From 3rd to 9th of March 2025, the Swedish contemporary dance company ilDance visited Viminacium for a week-long co-creation residency. Their stay combined field exploration, craft knowledge, and community storytelling to shape the foundations of a new site-specific performance.

The residency was organized by the Institute of Archaeology with the support of local partners and communities, including Society “Od knjige do duše”, Elderly Home “Homoljski raj”, Contra teatar Dance Club, Amadeus Dance Club, librarians and student actors from Požarevac gymnasium, as well as Institute of archaeology and Viminacium experts. Workshops and meetings unfolded across Limes Park, Viminacium Archaeological Park, and cultural venues in Požarevac.

ilDance’s program began with a traditional crafts workshop (knitting, crochet, sewing, woodworking and cuisine), followed by a guided tour of Viminacium (including Memoria) to gather site-specific stories for choreography, music and costume ideas. The team then led a storytelling workshop with elderly participants, explored performance themes with a local librarian, and held a technical meeting on staging, sound and light design. They met with members of the Psychological center Kostolac for a discussion-and-movement session on dance and mental health, visited city museums and galleries and the Tulba ethnographic park, and worked with local actors and young talents through text analysis and rehearsal sessions. The week concluded with a series of open contemporary dance classes and movement workshops for local dancers in collaboration with Amadeus Dance Club and Contra teatar, fostering collaboration, knowledge transfer, and shared inspiration.

Through these encounters, ilDance wove together intergenerational narratives, traditional skills, and contemporary movement practice, ensuring the upcoming performance grows from local stories, places, and people.