Moody Drifts: Affective Resistance
- Dance & performance
- Free entry
40 min.
Info
This project draws upon the interdisciplinary field of affect theory, distinguishing between ‘affect’—pre-conscious, visceral responses to stimuli—and ’emotion,’ the socially constructed expression of those responses. It suggests that bodily experiences within specific spaces can evoke reactions that transcend rational thought, providing fertile ground for resistance against normative structures. This perspective is key to understanding censorship and suppression mechanisms, not only in historical authoritarian regimes, like those of Nicolae Ceaușescu în Romania and Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia, but also in the new forms present in contemporary democratic societies.
The research process involved dance exercises exploring affective infrastructures—public spaces, institutions, regulations, and freedom of expression—performed in the public space of the House of the Free Press (1957), an iconic structure for Ceaușescu’s dictatorship.
Emerging in a time of deep uncertainty, this project is shaped by the rise of right-wing politics, the recent election results in Romania, ongoing protests in Serbia against a corrupt government, and violent police responses to demonstrators. Amid ongoing wars, humanitarian crises, cancellations, censorship, and funding cuts, the question arises: How do dancing bodies respond to these challenging conditions of living?
By
Neda Kovinić, in collaboration with Eliza Trefaș, Georgia Elza and Sergiu Diță
Biographies
Neda Kovinic holds a PhD from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade/Serbia, University of Arts, Department of Transmedia (2020) and an MFA from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, University of Arts, Department of Painting (2001). In her works Kovinic continuously questions how social relations, power structures and ecology are inscribed into bodies and how this in turn shapes body movements in space. Her art reflects on contemporary challenges such as the climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, and a permanent state of war. Kovinic’s collaborative, process-oriented approach involves participatory performances that bring together artists from diverse backgrounds. Central to her work are principles of fair practices, emphasising care, empathy, and closeness.
Eliza Trefaș works in contemporary dance and visual arts. She is interested in bridging visible and invisible forms of life through the body. In her practice she attempts to fix ills through poetic perspectives, and open states of embodied poetry. Her works were presented in contexts such as Salonul de Proiecte, Suprainfinit Gallery, eXplore Festival, National Dance Centre Bucharest, Bang Torres Vedras, Multiplicidades Festival Santa Cruz, RAKETE Tanzquartier Vienna, DO Festival Gdansk, etc. In 2021 she received the CNDB prize for her contribution in contemporary dance.
Georgia Elza studied ambient design at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, graduating in 2017. Two years later she started attending contemporary dance classes and decided to dedicate herself more to this discipline. In the same year she participates in the Academy of Contemporary Dance and Performance (created by the National Center for Dance in Bucharest) as a student, which will lead her to start working in this field. She has performed on stages (Romanian and foreign), in gallery/museum spaces, on the street, used her voice in an experimental theater application, and others. Her work in the cultural field extends beyond the stage, also doing choreographic, project and production assistance or working with dance archives.
Sergiu Diță is a performer and emerging choreographer based in Bucharest, Romania. He has a BA and MA in Choreography from The National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest and is a graduate of the Academy of Dance and Performance CNDB. His artistic practice focuses on the use of pop culture as an element of social criticism. In his own performances – ‘NEO-KITSCH’ (2021), ‘MANual’ (2023), ‘MEMETICS’ (2024) – he uses the “recitative-collage-manifesto” technique, which involves critical exposition of the subject, collage of quotes, socio cultural clichés and text. He collaborates with Anca Stoica as an artistic duo under the name Platforma 13.
The performance was developed with the occasion of Neda Kovinic’s residency in Bucharest, organized in the frame of Arc Bucharest 2024 residency program, in cooperation with Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart, and co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)*.
*The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grantee.
Partners
Akademie Schloss Solitude Schloss Stuttgart, National Center for Dance Bucharest
