Derida Dance Center
- Address :
32, Tsar Samuil street
1000, Sofia
(ул. Цар Самуил 32
гр. София, 1000) - https://www.derida-dance.com
Derida Dance Center (DDC) is the first contemporary dance center in Bulgaria, founded in 2010 by Atanas Maev (Executive Director) and Jivko Jeliazkov (Art Director). The main mission of the organization is the development of the contemporary dance scene and the positioning of Bulgarian independent art in a European and global context. For its successful implementation, DDC develops activities in the following areas: production activity (Derida Company), Bulgarian and international residency program, curatorial activity, educational and training program, development of new audiences.
All local and international projects of the organization are implemented through the ART LINK FOUNDATION, and most of the activities are presented at the DERIDA STAGE.
DERIDA STAGE is an independent stage for contemporary performing arts whose program is curated by the DDC team and includes diverse genre forms: dance, theater, performance, visual arts, circus, cinema, photography and art exhibitions. The space was created in 2019 and is recognized as one of the main locations for contemporary performing arts in Sofia. In addition to access to quality cultural content, DERIDA STAGE guests have the opportunity to engage in discussions with guest artists, both on stage and informally at the space of the two adjoining bars.
SHORT BIOS OF MEMBERS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT
Atanas Maev, Executive Director
Atanas Maev is a co-founder of Derida Dance Center and “Derrida Stage”, part of the board of Aerowaves- dance across Europe (2016-2018) and European Dancehouse Network (from 2022), Executive producer of the showcase festival Spring Forward which presents a selection of 20 Europe’s best performances by emerging choreographers.
Thanks to him, the management model of the Derrida Dance Center was selected from among 240 examples from around the world and included as a model for successful cultural entrepreneurship in the postgraduate textbook “International Arts Entrepreneurship: Innovative Strategies and Cases”.
In January 2014, Derrida Dance Center’s residency program was awarded by experts of the European Commission to the General Directorate “Culture and Education” as a good practice for the exchange of artistic experience in Europe, along with four others.
As a result of his work, Derida Dance Center is a partner in numerous international projects, implements a year-round training program in the field of contemporary dance Dance PORT Derida and works with various social groups. From 2013 to 2020, Derida Dance Center has supported the production of over 100 dance and theater performances by freelance artists.
Jivko Jeliazkov, Artistic Director
Jivko Jeliazkov studied “Acting for Theatre and Film” and specialized in “Dance Theater Directing” at NATFA “Krastyo Sarafov” in the period 1995-2001. He continued his education specializing in contemporary choreography at the “Victorian College of the Arts” in Melbourne, Australia. In 2016 he completed a Master’s degree in “Contemporary dance techniques” at the Academy for Music, Dance and Visual Arts in Plovdiv. He is a choreographer and director of more than 40 performances in the field of contemporary dance and theater and is the artistic director of several European projects such as “Rivers of Europe” and “CLASH”.
In his projects, Jivko Jeliazkov often collaborates with visual artists, implementing new technologies (FRACTUS, TELEPORT, MAY DAY, MONOCROSSING). Influenced by his theater education he explores different forms of interaction between theater and dance and works with both dancers and actors (VIVA VERDI, THE FINAL END, ZEN PLAY, MISS JULIA).
He is the winner of the National award IKAR for “Contemporary Dance and Performance” in 2017 with his performance S INNER, and in 2018 his performance F 63.9 was ranked in the TOP 20 of the European platform AEROWAVES.
Jivko Jeliazkov is co-founder and artistic director of DERIDA DANCE CENTER and DERIDA STAGE. He is the founder of the training program for contemporary dance at DANCE PORT DERIDA and conducts workshops Bulgaria, Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.
Miroslava Georgieva, Project Manager
Miroslava Georgieva graduated from Sofia University with a degree in cultural studies. She worked at the Euro-Bulgarian Cultural Center, and for the last 15 years she was Programs Coordinator at Tulip Foundation – one of the largest funding organizations in the social sphere in Bulgaria. She also coordinated projects with European funding under the Erasmus+ Program of the EC. In September 2022, she joined the team of the Art Link Foundation.
Supporting institutions
