Audience sits in a darkened theatre waiting for the performance to start

Four Days of Artistic Exchange, New Connections and European Collaboration

From 22–25 April 2026, Dance Fest Skopje proudly hosted the Visiting Artist Programme as part of the festival’s 22nd edition, welcoming 6 outstanding contemporary dance artists from across Europe for an intensive programme of performances, professional development, networking and cultural exchange.

The Skopje edition of VAP offered participants a unique opportunity to experience the vibrant contemporary dance scene of North Macedonia while building meaningful international relationships.

Welcoming Artists to Skopje

The programme began with a welcome gathering hosted by the Dance Fest Skopje and Interart Cultural Center team, introducing participants to the festival, its history and its role as one of Southeast Europe’s leading contemporary dance festivals.

More than just an introduction, the meeting created an open and welcoming atmosphere where artists immediately connected with one another, the festival team and the local community, setting the tone for the days ahead.

The six artists participating in the Visiting Artist Programme at Dance Fest Skopje 2026 represented six different European countries and artistic contexts:

Tomáš Danielis — Slovakia
Choreographer, media artist and curator; founder of Radical Empathy.
Dorian Mallia — Malta
Choreographer, performer, educator and Artistic Director of MOVEO Dance Company.
Henri Hütt — Estonia
Artist, performer and curator working across performance, exhibitions and interdisciplinary artistic formats.
Jakub Mędrzycki — Poland
Dancer and choreographer based in Warsaw; President of the Moving Lands Foundation.
Edith Nea Landin — Sweden
Dancer, choreographer and digital artist exploring interactive, web-based and immersive performance.
Tony Tran — Norway
Contemporary dance artist and choreographer.

Group of people pose together in a workshop space

Immersing in Innovation: Motion Capture with Cie Gilles Jobin

One of the highlights of the programme was an exclusive Motion Capture Workshop led by Cie Gilles Jobin and Studio 44, offering participants hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies that are transforming contemporary performance.

The workshop explored the intersection of choreography, digital performance and immersive technologies, demonstrating how motion capture can become a creative tool for artistic research, production and audience engagement. For many participants, it was their first opportunity to work directly with this technology and exchange ideas with internationally recognised pioneers in the field.

A workshop using sensors to map movement and convert it to digital representations on a large screen

Engaging with Europe’s Dance Community

Throughout the festival, the visiting artists were fully integrated into the international professional programme, creating numerous opportunities to connect with more than 60 international delegates attending Dance Fest Skopje.

Festival directors, programmers, producers, curators, cultural managers and representatives of major European dance organisations gathered in Skopje for the Dance Fest PRO Programme, transforming the festival into an important meeting point for the contemporary dance sector.

Through informal conversations, coffee meetings, receptions and networking events, the artists established valuable professional contacts and gained insight into the European touring landscape and future collaboration opportunities.

Three people sit outside on a sunny day chatting

STRETCH: Conversations that Shape the Future

A central part of the programme was participation in STRETCH, a professional platform dedicated to dialogue, knowledge-sharing and sustainable development within the performing arts, presented by Dance Fest in partnership with Diagonal Dance. The sessions and panels were led by Ines Carvalho (Co-founder of Stretch, PR and Communications Specialist), Bernardo Queiros (Co-founder of Stretch, Creative Consultant).

The visiting artists attended a series of inspiring discussions and presentations featuring leading professionals from across Europe, including Risima Risimkin, Carmelo A. Zapparata, representatives of the Moving Balkans platform and numerous international experts.

Topics ranged from artistic collaboration and international touring to funding opportunities, mobility, audience development and the future of cultural cooperation in Europe.

The programme also included a collaborative marketing workshop, where participants worked together with the choreographer Ermira Goro on developing a collective communication strategy for RIDGES, the new Skopje Dance Theater co-production through Moving Balkans, which had its world premiere during the festival. The session demonstrated how artists, producers and communication professionals can jointly create stronger visibility for international collaborative projects.

A panel of people speak in front of an audience in a spall theatre space

Experiencing the Festival

Across four days, the visiting artists experienced the richness and diversity of Dance Fest Skopje’s artistic programme.

They attended world premieres, regional productions and international performances presented within the Skopje Dance Platform, discovering new artistic voices from North Macedonia and the wider Balkan region.

Equally important were the conversations that followed each performance – meeting choreographers, performers and creative teams, discussing artistic processes and exchanging perspectives on contemporary dance practices across Europe.

Connecting with the Next Generation

During the STRETCH workshop the visiting artists met with students from the Dance Department at Goce Delčev University (UGD), one of the region’s few higher education institutions dedicated to contemporary dance.

The encounter created a valuable dialogue between emerging professionals and established international artists, allowing students to learn from different artistic paths while giving the them deeper insight into dance education and the rapidly growing contemporary dance community in North Macedonia.

Crowd in a foyer, Dance Fest Skopje banners in the background

Building Lasting Relationships

Beyond the official programme, the true value of the Visiting Artist Programme emerged through countless informal moments – shared meals, coffee breaks, evening discussions and spontaneous encounters throughout the festival.

These conversations fostered new friendships, artistic inspiration and the beginnings of future collaborations that will continue long after the festival concluded, proving once again that contemporary dance festivals are far more than presentation platforms – they are spaces where artists, presenters, producers and audiences come together to exchange ideas, challenge perspectives and build the future of the European dance community.

Read Tomáš Danielis‘s reflection on his visit at Dance Fest Skopje.

Sunny day, outside with trees, people sit at small tables chatting and drinking coffee

Visiting Artist Programme at Dance Fest Skopje 2026