"GRAN BOLERO is a great opportunity to remember that there was a day when we decided that dance and music would save us from everything else." - Jesús Rubio Gamo
Jesús Rubio Gamo (Madrid, 1982) is an independent dancer and choreographer based in Madrid. After studying ballet, contemporary dance, theatre, and literature, Jesús was awarded an MAE-AECI grant to develop dance studies in a foreign country. He moved to London, where he completed an MA in choreography at the London Contemporary Dance School (Distinction). His work has been presented at Festivals such as Chantiers d’Europe (Théâtre de la Ville-Paris), Dancenet Sweeden, The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (London), FAEL (Lima), Les Plateaux (La Briquetterie-Paris), Birmingham International Dance Festival, ARC for Dance (Athens), International Theatre Amsterdam, Hay Festival or Romaeuropa Festival. Jesús was selected two years in a row (2017 and 2018) by the Platform Aerowaves as one of Europe's most relevant 20 young choreographers.
In 2020 the Spanish National Radio awards him the Prize el OJO CRÍTICO in dance. The jury highlighted “his artisanal approach to dance composition shown in intimate projects as well as in the orchestration of big ensembles in which he manages to balance the choreographic structure with the individuality of his performers.” His original Spanish creation of GRAN BOLERO, coproduced by Mercat de les Flors & Teatros del Canal, was awarded the MAX Prize (Spanish national prize for performing arts) as Best Dance Production in 2020.
En-Knap, founded in the 1990s by choreographer Iztok Kovač, gave birth to the international dance company EN-KNAP Group in 2007, which has been the only professional ensemble for contemporary dance in Slovenia since its establishment. The group, which consists of dancers from all over the world selected at an international audition, boasts an exceptional repertoire created in collaboration with internationally renowned choreographers and directors of explicitly diverse aesthetic provenance. Since its establishment, the company has worked with over 30 Slovene and international choreographers and theatre directors, creating 26 full evening stage works and a dance film. The company has over 50 domestic appearances yearly and regular international touring.
Zagreb Dance Company (ZPA) was founded by dance artist Lela Gluhak Buneta in 1970. In 2014, producer Petra Glad Mažar took over the management, and in 2022, dance artist Petra Valentić joined her as a co-director. Throughout many years of its existence and under the leadership of various artistic directors, Zagreb Dance Company (ZPA) has always insisted on original works and high artistic and technical levels of its productions. Regular collaborations with foreign choreographers and artists from theatre, visual arts, and music have contributed to the Company’s readiness to face the challenges of different artistic approaches and poetics. As such, ZPA has marked the careers of many dancers and dance experts today working in Croatia and abroad. For its contribution to the development of Croatian theatre, ZPA has received the Croatian Association of Dramatic Artists’ awards for best choreography (2004, 2012, 2018), best female dancer (2004, 2016), best male dancer (2004, 2006, 2012), best set design (2006), and best dance production (2008, 2012). Zagreb Dance Company continually presents its productions at theatres and festivals in Croatia and abroad, performing in almost all European countries, Russia, South Korea, Israel, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.