The CNDB Awards Gala – Dance professionals who actively participate in an entire cultural ecosystem were honored

The CNDB Awards Gala – Dance professionals who actively participate in an entire cultural ecosystem were honored

Yesterday, November 26, the CNDB Awards Gala took place, an event organized by the National Dance Center Bucharest at the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest. The gala was followed by a performance of “Masterwork for Six Dancers” by Emese Cuhorka and Csaba Molnár, with the En-Knap company from Slovenia.

The CNDB Awards Gala is an annual event that recognizes those who have contributed to and confirmed the value of dance and contemporary choreographic culture in society. Beyond any hierarchy, the CNDB Awards celebrate dance and the role of art for people and the community.

This year’s edition was attended by Minister of Culture Demeter András István and presented by actress Dana Rogoz, who conveyed a message from the organizers emphasizing the importance of the Awards for the Romanian dance community—namely, to recognize and strengthen the intangible and tangible infrastructure of the field. Among other things, the situation of the National Center for Dance was mentioned, the only institution among those that left the National Theater in Bucharest in 2011 that has not been given any other suitable premises of its own. Several dance professionals took the floor (Florin Fieroiu, Ioana Marchidan, Camelia Neagoe, Cristina Lilienfeld, Andreea Belu, Vava Ștefănescu, Liana Tugearu, Mihaela Michailov), who in turn emphasized the need for infrastructure and funding at the local and national level for the field of dance, which is constantly evolving. The Minister of Culture, Mr. Demeter András István, also stated that he sympathizes with the situation of cultural workers in the field of dance and that there are possible solutions that he will try to implement.

The first award of the evening was presented by Cristiana Tăutu, executive director of Fundația9, to Vlaicu Golcea, for his contribution to sound creation in contemporary art, for his consistency over several decades, during which he chose to work alongside dancers, choreographers, and directors to give birth to sound creations that have integrity, provoke, and inspire.

This was followed by the award presented to Andreea Duță, teacher, dancer, actress, and choreographer, for the way in which she constantly trains young dancers and influences the way they think about the body, movement, artistic responsibility, and work ethic. The award was presented by Pawel Rutkowski, project coordinator at the Polish Institute.

The third prize, presented by choreographer Oana Mureșan, founder of OM Choreographic Center in Cluj-Napoca, was awarded to the artistic collective Platforma 13 (Anca Stoica and Sergiu Diță), for the way in which it embraces curiosity, vulnerability, and risk, proposing choreographic projects that start from collaborative and transdisciplinary practices involving technology, visual art, and the body.

As every year, one of the awards goes to the CNDB team, recognizing the contribution and involvement of one of its employees. Anca Truțeskov, PR manager and communications coordinator at CNDB, presented the award to Clara Trăistaru, a colleague who has built a coherent career path over time, from cultural education to the management of complex cultural projects, developing programs for access, training, and civic empowerment, with a focus on social justice, community involvement, and interdisciplinarity. Since last year, Clara Trăistaru has been coordinating the entire program of the CNDB Dance and Performance Academy.

The jury consisted of Valentina de Piante and Andreea Novac (choreographers and dancers), Vava Ștefănescu (choreographer, CNDB manager), Mihai Mihalcea (choreographer, CNDB program and project director), and Carmen Coțofană (CNDB production and distribution department coordinator).

The double event was presented as part of Iridescent – International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Other Reconfigurations of the Sensible, a festival now in its fourth edition.