Enya Belak

AEROWAVES is a hub for dance discovery in Europe. The organisation identifies the most promising new work by emerging dance artists and then promotes it through cross-border performances. Aerowaves’ network of partners in 33 countries enables these younger choreographers to bring brand new dance to brand new audiences.

MY INVOLVEMENT WITH AEROWAVES

I have been collaborating with Aerowaves since Spring Forward 2017 in Aarhus, and throughout my time with the organisation, I have gained extensive knowledge about the company, the artists, and producing high-quality audio-visual content for the festival format. I have also become adept at working to challenging schedules at festivals.

Some of the notable projects I have directed, edited, or produced include the documentary ‘Aerowaves at 25’, ‘Springback Ringside’, ‘Frameworks’, ‘Summer Recollection Exhibition’, the artist interview series ‘Meet the Makers’, the live streaming daytime TV programme for dance enthusiasts ‘Springback Live’,  and ‘Spring Forward 2020 / The Show Must Go On-Line!’

The festivals I was involved with include:

Within Aerowaves, I have conducted several filmmaking workshops for the writers of Springback Magazine, which offers a platform to read, watch, and learn about dance.

Thanks to the knowledge and workflow I have established within Aerowaves over the years, I was able to contribute to and support many other organisations in producing and directing online dance festivals or other online content during the pandemic.

The festivals and organisations I have worked closely with during the pandemic include B.motion Festival (OperaEstate / Bassano del Grappa, Italy), Café Plateaux (La Briqueterie / Val-de-Marn, France), Czech Dance Platform (Tanec Praha / Prague, Czech Republic), Trip The Light (Trip Space / London, UK), European Dancehouse Network, Dublin Dance Festival (Dublin, Ireland), and The Place (London, UK).

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Aerowaves at 25
I directed a one-hour documentary that offers a backstage insight into the people and artists of the pioneering dance organisation Aerowaves, and their influence on contemporary dance across Europe since 1996.

Springback Production
As part of Aerowaves, I initiated Springback production, which focuses on creating dance content, films, and digital events across Europe.

Springback Ringside
I have been involved in the development of a 180° Virtual Reality project that brings together a group of spectators to watch performances, followed by a Springback Q&A – a post-show talk with the artists conducted by a Springback writer.

In the early stages, we tested various VR cameras and developed a workflow to film 13 performances in VR across Europe.

Thanks to the Perform Europe grant, we were able to tour the project and present it to various audiences. Based on feedback reports, we continuously upgraded the production to enhance the experience for upcoming presentations.

Frameworks
During the pandemic, I produced Twenty20 FRAMEWORKS, a project that explores new dance territory through interactive technology.

As an initiative by Aerowaves and Springback Production, the project invites artists to find ways to transform digital media into their dance partner, rather than as a way of showing their dance works or making dance for the camera.

Summer Recollection Exhibition
We presented the print edition of Springback Magazine Annual, along with the ‘Aerowaves at 25’ supplement, edited by Róisín O’Brien. In addition, I curated a video installation that recollects a quarter of a century of dance across Europe.

Spring Forward 2020 / The Show Must Go On-Line!
Spring Forward 2020 was supposed to take place in Rijeka and Opatija hosted by the Croatian Cultural Centre, however due to the Covid-19 crisis it became a virtual experience over 3 days of live streaming through Zoom.

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