Contemporary dance art can be very surprising! Dancers no longer recount tales with folklore motifs and legends about olden times. The battle between good and evil is now being interpreted in the context of the present day when the audience is left to decide on its own what side to take.

This trend shows prominently in SINNER, the show directed by choreographer Jivko Jeliazkov. His work has been nominated for the Icarus 2017 Awards based on the provocative and original way in which it tables an old problem that remains unsolved even in the times of booming technology. From the stage at Derida Dance Center where the show is on he guides the audience to a journey exploring human vanity which is often insatiable. Sometimes vanity means killing thousands of animals for the sake of their precious skins. More from Jivko Jeliazkov:

„My theme derives from an archaic practice of using the resources of nature without caring about the harm we cause to other living things. In most cases, we, humans, are mostly driven by vanity. My show accentuates animals and the skins we take away from them. Today, owing to technology, we can satisfy our needs thanks to artificial materials. I see the problem in that we need more balance. There is not much sin in being a bit vain, but we also need measure. It is one thing to have two pairs of genuine leather shoes to keep you warm in the winter and it is a lot different to keep a whole wardrobe full of shoes and clothes of genuine leather that help you look more important than the rest of your circle. We do not condemn anybody with our show but rather try to encourage the audience to think about the right balance. Our treatment of animals and nature is important. It is indicative of how we treat humans too.”

Jivko Jeliazkov's concept stems from the problem of the spoilt consumer society and connects it with another neglected norm: tolerance among people. „Without tolerance we would have no way to be free and express our ideas and feelings untroubled”, saysJivko Jeliazkov. He believes his contribution to tolerance is the founding of the Derida Dance Center. It invites on its stage young people of art offering off-the-wall approach in dance. Last year the team of the center led by Jivko Jeliazkovreceived a distinction from the European Commission as one of the three most successful European models of entrepreneurship in management of culture.

„We work a lot on the social aspect and attract people open to contemporary art who have innovative understanding of themselves and can come across with a creative perception of the world.Also, with time the place has emerged as the stage for a new kind of dance productions. Under our international program, about 20 choreographers annually are given the chance to work here. They stage their shows and partner with very good Bulgarian dancers. This is a good chance, as talents can benefit from our stage. We also meet guest choreographers from USA, Taiwan, Africa, various European countries and this way we attract new and different people who demonstrate new ideas, approaches and styles in the art of dance.”

English Daniela Konstantinova