Slowly but certainly, the world of the Romanian dance submits to the process of decentralization, typical to transition even if it undergoes it unconsciously. Bucharest doesn't have, anymore, the monopoly of the important events: in Constanţa there is a group of classical ballet of European level and, more recently, there is a performance contest, while Iaşi tends to become the pole of contemporary dance with us. In the "sweet Moldavian borough" there took place five editions of the International Festival of Choreographic Creation and it's about two years since the establishment of the Romanian Choreographic Foundation both having as initiator the tireless Dan Brezuleanu, former dancer himself, "in reserve" now. With the support of the French Cultural Center in town and having as main financier The Foundation for Civil Society Development located in Bucharest, the Romanian Choreographic Foundation organized in 24-25 May, the first Contemporary Ballet National Reunion, having as central theme "The State of the Romanian Ballet – Realities and Perspectives". "What do you mean, the first?" you'll ask. Well, yes, and it wouldn't have been even that but for the large-hearted people from Iaşi, although the domain of local dancing has "health" problems for a long time! The reunion was first of all an opportunity to gather around and exchange opinions and experiences, since few are the opportunities where there are gathered together dancers from the big theatres or companies, teachers from the centers with art high-schools in the country. So they talked about "The Need to Modernize the Romanian Choreographic Theatre" (Vivia Săndulescu, A.T.F. Bucharest), "The National Choreographic Movement" (Dan Brezianu), "The Socio-Professional Condition of the Dancer" (Gh. Cotovelea, The National Opera in Bucharest), "Autonomy in Choreographic Art" (Călin Hanţiu, the Constanţa Opera), "Problems of the Choreographic Teaching" (Mihaela Santo, the Choreography High School in Bucharest), "The French Model" (Benoît Vitse, the director of the Iaşi French Cultural Center, director by profession). At the round table that, in fact, accompanied permanently the talks, guests from Cluj, Timişoara, Galaţi took part as well. There were present, as well, more involved or just temporary involved, guests from the Parliament, and a few municipal councilors. There stood out, through their absence, the representatives of the Ministry of Culture and of the Education, that is, the ones most needed. In their absence the efficiency of the reunion was much diminished, the debates, not once furious, being almost fruitless in the absence of the decision-making forums. And, God, how many problems are there to solve! The communication between the dance representatives and the ministries is fractured, anyway, by the inexistence of a referent of specialty in any of them, the business of dance being left to some people having completely other qualifications. To ease the sadness of fighting with the windmills, we accompanied the reunion by an intensive cure of videos of dance, because with us, in the absence of a videotheque, there still functions the principle of social gathering on cultural aspects. I left Iaşi on a rough weather, with a shivering soul, warmed only by the memory of the French-Moldavian hospitality, and with the hope that, at the next reunion somebody from up there will stoop and listen to the grievances of the apparently small and disunited world of Romanian dancers.
by Vivia Săndulescu
