Derida Company launches the project “Whisper from the Past” in partnership with the
Kazanlak Art Gallery, financed under European Union – NextGenerationEU
Derida Company is embarking on a new project, “Whisper from the Past,” implemented
in partnership with the Art Gallery in Kazanlak and with financial support from the
European Union – NextGenerationEU. The initiative aims to create a contemporary
dance and visual performance inspired by the region’s rich historical, archaeological,
and cultural heritage.

The project will conduct an in-depth exploration of the work of Bulgarian artists
influenced by the archaeological findings and cultural symbols of Kazanlak—a land of
Thracian treasures and the Valley of Roses, and the birthplace of many notable
Bulgarian creators. A special focus will be placed on the Thracian Tomb of
Kazanlak—the first Bulgarian site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List—which
has inspired artistic interpretations and cultural practices for decades.

The research findings will be integrated into the performance’s dramaturgy through
three core components: dance, visual environment, and sound. Fragments from
selected artworks will form a digital composition projected onto the facade of the
Kazanlak Art Gallery—the “White Stone Beauty,” designed in the 1980s by architects
Ivan Bitrakov, Yakim Petrov, and Georgi Papagalov. Transforming the facade into a
“canvas” for visual metamorphosis and the dancers’ interaction with the building’s
architecture will transport audiences into an abstract realm where cultural memory and
historical symbols are reinterpreted in the context of globalization and the dynamics of
identity.

At the end of the project, the performance will also be presented outside Bulgaria. A VR
recording of the show will be screened in Sofia for communities in the neighborhoods of
Filipovtsi and Fakulteta, as well as in the refugee centers in Ovcha Kupel and Voenna
Rampa, followed by discussions with members of the creative team.

The project “Whisper from the Past” is funded by the European Union –
NextGenerationEU under Contract No. BG-RRP-11.020-0114-C01. The sole
responsibility for the content of this text lies with Derida Dance EOOD, and under no
circumstances can it be regarded as reflecting the official position of the European
Union or the National Culture Fund.