The announcement comes on the heels of this year’s Prix Jardin d’Europe, announced last weekend as part of Belgium’s third Working Title dance festival, which ran from Dec. 3-13 in Brussels.French choreographer Claire Croizé won first prize with her choreography titled “The Farewell,” which she composed around Gustav Mahler’s final compositions, “The Song of the Earth” and the Third Movement of the Ninth Symphony.
The second prize was shared by three choreographers: Chilean-born Belgium-based artist Varinia Canto Vila for her work “During Beginning Ending,” which explores “midway” situations as the most truthful moments to see intentions, projects and desires; Romanian artist Florin Flueras for his “A Brave Search for the Ultimate Reality,” in which he humorously suggests and doubts at the same time the transformative power of art; and Belgium-based Portuguese artist Lilia Mestre for “The Live-in-Room,” which explores a radically different medium to make a dance out of only sound and space. The four winners were selected from among 24 dances by emerging artists from 15 countries, the event’s organizers said in a written statement.
The Prix Jardin d’Europe, launched in 2008, recognizes the most remarkable young choreographers of contemporary dance across Europe. The event is a joint effort by dance institutions from 10 European countries within the framework of the European Union Culture Program. The Turkish partner of the project is the İstanbul-based Bimeras Cultural Foundation, the organizer of the iDANS International Contemporary Dance and Performance Festival.
The prize is awarded annually within the framework of various cooperating festivals.
The announcement that the next Prix Jardin d’Europe event will be hosted in İstanbul was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience at this year’s ceremony in Brussels. Aydin Silier, the president of the Bimeras Cultural Foundation, which will organize presentation of the next Prix Jardin d’Europe within the framework of the fourth iDANS festival in October 2010, said the interest shown in İstanbul across Europe put “a great responsibility on our shoulders.”
Next year’s iDANS festival will explore the concept of “Cosmopolitanism.” Artists selected from numerous European countries to compete for the Prix Jardin d’Europe will also be asked to research this theme. The festival will encompass a number of other activities, including workshops, street events, symposiums and projects in various schools to foster creativity in the classroom.
