6 June 2025
20:00
Great hall of Španski borci
Gala Dance Evening of Alma Mater Europaea – Dance Academy
“I would believe only in a god who could dance.”
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
“I would believe only in a god who could dance,” wrote Nietzsche, stressing that truth does not dwell in rigid structures but in movement, effort, grace and transformation; and he continues: “I do not know what the spirit of a philosopher could more wish to be than a good dancer. For dance is his ideal, his art and finally the only form of piety he knows.”
This Gala evening, too, is not merely a display of technical skill but a space for reflection, for creative energies and for dialogue between the lecturers and the students of the Dance Academy. The genre-rich programme was not short of alliance between music and dance, as the evening was enriched by the outstanding accordion virtuoso Rihard Zadravec – Riki.
Musical guest:
Rihard Zadravec – Riki – accordion
Participating lecturers:
Lucija Velkavrh, Matevž Česen, Jadran Živkovič, Tamara Divjak, Maša Kagao Knez, Petra Gabor, Igor Kirov, Marija Obradović, Milica Cerović, Urša Rupnik, Rosana Hribar
Performing students of Alma Mater Europaea – Dance Academy:
Orly Manakhimov, Tjaša Cerkovnik, Farah Jušić, Dunja Gavrilov, Alina Košir, Nadezhda Sizova, Tatiana Filipenko, Sofija Kozarić, Anastasia Svirko, Sara Pucihar, Lija Mozetič, Jelena Radoičić, Margarita Šunjić, Paskal Vertačnik-Vrbovšek, Irina Antonijevič, Daša Resnik
Programme coordinators: Rosana Hribar and Lucija Velkavrh
Lighting and sound design: technical support by Zavod EN-KNAP
Production: Alma Mater Europaea – Dance Academy,
programme partner CK Španski borci 2025
The Gala evening offered a high-quality presentation of the dance skills acquired over the academic year and, at the same time, an insight into the creative and teaching methods developed by the students and lecturers of the Dance Academy. Sixteen students appeared on stage, supported by 13 mentors from different fields of dance. The dance pieces drew on contemporary dance, ballet, jazz and urban dance styles.
Alma Mater Europaea – Dance Academy is not only an educational institution but a point of reference for the development of dance art and pedagogy in the wider region.
This year’s production is further proof that Alma Mater Europaea – Dance Academy is following its vision of connecting artistic education with practice, research and professional development. The students’ performances delighted both the professional and the general public and confirmed the high level of knowledge, creativity and commitment that they bring to the Slovenian and the wider European cultural space.
