The international summer school Frame Your Dance, organized by Alma Mater Europaea – Academy of Dance, brought together 40 young dancers from Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Austria, and Hungary in Ljubljana.
In the intensive program, participants developed their dance technique, learned the principles of filming for social media, and created original dance videos at some of the most recognizable locations in the Slovenian capital.
When the classroom moves to the streets of Ljubljana
The summer school program combined top-level dance education with contemporary approaches to digital creation. Mornings were dedicated to dance classes and workshops on adapting choreography for the vertical dance reel format, while in the afternoons students, together with their mentors, brought their ideas into the field.
For one week, Ljubljana became their creative studio. Filming took place at the Railway Museum, Tivoli Park, in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSUM), at Metelkova, and in the picturesque old town center. Each location offered a different creative challenge and a new opportunity to explore the relationship between movement, space, light, and camera.
More than dance – skills for the contemporary creator
Frame Your Dance was not intended solely for refining dance technique. Participants also developed knowledge that contemporary dance creators increasingly need – an understanding of film language, visual storytelling, digital media, and content creation for different platforms.
In just one week, high-quality dance videos were created, proving how successfully dance art, creativity, and modern technology can intertwine. At the conclusion, the mentors also emphasized the students’ exceptional progress, as through intensive work they confidently developed their artistic expression.
“At Frame Your Dance, we didn’t just create dance videos, but also a space for collaboration, creativity, and international connection. We are delighted that in just one week the students made such a great creative leap and are going home with new knowledge, experiences, and friendships.”
– Rosana Hribar
An international experience that connects
One of the greatest values of the summer school was international collaboration. Creating together enabled participants to exchange different dance approaches, cultural experiences, and views on art, while also forging many new friendships that will extend far beyond the boundaries of the one-week program.
The summer school offered participants much more than an intensive educational program. Through creating, exploring Ljubljana, and informal socializing, bonds were formed that confirm that art connects people regardless of their language or country.
A success story that continues
In one week, Frame Your Dance proved that dance can transcend the boundaries of the studio and come alive in dialogue with the city, the camera, and people from different parts of Europe. The resulting dance videos are only part of the story – the project’s greatest value lies in the new knowledge, creative confidence, and international connections that participants take with them.
At the Alma Mater Europaea Academy of Dance, we are proud that together with our dedicated teaching and mentoring team, as well as the students who participated in the program through Erasmus+ and CEEPUS mobility, we created an environment where art, collaboration, and innovative approaches to education intertwine.
The successful first edition confirmed that Frame Your Dance is much more than a summer school. It is an international creative laboratory where dance, film, and contemporary digital media meet, and above all a space where new ideas, partnerships, and generations of creators emerge. That is precisely why we are already looking forward to the next edition.
Photo: Tija Ažman
