The project is part of a programme of cultural exchange between Western Balkan and Nordic countries and aims to make a connection between the two regions through contemporary dance. In this two-phase project, Nordic and Balkan dance companies effectively 'swap places' and participate in workshops, artistic research and presentations in host cities.

NordScen - http://www.nordscen.org

BIT Teatergarasjen - http://www.bit-teatergarasjen.no

Dansstationen - http://www.dansstationen.nu/

Kiasma Theater - http://www.kiasma.fi

The Performing Arts Centre Multimedia - http://www.multimedia.org.mk

Dom Omladine Beograda - http://www.dob.co.yu

CDU - http://www.cdu.hr

Nordic Council of Ministers - http://www.norden.org

In the first phase, simultaneous workshops in various Balkan locations connected performers from Balkan and Nordic cities: Skopje-Malmo, Zagreb-Oslo/Bergen, Belgrade-Helsinki. In the second phase, Balkan artists travel to their Nordic hosts' cities in autumn 2005.

The Project

Hardcore Workshop Exchange is a collaboration project in which representatives from three Nordic dance companies visited Balkan cities and met with a similarly composed group of local artists. There they 'swapped companies' - the Nordic choreographer worked with the Balkan dancers, while the Balkan choreographer worked with the Nordic dancers. After the workshop presentations, all the participants travelled to Belgrade for a final weekend of workshop presentations and guest performances.

During a single week in November 2004, workshops were held simultaneously in Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje. Participants were also given the opportunity to present their previous choreographic work. The second phase of the project will have a similar structure, with Balkan companies travelling to Malmö, Bergen and Helsinki in November 2005.

Learning: Taking Over from a Sketch

The project's starting-point was the political impetus of the Nordic Council of Ministers' decision to give priority to the Balkans. Within all art forms there was a good deal of interest in developing projects. NordScen - the Nordic Council's performing arts institute - was given responsibility within the performing arts field. One could say, therefore, that Hardcore Workshop Exchange started out as a desk project.

BIT Teatergarasjen was given the responsibility of coordinating the task. The theatre had worked in Belgrade before: BIT Teatergarasjen had collaborated with Milan Lucic (now director of Dom Omladine) on a Norwegian project in 2003, having met through Informal European Theatre Meeting (IETM). Lucic put them in touch with PAC Multimedia in Skopje, while Zagreb was also identified from a previous collaboration. In this way the partnerships for the project were formed, based on trust built through past working relationships.

The partners in the Balkan and Nordic regions were selected for their considerable experience with workshop activities and guest performances, as well as for their wide-ranging knowledge of their respective country's dance scene. The partners selected the project's national participants - young, outstanding artists who represent the local contemporary dance scene - and functioned as hosts for exchange.

At first, the organisers were faced with the situation that funds were being made available by political institutions. This caused them to reflect. How could one make good use of these funds, especially at a time of severe cutbacks?

The organisers had to make the best of the opportunity they had been given. There was a recognition that, in order to make the project truly meaningful, participation needed to be asserted. One important lesson was to 'grab the project and make it our own as soon as possible. Now we take it over from the sketch. We did not get the advice from NordScen all the time and we were also given the space to do this.'

There was, too, the notion that 'if we were going to do this, we had to make the project serve us.' One challenge was to get people involved as much as possible. Some had not been there from the beginning. However, during the actual workshops and the final presentations in Belgrade, partners were able to meet face to face and have exchanges. Enthusiasm increased, and evaluation made it possible to check and clarify roles and responsibilities.

It was recognised that, in order to create a network of six equal partners, a transformation from an instrumental approach to that of shared responsibility was necessary. The partners then took the opportunity to intervene in the project, defining its structure along the way and looking for the best way to adapt it to local conditions.

Learning: Encounters through Dance

During Hardcore Workshop Exchange, each country presented one choreographer and four workshop participants. When the participants were chosen, they were introduced to each other by e?mail. They then began to discuss and develop ideas for the common workshop week.

The choreographers were free to choose the manner of working, while focusing on artistic research and the transfer of knowledge. In the first phase, five workshops were held simultaneously for one week in November 2004 - two workshops in Skopje, two in Zagreb, and a final one in Belgrade. Participants also presented their previous choreographic work.

It was evident that a project like this demands an understanding of the needs of the local dance scene prior to the actual workshop process, and a corresponding adaptation of the working model. The project's open and flexible design helped make it possible for workshop groups to determine the kind of experience and sharing that takes place. The participants agreed that openness and curiosity are the key elements to the success of the process.

In Belgrade, where Hip Hop would never have previously been considered a serious dance form, there was a pleasant surprise when the local city council offered support for a company's travel to Helsinki for the exchange programme. Hence, an opportunity that offered itself in a top-down way had perhaps made some local impact. The challenge for partners is to maintain a proper level of participation to make the project work. 'I guess we could have just taken the opportunity and just done the job, but there was a commitment to make the project meaningful. We do everything in a meaningful way… why should it be different?'

(Quotes taken from an interview with Mette Helgesen of BIT Teatergarasjen)