October 30 – November 8, 2026
City Art Gallery and other venues
A Varna premiere of a performance by Marion Darova, featuring Martina Apostolova and the participation of Galina Borisova—who marks 40 years on stage—are among the highlights of the eleventh edition of *Moving Body*. The contemporary dance and performance festival will take place from October 30 to November 8, 2026, in Varna, with events hosted at the City Art Gallery, the "Otets Paisiy" Community Center, and PUNKT 9. The program brings together Ikar Award winners, internationally acclaimed artists, and a selection of dance films.
Under the motto "This Edition Moves Despite the Odds," this year’s installment continues to move forward "against all odds." The program bridges dance, theater, music, and cinema to explore questions regarding identity, collective fears, the influence of social media, and fantasies of a fresh start.
Marion Darova and Martina Apostolova in a Varna Premiere
On November 5 and 6 at 7:30 PM, the City Art Gallery will host two works by choreographer Marion Darova, featuring Martina Apostolova.
Darova is a recipient of the Ikar Award for Contemporary Dance and Performance (for *WO MAN*); her work explores the body, identity, and the relationship between the natural and the social. On November 5, the duo will present the Varna premiere of *Taken from the Internet, or a Brief Guide to the Use of Dance*. In this piece, Darova and Apostolova play themselves: they attempt to create a dance performance centered on social media, yet every choreographic endeavor brings them back to the nagging feeling that everything has already been done.
On November 6, the program continues with *Never Again a Monday*—a work also featured in the lineup for the 2025 ACT Festival for Independent Theatre. This performance—part conversation, part simulation—explores the apocalypse both as a source of fear and as a desire for a "restart." Can we embrace the upheaval of change, or do we prefer to imagine the world only after its destruction?
On November 7 at 7:30 PM, the City Art Gallery will host *RAW Confessional Poetry*—a performance-concert by Galina Borisova and the band KAKE.
Galina Borisova’s participation serves as a special highlight during the year in which she marks her 40th anniversary on stage. In 2026, the choreographer received the Sofia Municipality Award for outstanding achievements in culture—in the category of "Contemporary Performative and Multi-genre Arts"—for *A Never Ending Story* (a reconstruction of an iconic choreography) and its accompanying exhibition.
The festival kicks off on October 30 at 7:30 PM at PUNKT 9 with *Critical Moves Screenings*, featuring short films from the international competition program. The next screenings will take place on October 31 and November 1 at 4:00 PM, featuring a brunch format.
This black-and-white work was filmed on the shores of the Baltic Sea, on the island of Fårö—the place where Ingmar Bergman lived and worked. Through dance and movement, Rosenberg explores themes of aging, intimacy, solitude, and a sense of belonging to a community. The director is also an author of scholarly research on screen dance, published by Oxford University Press.
Admission to the film program screenings is by donation.
On November 4 at 7:00 PM, at the "Otets Paisiy" Community Center (Chitalishte), the Dramedi Theatre (Varna) will present "The Four Agreements." This original production, aimed at children and young audiences, is inspired by the book of the same name by Don Miguel Ruiz.
On November 7 at 12:00 PM, a brunch and discussion with Martina Apostolova and Marion Darova—moderated by Elitsa Mateeva—will be held at PUNKT 9. On November 8 at 2:00 PM, the audience will have the opportunity to meet Galina Borisova.
The festival is supported by the "Culture" Fund of the Municipality of Varna.
Tickets are available at the box office: Festival and Congress Centre: daily from 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM (with a break from 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM); phone: +359 52 608 446.
Tickets online: movingbody
