ONE FOR ALL

ECSTATIC BOOST

Ecstatic Boost is the new contemporary dance performance by the independent artists Stanislav Genadiev and Violeta Vitanova, one of the well-known and outstanding figures of Bulgarian contemporary dance.

Designed for screen viewing and created according to the spatial specifics of “Studio EW”, the concept performance explores the theme of the internal struggle, consumerism and suppressed thirst for violence. The premiere of Ecstatic Boost took place online on September 30 and will remain available to the public in the digital space.

Through the body and the specifics of space Ecstatic boost asks the question “how do we act when we want to demonstrate our refusal to accept the meaninglessness of the consumer way of life?”. One of the possible paths one can take is through physical and psychological effort to dominate and overcome another body. The team goes through the challenge to make sense of the internal struggle in the context of a completely different and atypical location – the space for independent performing arts in Sofia – “Studio EW”. The performance includes the potential and specificity of the space and uses as inspiration.

The dancers Valeri Milenkov and Filip Milanov take part in the performance, camera operators are Vasil Stoilov and Chavdar Karapachov, the editing is done by Vladislav Iliev. The photographer is Isabela Manolova. Apart from being a choreographer, Stanislav Genadiev is also the author of the sound environment, and the drama consultant of the project is Elena Angelova. Products – Stream Dance.

Watch the video here:

Additional information about the project.

About the team:

Stanislav Genadiev and Violeta Vitanova are dance artists from the field of independent performing arts. They graduated from the National School of Dance Art in Sofia and then worked in a number of international and Bulgarian theater and dance troupes (Linga, Switzerland; Sfumato Theater Workshop, Sofia, etc.). Since 2007 they have participated as dancers and choreographers in the Kinesthetic Project, and their joint work began in 2006, while Stanislav danced in Linga.

Their first successful performance is called “Imago” (2006), for which they receive the first in the history of the awards of the Union of Artists in Bulgaria “Icarus” for debut for a dance performance. In 2013, they won Icarus for a dance performance for the choreography of “The Mousetrap” in “Hamlet” directed by Yavor Gardev. Apart from being a practicing dance artist, Violeta Vitanova also teaches at the National School of Dance Art in Sofia, and Stanislav Genadiev works on his own musical projects.

Filip Milanov graduated from NATFA “Krastyo Sarafov” with a degree in “Theater of Movement” and during his studies he worked actively with the Bulgarian choreographer Zhivko Zhelyazkov (“Mayday”, “Zen play”, etc.), participated in various festivals and international projects in collaboration. with various European and Asian artists.

Valeri Milenkov graduated from the National School of Dance Art and Contemporary Choreography at the Southwestern University “Neofit Rilski”. He has worked with internationally recognized contemporary choreographers such as Maurice Kozi (Netherlands), Liam Steele (UK), choreographers from the dance companies “Alvin Ailey”, “2Faced” and others.

Elena Angelova has a PhD in Theatre Studies, has various publications. She works as a coordinator of the “Antistatic” International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Performance and other projects in the field of independent performing arts.

ECSTATIC BOOST explores through the body and space the question “how do we act when we want to demonstrate our refusal to accept the meaninglessness of the consumer lifestyle?”. One of the possible paths is through the body through the physical and psychological effort of man to dominate and overcome another body. The team goes through the challenge to make sense of the struggle dramatically and performative in the context of a new, completely different and atypical space, which is one of the newest places for contemporary performative arts in Sofia.

The project is financially supported by “Culture” Program of Sofia Municipality.