“Weaving bridges” served as a platform of exchange between Polish and Belarus art communities. It was initiated by Art Stations Foundation and Plastforma festival in Minsk and realized in collaboration with Szczecin based Witryna Kultury foundation and Lublin Dance Theater.
Centering the project around choreographic research, it became an expression of belief that sharing knowledge and anchoring meetings on both practice and discourse around the art of choreography, can serve as an efficient tool to bring closer communities and support each other in a moment of crisis and uncertainty. While Polish and Belarussian artists seem so close to each other geographically, yet they are so far apart when it comes to choreographic developments. That is due to current political critical circumstances as well as to totally different ways how understanding of contemporary choreography and dance was developing (or not) through the latest history. There are also extremely different day to day conditions under which both communities operate. Last but not least, it is also due to how little critical creative exchange has been developed so far between our two neighboring communities.
We believe the time for a change is now. When the world falls apart in front of our eyes, we wish to be together and reach out to each other for support. And prepare for a process of rebuilding our world anew from pieces… Thus we dedicate ourselves to throwing bridges between our two communities. Trusting that a seed of change is planted in every ex-change, we hope also our gentle actions will become the first step on the way to establishing sustainable two ways connection and communication. We want to do it with care, giving it enough time for truly human interactions, and with full respect and understanding for where we come from, where we stand and where we wish to head in future. Weaving our desires, hopes and inspirations into a delicate fabric of our relation and further also, into our co-creations.
What we certainly share is a deep belief that a rich field of choreographic practices can empower us in the moment of crisis and offer us alternative scenarios of being and working together. Contemporary choreography is the art that more than any other has always been a field of mindful collaborations; respectful of diversity, multiculturalism and as such always seeking to engage in a non-hierarchical creative process dedicating itself also to careful social reflection. As such, it can serve as an expression of solidarity and means of imagining and implementing possible better futures of our communities – futures we so much look forward to in the time of pandemic, but first of all, in the moment of severe political crisis in Belarus.
The project consisted of 3 parts: online meeting session between Polish and Belarus art communities (realized in April/May 2021), support of artistic process (coaching and residency) of Belarus artist Eugenija Nikolaichuk whose work “Somebody’s home” was premiered in Minsk within Plastforma Festival on September 1st, connecting and working visit of Plastforma directors – Inna Aslamova and Maria Fomienko – to Szczecin and presentation of the premiere by NIkolaichuk at Lublin Dance Theatre festival in November 2021.
