DANCE CARAVAN IS STARTING FROM NIS
September 7th
Dance Caravan aimed at presenting and promoting artistic dance through artistic, creative, and above all interactive programs in 15 cities in Serbia, was presented today in Nis in the presence of Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who was the sponsor of the project. The caravan is realized by the National Foundation 4 Artistic Dance and the Belgrade Dance Festival, supported by the Art Mentor Foundation from Lucerne and the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia. During the next four months, until December, the citizens of Nis, Kragujevac, Pirot, Subotica, Vranje, as well as the citizens of Novi Pazar, Negotin, Kraljevo, Vrsac, Valjevo, Strpce, Uzice, Cacak, Zrenjanin and Smederevo will have the opportunity to participate in the Dance Caravan.
The director of National Foundation 4 Artistic Dance Aja Jung explained that the idea of the Dance Caravan was to offer numerous activities through a three-day program each city, popularize classic ballet and modern dances to all interested participants and visitors. The youngest will have the opportunity to get involved in educational workshops, talk to their peers who attend professional ballet schools in Belgrade and Pancevo, while parents will be able to consult with pedagogues and experts. All content is free, and the goal is to involve at least 3,000 citizens through three-day activities.
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out that it was very important to start generating generations that will be creative and widely educated and would have developed political thought. “Research has shown that the main reason for moving people from smaller communities to larger cities, besides the economic, is the lack of cultural content. For this reason, the decentralization of culture, i.e. allowing access to cultural content in all areas, is of great importance for the Government of the Republic of Serbia. For these reasons, we are trying to bring the culture closer to everyone, and that is why we support projects like Dance Caravan. Brnabic added that culture and the creative industry had huge potential for economic development, employment and promotions around the world, and that the Government and the line ministry had several important cultural projects of national importance. “One of the priorities of the Government of Serbia is, opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art, in October, finally, after 10 years of waiting and the opening of the National Museum in the spring of next year. Their rich treasuries will again be available to the public, and young artists will eventually get space to exhibit their work. It is also important that the Museum of Contemporary Art will have its own space for children. For Serbia, it is also important that the City of Novi Sad is chosen to be the Capital of Youth in 2019 and the Capital of Culture in 2021. This will greatly help in the promotion of the culture of our country, “the Prime Minister said. She added that the Government would continue to support cultural projects because culture was an important segment of our society and perhaps we did not pay enough attention to it.
Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that this was a good opportunity for Nis to run for a new, future capital of culture: “I thank the Prime Minister who is supporting all significant projects for Nis and South Serbia. I want this project to be successful and I promise that as a local self-government we will support projects in the field of culture within the limits of our possibilities and give a contribution to our country progressing in a cultural sense. The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Mayor and Swiss Ambassador to Serbia, Philip Ge, visited the exhibition of photographs and thus opened officially the Dance Caravan. Nis will be the first city in Serbia, to have free ballet and modern dance classes for children, performances, lectures, as well as the film program. The caravan then moves to Pirot and Vranje.
