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Arts & Communication 75 years of Macedonian ballet (1949 – 2024)

central character was Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito and
episodes of the People’s Liberation War were presented.
The critics of this performance wrote that it is “one of
the most successful contemporary works with patriotic
themes,” 22(p.50) confirming the positions expressed above.
The new dance esthetics (techniques already
established in the West and widely used), that is, the
breakthrough of fresh currents, intensified in the seasons
1991/92 when Macedonia proclaimed its independence.
The need to achieve a modern dance style was also
reflected in MNT’s repertoire. Several choreographers
(Iskra Shukarova, Igor Kirov, Sasha Eftimova) had the
opportunity for education in western dance centers and
eloquently portray the various modern and contemporary
styles and scenic practices in their choreographies. In
these performances, especially since the late 1990s,
a corpus of performances was finally formed. The
performances became modern/contemporary in the true
sense regarding form, choreography, and style. This was
the right course, as confirmed by the ballet’s final premiere
in 2023. The performance was especially significant. The
triptych Prayers of my Body is based on the poetry of
the eminent Macedonian poet Aco Shopov. The entire
Macedonian team was led by Aleksandar Noshpal. Three Figure 3. Prayers of my body, part The Birth (Nativitas), 2023. National
choreographers collaborated with three composers. Opera and Ballet. Source: Photo by Aleksandar Tomovski; courtesy of
Choreographer Ivana Kocevska with composer Daria Aleksandar Tomovski personal collection.
Andovska created the first part The Birth (Nativitas) as
shown in Figure 3. The second part named Weave was 3. Hybrid folklore letter
created by choreographer Adriana Danchevska and
composer Aleksandar Grozdanovski. While the final This section will refer to a specific textual layer, that is, a
part Ascension (In Perpetum) was prepared by Sasha letter that connects directly with the need to emphasize
Eftimova and Aleksandar Pejovski. They offered a and stress the authentic features expressed through the
completely new, fresh, and authentic choreography that uniform ballet language. This segment of the text records
gives a new quality to this repertory layer, that is, type of discontinuity and refers to a production that emphasizes
letter. the national, often transposed into an ethnic connotation.
The process of national branding has triggered the need
Weaving of the dance repertoire of MNT or MOB to create an indigenous production which, on the one
included several outstanding choreographies of foreign hand, will respect the framework of an elitist institution
choreographers such as the Turkish choreographer Khan such as MNT and, on the other hand, will be a marker
Arslan (with the performances Carmen, 2008; Carmina of identity features. It is indicative that this genre is
Burana, 2009; A Distant Cry, 2011) and the Croatian actualized periodically, especially in the times of political
Staša Zurovac (Song of Songs, 2011). However, the most establishment, that is, transitions from one governmental
magnificent figure of the contemporary world dance scene system to another, and during transitions initiated by
who worked with the national ensemble is Itzik Galili. political conditions, most often due to crises where
The Sofa and Agony of Love as part of the Ballet Triptych emphasizing identity is necessary. Many authoritarian
(October 18, 2017) were staged by Galili in Skopje. regimes as well as democratic societies raise a certain
Through these performances on the Macedonian scene, cultural layer. It is designated as “valuable” and serves as a
a contemporary dance expression was brought in the true representative of national cultural heritage in multinational,
sense of the word. The text on a concrete level obtained multicultural, multi-confessional Yugoslavia, “it was for
an innovative, experimental letter, but it has always a long time the practice to encourage identification with
constituted an additional counterpoint or counterfort to one’s ethnic group” 23(p.30) . The slogan “brotherhood and
the dominant pivotal construction. unity” meant unity in diversities (sometimes overstated)

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.2730