Sometimes, all it takes is a small impulse. A single glance, a single movement, a single encounter. Something that pulls us out of our everyday routine and allows us, if only for a moment, to see the world differently. What if change is closer than we think? What if it is not only triggered by life-changing events, but also by our expectations, our minds, and the things we choose to believe in? This is the idea explored by the 13th edition of MOVE Fest Ostrava, the international festival of contemporary dance, physical theatre, and new circus, taking place from 23 to 28 September 2026. This year’s theme is placebo—a concept that examines how our minds, our expectations, and our beliefs shape the way we experience the world. A reminder that change does not always have to be dramatic to be real. MOVE Fest will once again present performances that surprise, entertain, and inspire. The work that most profoundly influenced this year’s dramaturgy is Ja som placebo by Slovak choreographer and dancer Michal Heriban. We live in a time when we are constantly exposed to influences we often fail to notice. Information travels faster than ever before, technology reshapes our habits, and the pressure to perform has become an almost invisible part of everyday life. We repeat the same behavioural patterns without questioning where they come from or whether they still serve us. Can something that exists only in our minds truly change us? How powerful are our beliefs? And where is the line between what we control and what controls us? This year’s programme approaches these questions from multiple perspectives. In Michal Heriban’s solo, through the relationship between body and mind; in BURKICOM’s new performance Laugh, Keep Laughing!, through laughter as both a tool of self-expression and a form of social pressure; and from a completely different, more playful perspective in Eliška Brtnická’s site-specific project Chimney. This is only a small glimpse of what awaits audiences from 23 to 29 September in Ostrava—and this year, for the first time, also in Frýdek-Místek. The full programme, to be announced soon, will include many more Czech and international performances, workshops, discussions, and a symposium organised in collaboration with Vize tance and the CUKR project, focusing on creative education in Czech and Slovak schools. For thirteen years, MOVE Fest Ostrava has created space for contemporary performing arts that offer more than aesthetic experiences—they spark reflection. Because some things change the world quietly. Through a single glance, a single movement, or a single question that stays with us longer than we expected. Sometimes, it takes very little to change a great deal. Perhaps nothing more than a placebo.