Over the past two months, the team of Derida Dance Center has taken part in a series of significant international events, professional meetings, and regional initiatives in the field of contemporary dance. These activities are part of the organisation’s consistent work to develop international partnerships, promote the Bulgarian dance scene, and create new opportunities for artists from Bulgaria and the Balkan region.
Between 14 and 16 April, cultural manager and co-founder of Derida Dance Center Atanas Maev attended the Dansa València Festival in Spain. Within the framework of the Missió Inversa initiative, organised by AVED DANZA – the Valencian Association of Dance Companies- he presented the working model of Derida Dance Center and the organisation’s experience in developing the independent dance scene.
As part of the professional programme Nice to Meet You, the regional contemporary dance platform Moving Balkans, was presented. Derida Dance Center plays a key role as the platform’s coordinator.
On 17 April, in his capacity as a member of the European Dance Development Network – EDN, Atanas Maev took part in the presentation of the #DanceMattersEurope initiative together with Eduardo Bonito from Dance Festivals Network Europe and Jazmín Chiodi, Artistic Director of Dublin Dance Festival.
The initiative brings together European dance organisations to make the social value of dance and the need for sustainable policies for its development more visible.
Between 22 and 27 April, the international programme continued in North Macedonia. As part of Dance Fest Bitola two performances digitised in virtual reality format within the Moving Balkans Showcase 2025 . were presented. One of them was Saline Nebula by the Bulgarian tandem Stanislav Genadiev and Violeta Vitanova. Both works were part of the Top 10 selection of the platform’s first edition. This was followed by participation in Dance Fest Skopje, which brought together artists, producers, and international professionals, including participants in the Visiting Artist Programme.
At the beginning of May, Derida Dance Center also took part in Spring Forward – the annual festival of the European platform Aerowaves, presenting its prestigious Top 20 selection.
The 15th edition took place between 6 and 9 May in Guimarães, Portugal. Derida Dance Center has been a partner of Aerowaves since 2012, and its participation in the network is supported by Sofia Municipality. The visit was also connected with the preparation of the programme for Derida Dance Fest in November, which traditionally presents performances from the Aerowaves Twenty selection.
Immediately after Spring Forward, the team travelled to Novi Sad, Serbia, for the second edition of the Moving Balkans Contemporary Dance Showcase.
Atanas Maev was joined by the other co-founder and Artistic Director of Derida Dance Center, Jivko Jelyazkov, as well as Project and Operations Manager Mira Georgieva.
Between 13 and 16 May, the showcase presented ten selected performances, six projects within the Dance Scape, pitching format, five co-productions created in partnership between organisations from the platform, and two performances in virtual reality format.
Moving Balkans brings together partners from 12 countries and works towards greater visibility, mobility, and sustainable development of contemporary dance in the Balkans. The platform is supported by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme, as well as by the Bulgarian National Culture Fund.
After returning to Sofia, the team took part in the Bulgarian Dance Platform in the frame of Antistatic.
Derida Stage was one of the main venues of the event, while Mirror of Illusions by Derida Company was programmed as the closing performance. The platform was attended by nearly 30 delegates from different parts of the world and took place as part of the 19th edition of the Antistatic International Festival for Contemporary Dance and Performance.
On 21 May, the Balkan tour of the Moving Balkans VR programme also began. The digitised performances were presented to different audiences in Athens, Greece; at the Youth Centre in Korçë, Albania; and in Pristina, Kosovo.
The international programme concluded with a visit to One Dance Festival in Plovdiv between 29 and 31 May — an opportunity for new meetings, an exchange of ideas, and discussions about future partnerships. Participants in the Visiting Artist Programme were also present during the festival in Plovdiv, with One Dance Festival. serving as the programme’s Bulgarian partner.
The intensive months of April and May highlighted the different directions of Derida Dance Center’s work: developing international networks, supporting artistic mobility, promoting the Bulgarian dance scene, strengthening regional cooperation, creating its own dance productions, and using new technologies to reach wider audiences.
Derida Company is currently beginning work on a new production, while preparations are also underway for the summer module of the international residency programme.
