TRANZIT#6: “GENERATOR-INSPIRING STEPS INTO THE WORLD OF DANCE” – RESEARCH LAB
8.8.2025.
Research lab GENERATOR – Inspiring Steps into the World of Dance
Authors and facilitators: Sanja Frühwald i Sunčica Bandić (VRUM, Croatia)
22nd November 2025 – 23rd November 2025
>>Saturday 10.00 a.m. – 02.00 p.m.
>>Sunday 01.00 p.m. – 05.00 p.m.
Interactive public presentation: 23rd November 2025 from 05.00 to 06.00 p.m.
Filodrammatica, Korzo 28, 1st floor (entrance free)
⚟ EXCITING RESEARCH OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE HISTORY
Language: Croatian
Apply to participate via online form.
Participation fee: 30,00 – 45,00 eura
Through this Lab we are taking you on an unique journey through the world of contemporary dance, further developing our mediation project Generator. In collaboration with Generator Platform and the prestigious National Center for the Development of Choreography in Toulouse, the VRUM Performing Arts Collective opens new horizons for young people aged 12 to 18, but also to young adults and all potentially interested parties such as dance educators, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals from the field of performing arts and education.
We have designed this Lab in Rijeka through two one-day workshops (it will be possible to participate in both or just one – depending on interest and possibilities – and we have just generally divided them by age). The first day features the workshop Breaking Boundaries: 10 Defining Moments in Contemporary Dance where participants will become acquainted with the revolutionary works of artists such as Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, and Jérôme Bel through carefully designed interactive games and exercises, video examples, and guided discussions.
The second day features the workshop Tracing the Footprints: A Journey Through the History of Dance, which takes participants on an exciting exploration of the history of contemporary dance – from key moments of the last century to the present day. We also pay special attention to the phenomenon of dance in film (from Louie Fuller and Ginger and Fred to Tik Tok!).
Our practice-led method allows participants to not only observe dance but to actively experience and understand it. Each workshop is an inspirational journey that equally challenges and enriches both the body and the mind.
The Generator is more than a workshop – it is an immersive experience that celebrates diversity, creativity, and the transformative power of contemporary dance.
Facilitators: Sanja Frühwald, Sunčica Bandić
The lab is aimed at young people aged 12 to 18, as well as young adults and all potentially interested parties who are interested in the topic of the lab and want to deepen and expand their knowledge and gain new experiences in the thematic area. The working language of the lab is Croatian.
Due to the limited number of participants (18-22), registration is mandatory. Applications are accepted until November 20, 2025, or earlier if the group is filled. After registration, you will receive a confirmation email and payment instructions. The price of the research lab is 45.00 euros and is paid in advance to the bank account of the art organization KRILA. For early registrations and payments by September 17, 2025, and for students and pupils, we have ensured a discount, and in that case, the fee is 30.00 euros.
Authors and the lab facilitators
Sanja Tropp Frühwald graduated contemporary dance from SEAD Salzburg in 2007. Since then, as the artistic director of VRUM performing arts collective (Zagreb/Vienna), she has created over 25 original productions, including Baja Buf, the killer in you is the killer in me my love, Doodles, Tiger Lilies, Above Us Only Sky, Sons, The Milky Way, Lover’s Disco(urse), Nachts, Purple, Hey, Alter! (for Staatstheater Kassel/tanz kassel), Die große Wörterfabrik (for Schauspielhaus Essen), Life Doesn’t Frighten Me at All, Mirabilia, Schimmer and more. She has also collaborated as a dramaturg and mentor with artists such as Jan Rozman & Julia Keren Turbhan (Things Thing) and Gat Goodovitch / Lazuz (So Nah Wie Nie Zuvor). Most of her works are presented in Croatia and Austria and regularly tour internationally.
Sanja’s artistic work has been widely recognized, earning multiple nominations and awards, including the Croatian National Theatre Award (2012, 2016), the Stella Award in Austria (2022), and Assitej Croatia Awards (2022, 2023, 2024).
She has represented her work at the Biennale of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean (2005), received a danceWEB scholarship (2007), and participated in the EU research project Choreoroam (2009–2010). From 2012 to 2014, she was a resident artist with the Fresh Tracks Europe network (tanzhaus NRW, Krokus Festival Hasselt, kopergietery Gent, Tweetakt Festival, Het Lab Utrecht, Imaginate Edinburgh, Dansstationen Malmö, Dschungel Wien, STU Tallinn), focusing on the development of dance for young audiences. This experience deeply influenced her artistic and personal trajectory.
Sanja’s work is characterized by a strong commitment to intergenerational collaboration and community engagement. Her approach is recognized as innovative, interactive, inclusive, and politically aware. Over the years, she has developed her artistic practice within the field of performing arts for young audiences, fostering dialogue between different social groups with a focus on non-violent communication and shifting perspectives.
Since 2009, she has led KLIKER Festival, a festival of movement and dance for young audiences in Varaždin, Croatia. She initiated the KLIKER platform and coordinated GENERATOR, a European collaborative platform for the development of dance for (and with) young audiences (2018–2022).
From 2019 to 2022, Sanja served on the board of ASSITEJ Austria, and since 2017, she has been a core group member of the Young Dance Network within ASSITEJ International, a global model for exchange in the field of dance for young audiences.In addition to her artistic and community projects, Sanja regularly teaches at various theaters, schools, and festivals across Europe, including ImPulsTanz Festival Vienna and Academy of Drama Arts, University of Zagreb.
She is a member of the Croatian Association of Freelance Artists, holding the status of choreographer.
www.vrum.hr
www.klikerfestival.com
www.klikerplatform.com
www.generatorplatform.com
www.youngdancenetwork.com
Sunčica Bandić began her dance journey at the Ballet School of the Croatian National Theatre in Split, where she had the opportunity to perform in repertoire productions. She graduated in Contemporary Dance and Dance Pedagogy from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, earning the Rector’s Award for her achievements. During her studies, she gained additional professional experience as a dancer and dance teacher.
She also completed a master’s degree in Arts Education and Mediation at the MUK Conservatory in Vienna, where she once again received the Rector’s Award for her success. While in Vienna, she actively collaborated with the artistic organization Vrum, which focuses on theatre for children and young audiences, and through various engagements participated in numerous international festivals, residencies, and conferences.
Upon returning to Croatia, she founded MOT – a solo trade for dance mediation and education – and began working as an external collaborator with the ballet department of the Josip Hatze Music School. She is a member of UPUH, DaCi Croatia, and the Young Dance Network.
As a dance artist, she is particularly interested in transmediation, theatre for young audiences, and the integration of art into social systems
The artistic organization VRUM is an international collective of artists from various artistic fields, with Sanja Frühwald as the central figure in the role of artistic director of the collective. All members of the collective have been working on the development of dance and theater for a young audience for many years. At the center of the collective’s artistic work is the body: a multidimensional body, the vocalization of the body, movement, and contemplation of the body, the body as a framework for dialogue.
VRUM – performing arts collective
Production: Creative Laboratory of Contemporary Theatre KRILA
Artistic Director and Curator: Ivana Peranić
Visual identity: Ana Somek
Design of promotional materials: Katarina Ratkaj
Financial Support: The City of Rijeka, Ministry of Culture and Media of Republic of Croatia, Primorsko-goranska County, Kultura nova Foundation
Logistic Support: HKD na Sušaku, Savez udruga Molekula
Partner: Choreoscope – Barcelona Dance Film Festival
Media Support: H-Alter, Kulturpunkt.hr, Rijeka Danas, Novi list, teklić.hr svakidan, Rijeka Tourist Board
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