration (not an unreasonable assumption), imagine the overall impact!
- fantastic city, warm welcoming and a lot of fun
- Absolutely important platform for everybody who are working in dance field. Very good with different kind of directions in current Kedja.
- Great – really impressed! Thank you for a fascinating and very enjoyable experience!
- I think it is very necessary and it seems to be leading to very interesting and awarding contacts, ideas and possibilities.
- Inspirational meeting-place with a lot to give to all working with dance.
- people come from different background in dance and bring own points of views, perspectives and opinions on the subjects have been discussed. people are interested in each other.
- it’s very useful to see different experiences and that there are so many ways of educating yourself through different workshops and projects.
- I met wonderful people and got some fresh ideas about world and my profession. Those intensive short meetings are needed to have a little kick to make things come true
- An impressive co-operation and co-ordination project. I think it is a great opportunity to meet cross Scandinavia-Balticum.
- Hats off to the organizing team! A huge project successfully seen through.
keðjaTallinn was organized by The Union of Estonian Dance Artists
Supported by The Estonian Ministry of Culture.