The second edition of the Moving Balkans Contemporary Dance Showcase, held from 13 to 16 May 2026 in Novi Sad, continues to resonate well beyond the festival itself. A special edition of Aerowaves On Record, dedicated to Moving Balkans 2026, brings together impressions, conversations, texts, audio pieces and drawings, creating a multilayered portrait of both the platform and the contemporary dance scene across the Balkans.

Moving Balkans brings together artists, producers, curators and cultural organisations from across the region with the aim of increasing the international visibility of Balkan contemporary dance and creating sustainable opportunities for mobility, exchange and collaboration. The second edition of the showcase presented 10 selected performances, chosen from 214 applications, alongside six projects within the Dance Scape pitching sessions, professional meetings, discussions, VR presentations, installations and an accompanying programme.

A festival told as an album

Rather than following the format of a conventional festival report, the On Record team approaches the experience as a kind of “album” composed of individual entries. The written reflections are by Daria Ancuța, the audio materials were created and presented by Dany Mitzman, while Anna Benczédi’s drawings add another visual perspective.

The publication moves between critical reflections on performances, short conversations with artists, audio portraits, thoughts on Balkan identity and discussions about the future of regional collaboration.

Among the ten selected performances were two Bulgarian productions — INSERT COIN / PLAYER ONE by Kosta Karakashyan and Last Orbit by Deyan Georgiev. In her text Ten Works in Three Sentences, Daria Ancuța looks at each performance through the lens of its distinctive stage language — from bodily balance and trust in Somatic Freaks – The Proprioceptors Revolution, through the militarised choreographic precision of ALL’ARME, to the relationship between body, screen and memory in Unfolded Moments.

INSERT COIN / PLAYER ONE is described as a kind of live video game in which audience members activate the performers and gradually enter a world that evokes both gaming culture and the attention economy of social media. Interactivity becomes the main driving force in the encounter between performer and spectator, opening questions around attention, control and the ways in which digital environments reshape human interaction.

In Last Orbit, the focus shifts toward slowness, weightlessness and the sensation of moving within another universe. Particular attention is given to Viktor Georgiev’s lighting design and to the minimalist choreographic language through which the performers appear, for a moment, to be released from gravity and from the accelerated rhythm of contemporary life.

Beyond the performances: the people behind the platform

One of the most valuable aspects of On Record is its movement beyond the stage programme itself. In the audio episode Building Balkan Bridges (Brilliantly), artists, guests and participants share their perspectives on the platform. Among the voices featured are Kosta Karakashyan, Deyan Georgiev, Enya Belak, Iztok Kovač and representatives of different European dance organisations.

Through these conversations, a broader picture begins to emerge: the festival is not simply a place for presenting finished work, but also a space for building relationships and creating future opportunities.

This perspective continues in Balkan Movers, where the project partners reflect on what has been achieved since the first edition of Moving Balkans, on the challenges facing the regional dance scene and on the next steps for the network. The conversation also features Atanas Maev from Derida Dance Center, alongside representatives of partner organisations from Romania, Croatia, North Macedonia and Albania.

Derida Dance Center participates in Moving Balkans through Art Link Foundation and is one of the partners within the platform’s international network. In the official On Record credits, the organisation is represented by Atanas Maev.

The final materials also turn attention toward the context of the host country — Serbia — and the city of Novi Sad. Spotlight on Serbia explores the country’s current social, cultural and dance landscape, with a particular focus on the work of host organisation Students’ Cultural Center Novi Sad (SKCNS).

More than documentation

On Record turns Moving Balkans 2026 into something more than an archive of a single festival edition. Through the voices of artists, partners and guests, it reveals a region marked by different artistic aesthetics, working conditions and cultural perspectives, but also by a strong need for connection.

This is precisely what lies at the heart of Moving Balkans: not simply bringing performances together in one place, but gradually building an infrastructure through which Balkan artists can become more visible, tour internationally, find new partners and develop their work beyond national borders.

From the encounters surrounding the performances to the conversations between organisations, On Record captures the process of building these relationships — relationships that continue long after the final performance has ended.