Neda Kovinić: dance performance at National Dance Center in Bucharest

The dance performance Moody Threads: Affective Resistance was recently showcased on the stage of the National Dance Center in Bucharest. It resulted from a collaboration between Neda Kovinić, former Solitude fellow from Serbia, and Romanian dancers Eliza Trefas, Georgia Elza, and Sergiu Dita. Kovinić developed this project during the Arc Bucharest artist residency, which is part of the Eastern European Network Program of Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Kovinić’s project delves into the interdisciplinary field of affect theory, examining the distinction between affect – pre-conscious, visceral responses to stimuli – and emotion, the socially constructed expression of those responses. The work proposes that bodily experiences within specific spaces can evoke reactions beyond rational thought, providing fertile ground for resistance against normative structures. The research process included dance exercises, culminating in public rehearsals at the House of the Free Press (1957), a structure emblematic of Ceaușescu’s dictatorship. The choreography included a section referencing the collective mass dances of former Yugoslavia slet and another inspired by the iconic dance piece Genesis of renowned Romanian choreographer Miriam Rădăcanu.

The project emerges in a time of profound uncertainty, marked by the rise of right-wing politics, including recent election results in Romania and ongoing protests in Serbia against corruption and violent police responses. Amid ongoing wars, humanitarian crises, and increasing societal pressures, the project raises a poignant question:
How do dancing bodies respond to these conditions of living?

Since 2022, Akademie Schloss Solitude has been cooperating with ARC Bucharest as the main partner in Romania in the Eastern European Network Program. It is a residency program designed for curators working and living outside Romania to explore the effervescent art scene in Bucharest. It aims to spark new opportunities and exciting exchanges both for artists based in Bucharest (and beyond in Romania) and arts professionals from the wider art world while forging durable personal and institutional relationships on the long run.