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Balkan Dance Project: Dance Workshop

Mojca Majcen

Thursday, 18th September, ob 14.30 in 18.00

workshop

The workshop is designed in two thematic sections to provide a integral dance experience.

Part 1: Technical Preparation and Warm-up
Through a guided warm-up, participants will gradually activate their bodies, develop awareness of their center of movement, and stretch basic muscle groups. The warm-up will be based on a combination of exercises from modern dance techniques and elements of floorwork, with an emphasis on fluidity, control, and movement dynamics. The goal of this part is to develop technical readiness, physical coordination, and sensitivity for the subsequent work on the repertoire.

Part 2: Repertoire and Creative Interpretation
The second part is dedicated to exploring and learning the repertoire from selected performances of the Balkan Dance Project. Participants will learn specific dance sequences from the current repertoire and, through them, develop an understanding of dance phrasing, dynamics, and stylistic specifics. In addition to learning the movement material, the focus will also be on guided improvisation, through which dancers will seek their own interpretations of movement and explore new possibilities of expression. In this way, they will learn how to transcend the repertoire and transform it into a personal movement experience.

Workshop participants will:
– Develop technical knowledge and physical fitness through exercises in modern and floorwork techniques.
– Get to know and master movement material from the Balkan Dance Project’s repertoire.
– Develop individual interpretation and explore new expressive possibilities through guided improvisation.
– Strengthen the connection between technical discipline and creative freedom.

Mojca Majcen graduated from the Secondary Ballet School in Maribor and has perfected her knowledge at home and abroad (Budapest, Saint Petersburg, Vienna, Berlin, the Netherlands), under the mentorship of renowned pedagogues and choreographers. For her work, she has received the Bronze Coat of Arms of Celje (2011), the title of best dancer on the Parada plesa (Dance Parade) portal (2012, 2021), and the Celjska Zvezda (Celje Star) award for artistic achievements (2022).
As a dancer and assistant choreographer, she regularly collaborates with reputable theaters and national ballets across the region (Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Uzbekistan), where she co-creates classical and contemporary ballet productions. She has performed in successful Balkan Dance Project productions such as Zvezdica Zaspanka (Sleepy Little Star), Crave, Re-start, Svi Marš na ples (Everybody Dance Now), and others. She is one of the initiators and producers of the Balkan Dance Project, which connects dancers and choreographers from the Balkans. Within the platform, ten full-length performances by nine choreographers have been created, seen by more than 30,000 spectators at over 40 venues in the region. Mojca is the initiator and selector of the “dance cycle” in the Municipality of Celje.

The workshop is part of the Danube Dance Alliance project, which supports a broader vision of promoting contemporary dance in the Danube region through cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation. The project is co-financed by the European Union.