MOVE Fest 2026: PLACEBO, acrobatics on the chimney and for the first time also Frýdek-Místek
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Sometimes a small impulse is enough. One look, one movement, one encounter. Something that takes us out of our everyday lives and allows us to see the world differently for a moment. What if change is closer than we think? What if it is not only triggered by major life events, but also by our expectations, our minds, and the things we believe in?
This is the idea behind the 13th annual international festival of contemporary dance, physical theatre and new circus MOVE Fest Ostrava. From 23 to 28 September 2026, we will be treated to six days of movement, contemporary art and unexpected encounters with the theme of placebo - the silent power of expectation. “We see placebo as a very broad concept. We are fascinated by its ability to open up questions about how our beliefs, expectations or the environment in which we live shape us. We are interested in what can be an impulse for change and how big a role our own mind plays in it,” says festival director Jana Ryšlavá.
I am a placebo. The show that started it all
One of the inspirations for this year's dramaturgy is the solo by Slovak choreographer and dancer Michal Heriban, I am placebo. We live in a time when we are constantly exposed to influences that we are often not even aware of. Information flows faster than ever before, technology changes our habits and the pressure to perform becomes an almost invisible part of everyday life. We repeat the same patterns of behavior without thinking about where they come from and whether they still serve us. Can something that exists only in our minds change us? How powerful are our beliefs? And where is the line between what we actually control and what controls us?
Michal Heriban puts these questions into motion and explores the relationship between body and mind, automatic patterns of behavior and the possibility of conscious transformation. On Sunday, September 27, we will present I am placebo twice.
And then we climb the chimney
One of the biggest attractions of this year will be Eliška Brtnická's Chimney - a site-specific project that is one of the most striking Czech performances for public space in recent years. Acrobatics at heights, a monumental industrial building and a unique genius loci create an experience that simply cannot be transferred to a theater hall. The chimney is not a backdrop. It becomes a stage and one of the main protagonists of the performance. And this time we will go beyond the borders of Ostrava for it.
MOVE Fest will expand to Frýdek-Místek for the first time, specifically to the newly opened cultural complex Nová Osmička, with which we have been collaborating on movement dramaturgy since May 2026. "We are very happy that MOVE Fest will expand to Frýdek-Místek for the first time this year. Nová Osmička is a bold and inspiring project, thanks to which a new cultural space with a unique atmosphere is being created. And Komín (Chimney) is precisely the performance that can turn a visit to such a place into an unforgettable experience," adds Jana Ryšlavá.
And that's just the beginning
I am placebo and Komín (Chimney) are the first fragments of this year's program. We will gradually reveal other Czech and foreign performances of contemporary dance, new circus and physical theatre, workshops, discussions and a symposium that, in cooperation with Vize tance and the CUKR project, will open up the topics of creative education and contemporary approaches to art teaching.
👉 September 23–28, 2026. Ostrava and for the first time this year also Frýdek-Místek.
Some things change the world in subtle ways. With one look, one movement, or one question that stays with us longer than we expected. Or is it just a placebo ? 🤔
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