IRIDESCENT Festival

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Certain themes and topics remain perpetually urgent, demanding to be revisited, refreshed, and examined from new perspectives.

In a world where dominant structures generate and perpetuate the very conditions that have brought us to the overlapping crises of climate change, the pandemic, and war, it is vital to reflect on power dynamics in society, humanity’s relationship with the environment, and the disparities between privileged and vulnerable bodies.

Instead of imposing a singular festival theme that dictates uniform and disciplined presentations, we embrace diverse content and formats that challenge dominant narratives. We propose subjectivities that engage with personal micro-histories, revealing the iridescent multiplicity of constantly shifting realities.

Iridescence occurs when a surface changes colors due to the reflection of light in the presence of liquid particles. It is observable in certain animals, minerals, and plants.

As a way of understanding the world, iridescence becomes a navigational tool—a framework for thought that redefines the surface not as a mere boundary but as a luminous convergence of irreducible multiplicities (Tavi Meraud, Iridescence, Intimacies – Journal #61, E-Flux, 2015). Iridescent thinking traverses different possibilities and realities, examining shifts and connections.

In a challenging, fragile, and often harsh context, where war remains a grim possibility, we believe dance and art possess the power to bring people together and foster solidarity.

After a three-year hiatus, the National Dance Center Bucharest (CNDB) returns with an international festival dedicated to contemporary dance, performing arts, and other interdisciplinary formats. The IRIDESCENT Festival features:

• 10 choreographic productions from Romania and abroad,
• workshops, conferences, collective dinners, DJ sets, sound listening sessions,
• a poetry night & concert,
• and a marathon of ideas for Planet Earth.

These events open space for emancipatory discourses while celebrating the joy of moving forward together.

The IRIDESCENT Festival serves as a platform for exploring pressing concepts and topics that affect our societies and communities today. The 2022 edition addresses contemporary issues such as the climate crisis, biodiversity, feminism, and micro-histories. It questions anthropocentrism, challenges conventional thinking, and encourages critical—even uncomfortable—perspectives. Above all, it brings people together.

Since its inception, CNDB has been an extended space for the intersections of the arts—a platform that has presented countless forms and contents. The IRIDESCENT Festival continues this legacy by fostering an interdisciplinary, intersectional, diverse, and open framework for dialogue and exploration.

Period
06.05.2022 – 18.06.2022

Parteners
Aerowaves, French Institute in Romania, ARCUB – The Cultural Centre of Bucharest

Media partners
Radio România Cultural, ELLE, STB, Blitz TV

We support Ukrainian artists!
Throughout the festival, we support the fundraising campaign initiated by our colleague Viktor Ruban (Ukraine) and encourage contributions to the emergency fund to support Ukrainian artists – Ukrainian Emergency Performing Arts Fund.