dancEUA at Mid-Term: From Open Calls to European Stages
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By June 2026, dancEUA had already involved 86 participants, supported 11 new dance works, delivered 13 artistic residencies, enabled 13 touring performances with 55 artistic collaborators, and completed four Study Visits. These mid-term results show how the project is turning European cooperation into concrete opportunities for Ukrainian contemporary dance artists and partner communities across Europe.
Halfway through its implementation, dancEUA - Contemporary Resilience: Reinventing Dance in Ukraine has reached a point where its initial idea has become visible through people, performances and international exchange. What began as a collaborative framework for supporting Ukrainian contemporary dance has now developed into a network of open calls, residencies, choreographic processes, study visits, touring activities and public presentations across partner countries. The mid-term results show not only that the project is progressing according to plan, but also that it is creating concrete professional opportunities for dance artists, mentors, choreographers and cultural organizations connected through the dancEUA partnership. Co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe program, dancEUA is led by Studio Contemporary Dance Company from Croatia, together with Central Europe Dance Theatre from Hungary, M Studio from Romania, Vitlycke – Centre for Performing Arts from Sweden and UA Contemporary Dance Platform from Ukraine. Together, the partners are building a cross-border platform for artistic development, professional exchange, mobility and cultural resilience, with a particular focus on strengthening the visibility and international presence of Ukrainian contemporary dance.
New artistic work: Life in Beta
One of the central artistic outcomes of the first phase is Life in Beta, a dance performance choreographed by Sofija Milić. The production was developed within the Empowering Dancers in Motion activity, which brought together 10 dancers from partner countries and connected them with 20 mentors and dance teachers. The performance premiered on 25 February 2026 at Zagreb Dance Center in Zagreb and has since begun its international journey through the dancEUA touring strand.
Life in Beta; Photo by: Nina Đurđević
The creation of Life in Beta also reflects the way dancEUA connects its different activities. Sofija Milić was selected as choreographer through the Choreo Sync activity in Hungary, where emerging choreographers had the opportunity to work with mentors and dancers, develop short works and present them publicly. Her selection marked the beginning of an international creative process that brought together dancers from Croatia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary and Sweden.
Choreo Sync: supporting new choreographic voices
The first edition of Choreo Sync was completed in 2025 and included a public presentation of works in Budapest during the Sissi Autumn Dance Festival. In total, 10 dance artists and young choreographers took part in the program, resulting in 10 short dance performances presented to the public. The process also supported the selection of choreographers for future editions of Empowering Dancers in Motion, including Sofija Milić and Anna Boras.
This link between choreographic development and larger-scale production is one of the strengths of the project: artists are not only invited to participate in isolated activities, but are supported through a wider professional pathway that can lead from research and short-form creation to international collaboration and touring.
Residencies, learning formats and professional exchange
The first phase of dancEUA also created space for research, experimentation and professional learning. Through Residency Excellence, artistic residencies were held at Vitlycke – Centre for Performing Arts in Sweden, culminating in public work-in-progress sharing and promotion of the artists involved. In 2025, 8 dance artists were involved in 8 artistic residencies, while the first spring residency block in 2026 involved 5 dance artists across 5 artistic residencies.
Catch Kollektíva (Anita Czakó & Csenge Csutak) (HU) – VICSOR; Daria Koval (UA) – All Clear; Katja Butković & Maria Mora (HR) – On Display; Photo by: Naomi Pongolini
In Romania, Management Fusion opened another important part of the project: professional development for dance artists and cultural workers. The first edition was held in Sfântu Gheorghe in 2025 and was followed by online workshops. 10 dance artists from partner countries were selected for the first edition, while another 10 candidates were selected in the first half of 2026 for the second edition. The activity also included the contribution of 7 mentors, supporting learning, exchange and job-shadowing activities.
Building bridges through Study Visits
Under the Dance Bridge strand, dancEUA has supported direct exchange between partners and Ukrainian dance professionals through Study Visits. By June 2026, four Study Visits had been completed: Zagreb in May 2025, Vitlycke in September 2025, Budapest in November 2025 and Sfântu Gheorghe in June 2026. These visits contribute to the broader aim of strengthening knowledge exchange, building networks and preparing the ground for future collaboration.
Ukrainian dance on the move
Touring and public platforms are another key part of dancEUA’s mission. During the first project phase, Ukrainian dance performances were presented in Hungary and Romania, including through the Sissi Autumn Dance Week in Hungary and Pulse, a Ukrainian dance platform created by M Studio in Romania as part of the project. In parallel, Life in Beta began touring partner countries, with performances in Sweden and Romania during the first part of 2026.
By the end of June 2026, 13 dance performances had toured partner countries, involving 55 artistic collaborators. These figures show not only the scale of the project’s mobility strand, but also the importance of keeping Ukrainian contemporary dance visible, connected and present within the wider European performing arts ecosystem.
A strong base for the second phase
Beyond the artistic and mobility results, dancEUA has also built a strong coordination and communication structure. Partners have met regularly through monthly online meetings, while the project held its kick-off meeting in Zagreb in February 2025 and a two-day mid-term partner meeting in Budapest in April 2026.
The second phase of dancEUA will build on this momentum. Upcoming activities will continue to support new creations, residencies, touring, Ukrainian dance platforms and further professional development opportunities.
At mid-term, dancEUA has already shown what cross-border cultural cooperation can do: create opportunities, connect artists, support Ukrainian contemporary dance and open new spaces for shared artistic resilience. The work continues: through movement, collaboration and the belief that dance can build bridges even in times of uncertainty.
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