Danube Dance Alliance Captivates Audiences in Trbovlje and Celje

Trbovlje and Celje, 23 September 2026 – The international artistic dance production D. Dance Alliance continued its performances in Slovenia, where in September it concluded the premieres of its international dance tour. Once again, it brought contemporary dance together with unique spaces, local stories, digital technologies and communities. On 16 September 2026, dance miniatures and a screening of the VR film Dancescapes opened Speculum Artium, the festival of new media culture in Trbovlje, and the final dance premiere took place the following day. In Trbovlje, the production came to life inside the chimney of the former thermal power plant, which became the backdrop for a contemporary dance production and a space for a new artistic experience. In the performance KODA (CODE), choreographer and dancer Nik Rajšek explored the relationship between human and robot, and how the two worlds can find a common language and complement each other.

A week later, on 23 September 2026, the D.Dance Alliance production visited Celje, where the cultural evening »Between movement, space and the digital world« preceded the opening of the international conference »Regions 2030+: Building Resilient, Competitive, and Investment-Ready Communities.« Here too, visitors could view the VR film Dancescapes 360. The artistic programme was curated by Celje dance artist Mojca Majcen, artistic director of the D.Dance Alliance project and co-founder of the Balkan Dance Project network. Visitors watched dance miniatures created within the international production by leading contemporary choreographers and dancers from the Western Balkans, and experienced dance through virtual reality.

International dance tour

Dance Alliance takes contemporary dance beyond traditional cultural centres and connects it with architecture, immersive technology and, above all, the people who live in these spaces. During the tour, the production linked five different locations – Trbovlje, Velenje, Svetvinčenat, Belgrade and Sarajevo – and created at each one a performance tailored to the local setting. Audiences entered abandoned and repurposed spaces, from a former coal mine and an industrial chimney to a park, a fountain and a derelict bathhouse.

The performances of the international tour were created by choreographers Aleksandar Ilić, Maša Kolar, Branko Mitrović, Nik Rajšek and Ognjen Vučinić, and Enya Belak directed the VR film Dancescapes 360. Their works explore the interplay between the physical and the digital, the intimate and the monumental, and the local and the international. The film Dancescapes 360 immerses viewers in dance and explores themes of forgotten stories, communities, time and the reawakening of the body.

Each choreography draws on the stories and memories of its place, and all five performances share a common idea: reflecting on the future of places and communities through their past. An important part of the production is the 360-degree version of the performances, which uses immersive technology to let the artistic content travel between countries and reach wider audiences. More than 11,000 artists and members of local communities took part in the co-production, contributing their stories, experiences and responses to the final performances.

The final premiere in Trbovlje and the performance in Celje therefore also offered a broader view of the role of culture in community development. Regional development is driven by investment, infrastructure and funding, while culture and creativity give places identity, substance and life. It is precisely by connecting different fields – art, technology, space and people – that new ways emerge of understanding the places we live in and of shaping their future together.

D.Dance Alliance will continue its tour until the end of the year, when the film Dancescapes will visit numerous cities across the Danube region. Alongside a range of workshops and talks, it will also be presented at events and in schools, and will be available as part of permanent experiences at various cultural institutions. Follow our news for further dates and viewing opportunities.

A short video highlight from Trbovlje is available HERE, and the photo gallery from Celje HERE.

The D. Dance Alliance project is co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe programme. Slovenian participation in the project is also co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Public Administration.