BodyMeld new dance, interdisciplinary performance, and workshops

DanceMeld Platform 2026 | International Contemporary Dance Intensive in Sofia, Bulgaria

A month-long platform for dance, voice, text, technology, and choreographic research


June 8 – July 6, 2026

About

DanceMELD is a month-long platform for interdisciplinary dance as research, performance as encounter, and the body as a social and political site.

DanceMELD Platform 2026 is a month-long international contemporary dance intensive and performance research platform in Sofia, Bulgaria. From June 8 to July 6, 2026, six Bulgarian and international choreographers will lead small-group workshops at BAZA – space for choreographic research, working with dance improvisation, voice, text, sound, video, technology, objects, acrobatics, contact, dramaturgy, and instant composition. Participants can join one lab, one week, or the full platform.

DanceMELD is a temporary artistic ecosystem — part laboratory, part school, part gathering, part public experiment. It creates time and space for artists to test ideas before they become fixed, for participants to learn from inside the process, and for audiences to witness choreography as a living form of thought.

DanceMELD is a place to practice dance as a form of knowledge.
A place to meet across disciplines, generations, and contexts.
A place to support new voices and established artists.
A place to make experimental performance more accessible in Sofia.
A place to move, watch, try, discuss, and meld.


Who is this for?

DanceMeld is open to all nationals between 21 and 99 years, with previous experience in dance, theater, or circus. Please note that our base is always movement, so you should feel comfortable moving. Each lab may have specific prerequisites. Sign up for the whole program or just one lab – it’s up to you.

The official language of the DanceMeld is English, but translation to Bulgarian is offered when needed.

6

international Choreographers

4

weeks of Laboratories

4

public showings

small groups

Up to 12 people

DanceMELD Platform 2026 at a glance

What: International contemporary dance and performance research platform
Where: BAZA – space for choreographic research, Sofia, Bulgaria
When: June 8 – July 6, 2026
For whom: Dancers, performers, choreographers, theatre artists, circus artists, students, and movement practitioners
Format: Morning and afternoon labs, small groups, public showings
Topics: Dance improvisation, voice, text, technology, contact, acrobatics, objects, dramaturgy, instant composition, choreographic research
Language: English, with Bulgarian translation when needed
Prices: €80 half-week lab / €140 one-week pass / €480 full platform regular pass
Registration: Sign up through the individual lab links

Choreographers

Six intergenerational choreographers, each of whom has professional experience in instant composition working with dance, technology, circus, voice, objects, and text.

4 established choreographers

Zornitsa Stoyanova (USA/BUL)

Nora Gibson (USA)

Lucio A. Baglivo (ES/ARG)

Galina Borissova(BUL)

2 young Bulgarian choreographers

Silvia Cherneva (BUL)

Andrea Dragov (BUL)


DanceMeld Schedule and Pricing:

Full Month Platform – Early Bird until May 31
Access to all four weeks of DanceMELD
€430

One Week Pass
Access to one selected week
€140

Full Month Platform – Regular after May 31
Access to all four weeks of DanceMELD
€480

Half Week Pass, morning or afternoon lab
Access to one selected week
€80


PUBLIC SHOWINGS
Saturday, June 13
Zornitsa Stoyanova / Future Love
Saturday, June 20
Silvia Cherneva + Andrea Dragov


Saturday, June 27
Lucio A. Baglivo + Nora Gibson
Saturday, July 4
Galina Borisova / Final DanceMELD Showing


Early Bird FULL Pass before May 31st

EXPIRED

Regular FULL Pass after May 31st.

Weekly Workshops and Choreographic Labs

Sign up For One or More Labs Below.

Choreographer BIOGRAPHIES

Zornitsa Stoyanova

Zornitsa Stoyanova (USA/BUL) is an award-winning performance artist, curator, writer, lighting, and video designer. Based between Sofia, Bulgaria, and Philadelphia, US, she directs her company BodyMeld, which along with presenting her work, focuses on creating programs in support of independent choreographers in both her locales.  

Her stage, video, and photographic work use the female body as an abstract object revealing ideas of strength in female sensuality and emotionality. On stage, she explores the power dynamics between dancers and audiences, and personal stories using vulnerability as a strength.  Her esthetics merge the mundane with the fantastical and futurist sci-fi imagery. Since 2013 an overarching theme in her work has been exposing the “otherness” living within us, as a way to recognize that all humans are the same.  Since 2020, she has been researching a movement and speaking practice – Brutal Honesty – that has the goal of not censoring oneself.  This practice grew into a new method for devising called Polyphonic Dance. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Sound Design from Bennington College, US and an M.A. in Choreography from Fontys and Codarts Universities joint degree in the Netherlands.

Her performance AndroMeda was commissioned and presented by The Philadelphia Museum of Art (2020), and her solo performance Explicit Female (2016) was awarded a “Rocky” – the Philadelphia contemporary dance award. Her choreographic work has been shown at festivals around the U.S. as well as in Bulgaria and France.  As a dancer, she has performed for Eiko & Koma, Boris Charmatz, Sasha Waltz, Cie. Willy Dorner, Lionel Popkin, Group Motion, Zhana Pencheva, and others. Her screendance films have been shown across the U.S. and in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Bulgaria, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Bangladesh.

Zornitsa is also a supporter of a sustainable dance community and is deeply invested in helping further conversation and collaboration. As BodyMeld, she values the exchange of ideas and sharing of methodologies, rigorous research, and experimentation in the field of performance. She strives to create a community curious and excited about the blending of genres in performance, experimentalism, and surviving and thriving in hard political climates.  She teaches improvisation techniques for performance, dance on camera, and composition and has done so in Philadelphia, France, Hungary, her native Bulgaria, and now online.  Zornitsa is also also the owner of BAZA- space for choreographic research in Sofia, an editor for thINKingDANCE.net, and a mother of two. www.bodymeld.org / www.bazaspace.eu

Silvia Cherneva

Silvia Cherneva works across dance, performance and film. In 2016, she completed a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, UK and in 2020, a Master of Contemporary Dance at London Contemporary Dance School. She lives in Bulgaria and has co-organized variety of projects: “Focus Cinema Dance” of the “Man with a Hat” Foundation, PIK – Platform for Improvisation and Composition, DOM – Interactive Dance Performance of DigiPhysics. Together with Tsveta Doycheva, they founded the Room Temperature Association, with which they worked on the cultural program of the Hod Movement Laboratory, as well as on various creative projects in the performing and screen arts.

She is interested in the poetics of everyday movement, the politics of public space, and play as a way to create and connect. Her performative work lies at the intersection of space and movement, often using bold physical constructions to develop material based on play and experimentation. She explores filmmaking as a way to uncover the ‘dance’ in everyday situations and documentary stories, her short films having been screened at film festivals across Europe and the USA.

Andrea Dragov

Andrea Dragov is a contemporary stage artist and translator from Sofia. While attending school, he trained in dancesport for 4 years. He passed through salsa and vogue before discovering contemporary dance and improvisation thanks to Kosta Karakashyan in 2021. He’s been experimenting with different techniques and concepts ever since, such as contact improvisation, dervish whirling, turning words into movement and street performance. He’s also engaged in theatrical forms like verbatim, devising, sensory labyrinths and Theatre of the Oppressed.

Nora Gibson

Nora Gibson is a choreographer and interactive media artist. She merges movement, philosophical inquiry, and the poetic use of physiological data. Her choreography has been presented by institutions including Joyce SOHO, Dance Place, Performance Garage, and Kaatsbaan, while her video works and interactive installations have appeared at international venues such as MUTEK, Ars Electronica, The Istanbul Digital Art Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, and The Society for Arts and Technology (SAT). Gibson holds a BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Intermedia from Concordia University. Her work has been further supported through an internship with the BIAPT neuroscience lab at McGill University. Gibson is on the faculty at Temple University. She teaches ballet, composition, and dance & technology.

Lucio A. Baglivo

Lucio A. Baglivo is an Argentinian-born choreographer, performer, acrobat, director, teacher, and artistic advisor based in Madrid. His work moves between contemporary dance, acrobatics, theatre, circus, absurdity, and social reflection, creating performances that are emotionally direct, physically bold, and deeply connected to the audience.

A former competitive gymnast, Baglivo began his artistic training at Circus School La Arena in 1999, later studying circus techniques, contemporary dance, and theatre with teachers in Argentina and Spain. Since 2006, he has developed and taught his own movement methodology, Lucid Motion, which has expanded into workshops such as Sensitive Memory, Lucid Clown, and Lucid Contact. His teaching and choreographic practice have been shared with companies, schools, conservatories, and festivals across Spain, Germany, Brazil, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Argentina, and beyond.

Since 2007, Baglivo has been based in Madrid, while his works have toured internationally to countries including Germany, Turkey, Finland, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, the United States, Greece, Denmark, Chile, Spain, and Italy. His projects have received support from institutions such as Robert Wilson, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Centro Danza Canal, Teatros del Canal, Surge Madrid, and the City of Madrid.

Baglivo’s productions seek to create a distinct scenic language for each project, combining movement, stage poetics, humor, vulnerability, and political awareness. Through dance, acrobatics, theatre, and the absurd, his work opens emotional and sensory experiences while questioning the current social and political condition of humankind.

Among his major works are Solo Juntos, which premiered at Umore Azoka Festival in the Basque Country and has toured internationally with more than 70 performances; MyL and MyL 2.0, created with flamenco dancer Mariana Collado and presented across Europe; Mientras tanto, supported by Surge Madrid and the City of Madrid; Esto podría ser imposible, developed with support from Centro Danza Canal; and Recuerdos de margaritas, which premiered in 2023 and has toured in Spain, Austria, and Finland.

In recent years, he has continued to expand his practice through large-scale participatory works, street performance, circus-theatre collaborations, and new international commissions. These include Me las bailo todas, a street-based dance project for 25 participants; THE REVOLUTION… of flowers, co-created with Mariana Collado and co-produced with Teatros del Canal; Hey!, an acrobatic theatre and contemporary dance work created with Maximiliano Sanford; and directing projects with young circus artists and companies such as Duo Laos. In 2025, he joins the programming of Teatros del Canal with a new co-production and continues to tour, teach, direct, and choreograph internationally.
https://www.luciobaglivo.com/

Galina Borissova

Galina Borissova is known to Bulgarian and international audiences for several emblematic solo works, including How Quickly Life Flows from January to December, an exploration of time and the dynamic world of Virginia Woolf; Down Here All Lilacs Die, inspired by the writings of Marcel Proust and the music of Richard Wagner; Antigone — This Is Me, created with Romanian dramaturg Gina Șerbănescu, which examines the central antagonism of ancient Greek tragedy — the personal versus the political — through the artist’s own perspective; Juanita Hildegard Bo, where photography becomes a provocation for dance; and I Dance Maria Callas, which explores the dramatic intensity of nineteenth-century operatic characters.

In recent years, Galina has worked on projects such as This Is All, a manifesto on postmodernism; The Story of Yesterday, based on Leo Tolstoy’s research diaries; Three Plays, Four Acts — Play Chekhov, inspired by the work of A. P. Chekhov; Giovanni, Lucia and Cecilia, a chamber “false opera” inspired by instant composition, failed singing, and operatic librettos; and If You Don’t Have a Masterpiece, Do Something Else, a reconstruction of choreographies by the postmodernists of Judson Dance Theater, New York, from the 1960s.

She has created and produced more than 45 projects, presented across Europe and the United States. Her work has been shown at Spring Festival, Bard College, Dance Theater Workshop, Aerowaves, PoliTalu Center, Dance Across Borders, Duncan Centre, Krakow Dance Festival, Silesian Dance Festival, Balkan Dance Platform, the International Theatre Festival “Varna Summer,” and many others.

Galina has collaborated with Theatre Giljotin in Stockholm, Grand Theatre in the Netherlands, Hippodrome Theatre in Florida, Kubilai Khan Investigations in France, Deja Donne in the Czech Republic/Italy, Louise Bédard Danse in Canada, Elsa Limbach in the USA, the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, and others.

In 1998, her work A Never Ending Story won first prize at the International Competition for Contemporary Choreography in Groningen, the Netherlands. She has been a guest lecturer at New Bulgarian University in Sofia from 1998 to 2011, Duncan Centre in Prague in 1999, the Theatre School in Groningen in 2004, and NATFA “Kr. Sarafov” in Sofia in 2003, among others. In 2005, she received a gold medal in Belgrade for her solo Juanita Hildegard Bo as Best Solo Performer. She was nominated for an Ikar Award in 2014 for I Dance Maria Callas and again in 2018 for Down Here All Lilacs Die.

Galina organizes annual dance concerts in collaboration with the Etude Foundation, initiating and producing new short dance premieres. Recent editions have included artists from Romania and North Macedonia. After the ninth edition of the dance concerts, Galina, together with Ani Collier, initiated the festival Etudes and Friends. The festival is a platform for dance and education, presenting Bulgarian productions as well as Bulgarian artists based both in the country and abroad. Over its last five editions, the international festival has developed a dynamic program. In 2020, the festival held its fifth edition online, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the death of choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. Its program includes exhibitions, meetings, discussions, and documentary film screenings, with the aim of presenting dance in all its genres and diversity.

Galina is the initiator of numerous seminars and workshops. She is currently resident at Etude Gallery.

In recent years, her choreographic interests have focused on instant composition, hangout technique, copy/paste culture, and the development of an artistic ethics through which she analyzes her own body of work.

Galina is the author of the book Artists and Preferences, published by New Bulgarian University in 2011. Since 2011, she has written regularly on her blog, publishing professional reviews and translated texts on dance. She also writes poetry under the name Ute Baumwoller.

She calls herself a mutant choreographer.

What is DanceMELD Platform 2026?

DanceMELD Platform 2026 is a month-long international contemporary dance and performance research platform in Sofia, Bulgaria, with workshops led by six Bulgarian and international choreographers.

When does DanceMELD Platform 2026 take place?

DanceMELD takes place from June 8 to July 6, 2026.

Where is DanceMELD Platform 2026 located?

DanceMELD takes place at BAZA – space for choreographic research in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Who can join DanceMELD?

DanceMELD is for dancers, performers, choreographers, theatre artists, circus artists, students, and curious movers with previous experience in movement-based practice.

Can I join only one workshop?

Yes. Participants can register for one half-week lab, one full week, or the full month-long platform.

What kinds of workshops are included?

The platform includes workshops in dance improvisation, voice, text, sound, technology, video, objects, contact, acrobatics, dramaturgy, instant composition, and choreographic research.

Is DanceMELD taught in English?

Yes. The official language is English, with Bulgarian translation when needed.

Are there public showings?

Yes. DanceMELD includes four public showings on June 13, June 20, June 27, and July 4, 2026.


DanceMeld Platform is made possible with the financial support of Sofia Municipality – “Programme Culture.”


We are always looking for partners in making amazing things happen. If you’d like to join in on our vision or would like to donate a little bit of money, we definitely welcome it. If you have an idea for a partnership, just email us or check out how to become a sponsor (corporate or not) below.

We offer a large amount of exposure to communities that care about art, the body, and healthy and active lifestyle in Bulgaria, Europe, and the US.

If you or your company would like to reach that target group, we could be great partners.

Here we propose a few sponsorship options:

500 Euro – your logos and links to your company in all printed and digital materials.

1000 Euro – your logos and links to your company in all printed and digital materials in all BodyMeld events situated in Bulgaria including a social media shout-out on Facebook and Instagram.

1500 Euro – all of the above, but for all of the events of BodyMeld created in Bulgaria, Europe, and US.

2000 Euro- all of the above plus an opportunity to come to speak, and present your company to one or more of our in-person or digital events.

We are open to any other proposals. Our goal is to make artmaking and education possible, and we understand that in order to do that, we need to engage with the capitalist world.

Cost of staying in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Generally, an Airbnb one-bedroom apartment for single people or a couple in Sofia is about 60 Euros per night and is a bit more expensive in the center of the city.

You can find two-bedroom apartments for around 80 euros per night to share with another person.

Sofia is a city of 2 million people, with many districts, a great metro, and tons of public transportation. BAZA space is located in Mladost 4, with easy access to the center by bus and subway.

Contact us with any questions

Contact Zornitsa Stoyanova, Artistic Director of BodyMeld and main organizer of DanceMeld, directly at zornitsa@bodymeld.org or

through Viber or WhatsApp at +359 879225799