Once I tried

Antonia Koluiartseva

Germany / Russia

Lately, I have found myself drawn to two worlds that, unexpectedly, seem to ask the same question.

The first is ancient myths of death- the ways people imagined it centuries ago, the forms they gave it, its images and omens, the danse macabre, the messengers, and the thresholds between worlds.
The second is Anemoia – nostalgia for a time we never actually experienced; a memory that is not ours, a sense of closeness without a past.

In both cases, there is nothing we can truly remember – and yet, the body responds. I want to explore how the body experiences the presence of something it may have never known, and how it responds to what lies beyond personal memory and experience.

At the heart of the work is a question: can movement become a way of touching what cannot be grasped — something we cannot know, but perhaps can still feel?

Dance and choreography: Antonia Koluiartseva

Antonia Koluiartseva
Germany / Russia
Antonia Koluiartseva is a dancer and choreographer. Born in Russia, she is currently based in Wuppertal, Germany. She trained in Ballet and Contemporary Dance at the Tanzcentrum Praha and Tallinn University. For over a decade, Antonia has worked across institutional and freelance scenes in Russia and Europe. She was a key member of St. Petersburg’s “OKNO Dance Project” (2007-2013), co-organizing its annual festival, and later danced with the Aura Dance Theater in Lithuania. After creating independent works in Estonia and Russia, she earned her MA in Choreography from the Folkwang University of the Arts (2018-2021). Her performances have been featured at numerous international festivals. Her work has received support from funds like "Take Heart" and "Dis-Tanz Solo." She was invited as a choreographer for productions at the Folkwang Tanzstudio in 2022 and 2024 and perform as a dancer in "Kontra Punkt» and «Grossstadt Hunger» by the company «Tanzgebiet". She was a key member of St. Petersburg’s “OKNO Dance Project” (2007-2013), co-organizing its annual festival, and later danced with the Aura Dance Theater in Lithuania. After creating independent works in Estonia and Russia, she earned her MA in Choreography from the Folkwang University of the Arts (2018-2021). Her performances have been featured at numerous international festivals. Her work has received support from funds like "Take Heart" and "Dis-Tanz Solo." She was invited as a choreographer for productions at the Folkwang Tanzstudio in 2022 and 2024 and perform as a dancer in "Kontra Punkt» and «Grossstadt Hunger» by the company «Tanzgebiet".

More in this night

India

Slovakia

Fae

Croatia / Czech Republic

Israel

Other Nights