In his introspective solo I Am Placebo, Michal Heriban explores the relativity of the present moment. He questions how memory, the subconscious, and habits influence our actions, our perception of ourselves, and the world around us. The intriguingly layered stage design—featuring a projection screen, a mirror, and shirts hanging on the wall—creates an impression of a multidimensional reality, a space where we can glimpse the past, be alone with ourselves, and dare to reveal our true selves—whether genuinely or only seemingly. In this dynamic and physically demanding choreography, precise and structured movements alternate with improvisation, mirroring life itself—if we can organize and reassess the past, we have a foundation to rely on when facing unexpected challenges in the present.

Mira Kovářová

A dance-visual performance with choreography by Michal Heriban and original, evocative music by Jozef Vlk explores the themes of human memory, automated behavior stored in the subconscious, unconscious habits, and conscious programming. Thorugh three episodes and three movement approaches, the audience observes how body memory, structured choreography, and improvisation behave in a mutual flow.

Reflection of Slovak Dance Platform performances

MOVING DANCE – How Can We Work Together? – possibilities of cooperation in the V4 region

MOVING DANCE Pitching Session – 12 projects from V4 countries

MOVING DANCE: Infrastructure for dance in the V4 countries

Walking Songs was created through collective collaboration. It brings to the stage a visually striking projection, live music, and dance, blended together in a way that sometimes feels more organic and at other times less so, yet always performed with high artistic quality by dancers and musicians. The performance consists of three parts, each with a distinct poetics and atmosphere. The first part is dominated by metaphorical imagery, supported by movement, projections, and brief verbal reflections by the performers. The second part is playful, featuring brilliantly executed and vibrant interactions between musicians and dancers. The final section highlights the dancers’ interpretative performances, showcasing their virtuosity not only in movement but also in spoken expression. Marta Poláková’s ambitious project fully utilizes the potential of its creators, the spatial and technical possibilities of the Aréna Theatre, and conveys to the audience the necessity of collaboration and the freedom of choice.

Mira Kovářová

Walking Songs combines contemporary dance, live music, and visual projection into a unique artistic dialogue. Each medium contributes its own language to reveal the creators´ intentions, reflections, and emotions, translating them into metaphorical imagery. At times playful, at others urgent, they communicate the necessity of collaboration and free decision-making. The performance was created as a collective work and offers a unique insight into the possibilities of active perception – a play with body, space, time, silence, and words. It invites the audience to freely explore the infinite interconnections and the meanings that emerge from them. During the performance, both creators and performers intuitively respond to each other and to the dramaturgical structure, which allows them the freedom for creative decision-making in the present moment. Renowned Slovak dancers and dancers and exceptional Slovak musicians, dedicated to the open form of dance and music performance, collaborated on this production.

DREAM by choreographer Lucia Holinová and co-author of the concept Zuzana Očenášová-Vasičáková brings stories of dreaming, nightmares, hidden desires, fears, and unfulfilled ideas of the self. Dreams unfold in abstract images, unrestrained and guided by their own logic—an intuitively tuned functionality of absurdity. Into Nina Pixel’s music, the sound resonances of observer-performers playing meditation bowls are interwoven, serving as a kind of commentary. Subtle shifts and nuances in the music accompany gentle ruptures on stage, unpredictable changes in atmosphere. Performers and co-authors of the choreography—Lukáš Bobalik, Katarína Chilli Čillíková, Daniel Raček, and Paulína Šmatláková—bring the best of their diverse dance backgrounds into the intricately crafted movement concept. Their dance transitions into weightlessness with acrobatic ease, only to become fully grounded again in hip-hop sequences or to stir the atmosphere with the drama of expressive movement. Daniel Raček brilliantly takes on the role of mediator. In his solo with a mask (designed by Jozef Kurinec), he encapsulates the multidimensionality of the dream world. Costumes by Veronika Keresztesová, together with lighting design by Róbert Polák, create a magical visual symbiosis, playfully working with unsettling details and provocative contrasts. In her project, Holinová avoids melancholic tones, confidently moving along the fine line between miracles and reality. The fluidity of movement integrates the flow of time, where past, present, and future slip away from the linear axis and play with the viewer’s perception.

Monika Čertezni

The choreographer and the dancers, with variety of dancing backgrounds – including modern dance, street dance, martial arts, and classical dance – and of different ages, bring a fresh physical context to the performance. The piece merges meditative scenes, in which dancers transforms into musicians, playing on crystal bowls while seated. The central thematic thread of the performance is abstraction and absurdity of dreams, their plurality of meanings, drawn from biological processes, intuition, and, above all, an infinite amount of stories.
The music for the performance is composed by Slovak producer and DJ Nina Pixel, who is based in Berlin. Her work ranges from techno to dark doom ambient, incorporating folklore and traditional elements. She has been exploring the theme of dreams for several years.