EFFEA Residencies: United in Movement

Ludovica Ballarin - 17 Sep 2025

EFFEA Stories: a journey through the residencies that explored connections through movement, diving into patterns of bodily movement through geographical and social spaces. From choreography to improvisation, staged or collaborative experiences, among performers or stretching the performative sphere embracing the audience - let the dances begin, embodying their stories.

Presented here are six stories by artists and festivals who participated in EFFEA Call #3, each recounting their artistic journey.

EFFEA is an initiative of the European Festivals Association that offers emerging artists a platform to develop their international careers through festivals in multiple countries. EFFEA extends an open invitation for festivals to work across borders and create a network of colleagues with shared goals. It recognises that the future lies in the synergy of diverse perspectives and collective efforts. Through their artistic languages, emerging artists across Europe are using their voices to inspire change, bridge divides and highlight the importance of unity in today’s world.

EFFEA Story: Sarah Vella

Hosted by Dance Festival Malta in partnership with Frei Art Festival

This is the story of the POWER Residency, and of the women who embodied the exploration of resilience, strength, and collective empowerment. The shared outcome draws from the individual stories of the participants, spanning languages and backgrounds and finding a common voice through improvisation and somatic practices - the body as a shared language.

Read the story and learn more about the residency

EFFEA Story: Sabir Project

Hosted by Mahdia Improvise Festival in partnership with Tolfama – International Festival of Improvised Arts and Wonder Impro Festival

Sabir: an ancient lingua franca once used in the Mediterranean for trade and diplomacy, blending elements from Venetian, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, French, Greek, and Berber. This is the story of the journey made by 15 theatrical improvisers from 9 Mediterranean countries addressing political, ethical and societal issues through improvisation and collaboration with the audience.

Read the story and learn more about the residency

EFFEA Story: Mairi Pardalaki

Hosted by Dance Laboratory Rhodes in partnership with Istanbul Fringe Festival and Dance Days Chania

This is a story sprouting from the patterns of the Ottoman Empire: from the words of the karamanlidika archives, a Turkish-dialect writing system with the Greek alphabet, used by the Rum orthodox population, to print marbling techniques. How can these patterns resonate through movement now? What patterns have changed in addressing themes as love, death and religion now and back then? Dünya Maskara project interlaces these old and new patterns through movement and spoken rhythms.

Read the story and learn more about the residency

EFFEA Story: OneTwoMany Collective

Hosted by Roztoc Fest in partnership with Ana Desetnica Fetival, Periskop Festival, and Cirkus Danas

This is the story of a participatory circus show: the spectators find themselves cooperating and co-creating the acrobatic performance, delving into trust, shared responsibility, and collective risk-taking. InThisTogether is a social and interactive experiment revealing varying behavioural patterns, highlighting how settings shape our willingness to trust and collaborate.
Read the story and learn more about the residency

EFFEA Story: Katrīna Dūka

Hosted by International Festival of Contemporary Theatre “Homo Novus” in partnership with ANTI – Contemporary Arts Festival and Kanuti Gildi SAAL

This is the story of Argentine Tango (re)discovery: movement disrupts hierarchies and reassembles the dancing connection in mutual respect and acceptance. Queer Tango dismantles the heteronormativity present in the traditional form of Argentinian Tango, allowing the experimentation of free, intimate, non sexualised eroticism between the bodies taking part in the dance.


Read the story and learn more about the residency

EFFEA Story: Catarina Casqueiro & Tiago Coelho

Hosted by Quinzena de Dança de Almada in partnership with Šibenik Dance Festival, Dance Festival Malta, INTERPLAY Festival, MasDanza - The International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands and Aerowaves Festival in Sofia

This is the story of the 'Forget Me Not' project, a dance duet exploring the connection between body and mind, memory acquisition and loss. The work developed, incorporating rich contributions from recognised artists and creative minds collected through the artistic networks and connections woven in different European contexts and residencies.

Read the story and learn more about the residency

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