National Foundation for Dance

The FOUNDATION

The National Foundation for Dance was founded in 2009 in Belgrade, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, with the aim of improving the process of education and production in the field of ballet and dance in Serbia.

Extensive work on the systematization of knowledge in the field of dance, the introduction and development of education processes for different professions within the same field, as well as cooperation with related institutions in the country and abroad, is only a part of the basic tasks of the Foundation. The Foundation creates administrative, organizational, and financial conditions for continuous work with young talents in Serbia and the region. It represents a bridge between the experience of older generations and those who have yet to contribute to the development and affirmation of dance.

In 2011, the National Foundation for Dance, in cooperation with the Ballet school of the Academy of Teatro alla Scala from Milan, launched a program for the education of professional ballet dancers. In addition to the renowned local and foreign teaching staff, young ballet talents are developed under constant supervision of guest ballet dancers, choreographers, and pedagogues, orthopedists, and experts in the fields of music, acting, directing and the history of dance. From the school year 2012/2013, the Foundation began its cooperation with the Vaganova Ballet Academy from St. Petersburg, The Academy for Dance from Rome and the Beijing Dance Academy, which enabled an even more intensive circulation of the world’s best experts in the field of ballet pedagogy, as well as responsible work with ballet talents.

In cooperation with these, as well as other prestigious ballet schools and institutions from around the world, the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance began operating in Belgrade in September 2011, recognized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia, with an accreditation on eight years professional education program. This accreditation  by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia, was launched in 2017.

The first production of the National Foundation for Dance was the piece „The Damn Yard“ based on novel by Nobel prized Ivo Andrić, music composed by Zoran Erić’s, directed by Nebojša Bradić and choreographed by Dana Ruttenberg from Israel, which premiered at the Budva City Theater Festival in 2014, followed by performances at the Belgrade National Theater, bus also guest appearances in Cetinje, Tivat, Sombor, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, Banja Luka…

After that, the Foundation produced performance „Stranger“, based on the motifs of Camus novel, choreographed by the young artist Miloš Isailović. The premiere took place in December 2016, at the theater Vuk in Belgrade.

Another successful premiere – the presentation of works by Italian choreographer Paolo Mangiola and Croatian choreographer Staša Zurovac took place in December, the same year, on the stage of Mikser House. This was also the first dance performance in this popular Belgrade space. Extraordinary interest and a packed hall, as well as a special atmosphere, accompanied this evening. Paolo Mangiola, known to the Belgrade audience from the Belgrade Dance Festival, prepared the piece „Partitura“ for seven students of, while Staša Zurovac prepared the piece „The Dance Lessons for Adults and Advanced“ for 10 students. The pieces were a true ode to the aesthetics of the women’s movement, in the interpretation of the students of the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance, that they performed later successfuly in numerous theaters, as well as at the international ballet competitions (Lecce, Italy).

In 2017, the National Foundation for Dance and the Belgrade Dance Festival, with the support of the Art Mentor Foundation from Lucerne and the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of the Republic of Serbia, started the implementation of the Dance Caravan project, which took place under the auspices of Ana Brnabić, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia. 38 cities were involved in this multidisciplinary project, which aims to bring classical ballet and contemporary dance closer to all interested participants and visitors through various activities.

The Dance Caravan encouraged the education and scholarship of talents, involved a whole new audience in following ballet and contemporary dance, and at the same time directed local organizations to develop a production network and set the foundations of creative industries, observing the cultural offer as a valuable tourist potential. Through the intensive program of the first Dance Caravan, the level of interest of the audience, the possibility of further involvement of talented children in various programs, as well as the technical capacities for the establishment of subsequent guest appearances were assessed.

The second Dance Caravan was realized during 2019/20, with a more complex program, which included guest performances by students of the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance, students of the Ballet Academy from Rome, principals and soloists of the Ballet from Belgrade National Theater, as well as numerous local and foreign teachers in fifteen Serbian cities. For the realization of this project, the Foundation used in large part, its own resources, from the film and photo archive to the engagement of professionals from various professions, i.e. numerous dancers, choreographers, teachers, ballet masters, dance historians, composers, ballet critics… All programs were free for the audience, and the Art Mentor Foundation from Lucerne, as well as the local municipalities, provided complete support. The ultimate goal of the project was for two cities to get advanced departments of professional ballet classes so that children and young talents can continuously develop in other areas, far from Belgrade, as well. Thus, the Ballet School of the National Dance Foundation still has its department for preparatory levels in the City of Gornji Milanovac, where nearly 40 ballet students are attending programs.

The accredited international eight-year long education at the National Foundation for Dance has designed its classes in accordance with the official educational plan and program, and its pedagogues are ballet and dance teachers and masters from Serbia, Italy, France, the USA, Austria, China, and Cuba.