„Identities – History of an extended dream “ Jubilee of Risima Risimkin 30 Years of choreography Skopje Dance Theatre
Identities – History of an extended dream
„…Beauty always looks innocent, but brings a multitude of sins“
Petre M. Andreevski
„I see, but do I recognize?
I move, is this body making a mistake?
Wait, I hear music.
Ach! It is the nature crying.
Risima Risimkin
Choreography and direction: Risima Risimkin
Music: Toni Kitanovski
Costumes: Blagoj Mickovski
Set design: Matea Mijanovic
RisimaRisimkin-chorographer
Risima Risimkin is one of Macedonia’s leading choreographers, artistic director of the Dance Fest Festival in Skopje and founder and director of Skopje Dance Theatre, the only official company for contemporary dance in the country. Risimkin is a professor of contemporary dance at the Film Academy of the University “Goce Delchev” in Shtip.
She earns her MA with title ballet master at department choreography, ballet direction and pedagogy of the Academy for Music and Dance at the University in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She later receives her PhD at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.
Risima Risimkin is the founder of the Contemporary dance department at the University “Goce Delchev” in Shtip which is a result of her long- standing relationship with one of the world’s best academies for contemporary dance- the Rotterdam Contemporary Dance Academy which is part of the CODARTS University in the Netherlands. This department which worked in the period 2010-2017 was the only academy for training contemporary ballet dancers not only in Macedonia but in the region as a whole. She has thought contemporary dance, improvisation, dance composition and choreography at the “Anton Bruckner” University in Linz, at the Minzu and Beijing Academies for dace in China, at the Performing Arts Academy in Bratislava, the Holland Dance Festival in Den Hague, as well as on Broadway in New York. In two occasion she has led the summer camp for contemporary dance in China in 2015 and 2016.
Her works on contemporary dance have been published in several publication, and under the auspices of UNESCO the Interart Center for has published her book “The art of Dance”. In the period 2005-2013, Risimkin is member of the Board of CID UNESCO, in two consecutive mandates. In the season 2012/13 she is the artistic director of the National ballet of Antalya in Turkey.
She has founded the Interart culture centre in 1996 which has its purpose in the development of the Macedonian contemporary dance stage. She is one of the most prolific Macedonian choreographers, and her style is avant-garde and contemporary. She has worked, and her choreographies have been performed in Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Niger, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Great Britain, the Netherlands, China, Slovenia and the USA. Her show “Identities” which was performed by the Skopje dance theatre and premiered at the Dance Fest in 2019 will be performed at the Chaillot Theatre in Paris, one of the most important venues for contemporary dance in world.
SKOPJE DANCE THEATRE
Founded in 2011, Skopje dance theatre is the first company for contemporary dance in Macedonia led by Risima Risimkin as founder and artistic director. The company has continuously worked on creating, promoting and presenting contemporary dance in Macedonia as well as presenting it abroad. As one of its core missions, this theatre promotes a new aesthetic and explores and produces contemporary dance.
They have produced numerous performances including: “Between worlds”, “Orlando”, “A Man in the hallway”, “HOT”, “Search”, a series of performances under the name “Impulse”, “O! (telo)”, “SMS”, “Shine”, “The road”, “Skin”, “Point zero”, “D.O.L”, “Existing” and a number of short choreographies. Apart from the cerographical work of Risima Risimkin, the company has worked with choreographers Janis Brenner and Sean Scantelbury, Anton Rudakov, Joan van der Mast, Tim Persent, Katsura Kan, Antonello Tudisco, as well as many visiting professors.
They have performed throughout the country and in Croatia at the International festival for contemporary dance, in Dusseldorf at the Dance fair, at ITS festival in Amsterdam, Kulturbunker in Cologne, at the Meet in Beijing festival in China, “Open stage program” at the Hague and Rotterdam, Share festival in Bratislava, “Culture season” and Maritime Silkroad Festival in China. Skopje Dance theatre performed their show “Skin” at the Holland Dance Festival, and also performed at the closing of the Battery Dance Festival in New York. In October 2018 the project “Existence” was performed at the Beijing Academy for Dance.
Upcoming engagement include performances at the International dance fair in Dusseldorf and at the International contemporary dance festival in Beijing. In 2021 they are invited to perform at the Chaillot Theatre in Paris, one of the world’s finest theatres for contemporary dance.
„…Beauty always looks innocent, but brings a multitude of sins“
Petre M. Andreevski
„I see, but do I recognize?
I move, is this body making a mistake?
Wait, I hear music.
Ach! It is the nature crying.
Risima Risimkin
Choreography and direction: Risima Risimkin
Music: Toni Kitanovski
Costumes: Blagoj Mickovski
Set design: Matea Mijanovic
Roles:
Femme Fatale: Andrijana Danchevska
Goddess: Mimi Pop-Aleksova (guest)
Swan: Anastasija Danchevska
Mystic: Dejan Bitrovski
The Man: Valentino Apostolovski
(Anti) Hero: Boban Ruseski
Bombshell: Isidora Kraljevska