MOVE OSTRAVA, DANCE
CONNECTING/STATIONS
BOOKING:
viktoriie@moveostrava.cz
PREMIERE:
24. 6 2025, 16:30
TRNAVA RAILWAY STATION, SLOVAKIA
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE LENGTH:
35 MINUTES
MOVE FOR EVERYONE
IT WAS A CO-PRODUCTION OF MOVE OSTRAVA AND TANEČNO
Places where we don't normally stop. Places we just pass through. Places that are just transit stations and it is here that we all meet - regardless of social, generational, national, ideological or religious differences. Places full of movement, you just have to stop.
In cooperation with the Slovak collective Tanečno and the Czech association MOVE Ostrava, the performative project Connecting/Stations was created, which literally brings contemporary dance to the people. It breaks down the boundaries between art and everyday life, between the viewer and the performer, between waiting and experiencing.
and transforms station halls, places already full of movement, into a living stage where viewers encounter not only each other, but also themselves.
The author of the concept, Slovak choreographer and performer Andrej Štepita, noticed during his frequent cultural travels (and not only) that in places where hundreds of unknown people pass by every day, in addition to a place for travel, a space for art also arises. So, with his new dance project, he decided to bring contemporary art directly into public space – between people, generations, social classes, between farewells and greetings, escapes and returns. From the movement that comes from
from civil contact and naturally developing into partner dance work, this is how choreography was created that does not tell stories, but experiences them together with the audience.
“Train stations are like emotional maps. They remind us of what we feel when we pause for a moment — joy, loneliness, hope, sadness, and new beginnings.”
The main inspiration for this project from the very beginning has been everyday life — the kind we often pass by unnoticed. This visually striking, physically intense, and deeply humanly fragile happening was born out of the need to make contemporary dance accessible to a wider audience while placing it in an environment rich with deep symbolism. Train stations and transit spaces are not just places of passage but also emotional imprints that form part of the collective memory of each of us. This everyday emotionality is exactly what the performance aims to capture, offering the audience a space to slow down and re-experience.
The authors’ primary goal is to return art to public space in its original and profoundly human role — as a tool that connects, develops thinking and feeling, and brings our attention back to the present moment. It is not just a performance — above all, it is about coming together. About creating a space for dialogue between different communities that might otherwise never meet.
"Connecting/Stations creates a platform for bringing together diverse communities and opening dialogue—not through words, but through presence, movement, and shared experience. Its ambition is not only to connect Czech and Slovak initiatives and support the mobility of creators across regions but also to reach new audiences and spread an original, accessible form of contemporary dance beyond borders."
The movement language of the performance is based on everyday, natural contact — gentle, non-violent physical interactions that gradually develop into intense physical and partnered choreographic situations. The creators listen to the rhythm of the day, observe what happens between individual moments of experience, and transform these micro-instances into a poetic, physical language that speaks to everyone regardless of age, background, or cultural experience. In this project, dance becomes a means of understanding and empathy — gently but insistently reminding us that even in the rush, it’s possible to pause for a moment and see differently. At the core of the choreography is, among other things, work with the body in relation to another — touch, support, weight transfer, closeness and distance… all elements familiar not only to dancers but also to everyday people in their daily relationships.
As a Czech-Slovak co-production, the project also supports cross-border collaboration and connects artists and audiences from both countries. The shared goal is not only to create a high-quality artistic work but also to popularize it across public spaces, reach new audiences, and expand the significance of contemporary dance within the cultural context. The project aims to be not only locally relevant but also internationally understandable — precisely thanks to its accessibility, vivid imagery, and strong emotional message.
CREATIVE TEAM
Concept: Andrej Štepita
Performers: Zuzana Burianová, Michaela Králiková, Jana Ryšlavá, Viktorie Szalóczi, Matúš Szeghö, Andrej Štepita
Music composition: Hannes Schögel
Music interpretation: Jakub Turác/Hannes Schögel
Production: Viktorie Szalóczi
Supported from public funds by the Arts Support Fund and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
CONNECTING/STATIONS FOR PROMOTERS
ANNOTATION
Places where we don't normally stop. Places we just pass through. Places that are just transit stations and it is here that we all meet - regardless of social, generational, national, ideological or religious differences. Places full of movement, you just have to stop. Connecting/Stations is a new project by the collectives Tanečno and Move Ostrava , which takes place in the vestibules of train stations. It blurs the boundaries between art and everyday life, between the viewer and the performer, between waiting and experiencing. It transforms the train stations - places of constant movement - into a living stage where the audience encounters not only diverse forms of art, but also itself.
CREATIVE TEAM
Concept: Andrej Štepita
Performers: Zuzana Burianová, Michaela Králiková, Jana Ryšlavá, Viktorie Szalóczi, Matúš Szeghö, Andrej Štepita
Music/vibraphone/percussion: Jakub Turác/Hannes Schögel
Graphic design: Matúš Szeghö
Production: Viktorie Szalóczi
Photo: Marek Jančúch
Premiere: 25 June 2025, Trnava train station
The performance was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Art Support Fund of the Slovak Republic.
Practical information
The performance can be presented in two versions:
Full version (6 dancers, 1 musician, 1 producer)
Smaller version (4 dancers, 1 musician, 1 producer)
Performance length: 39 minutes
Venue: Public space, primarily train station lobbies or public transport buildings
Technical support / preparation on site: 3 hours before the start of the performance
Technical and production requirements
For the vibraphone, we need a space of about 2.5–3 meters (ideally near a wall).
Possibility to park near the area for unloading and loading tools.
Dressing room for performers.
Water and snacks.
