Битеф

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ON BITEF

Since it began in 1967, the Belgrade International Theatre Festival/BITEF has continually brought audiences new and experimental trends in theatre and is one of the largest and the most important European festivals. Transcending political and cultural borders, BITEF has managed to stay in step over four decades with the tumultuous evolution of performing arts. In this way, the history of BITEF is the history of contemporary theatre. Throughout the revolutionary Sixties and Seventies, BITEF audiences saw courageous stage experiments that explored the destruction and deconstruction of dramatic forms. They also saw important classical achievements, such as examples of traditional Oriental theatre, in the Eighties and Nineties, BITEF presented the highest reaches of post-modern theatre and dance. Even during political-economic crisis and embargo, the festival successfully promoted ultimate cultural values, bringing to Belgrade some of the biggest names in world performing arts. In this first decade of the 21 st century, BITEF has been offering original and innovative accomplishments in world mainstream theatre, productions that rely on post-dramatic, nonverbal expression, as well as those that draw on new technologies, opening doors to the virtual reality of cybertheatre. During all these years, BITEF has preserved its place in the family of major international festivals. For its continuity and consistent quality, BITEF in 1999 was awarded a special prize by Premio Europa per il teatro. A list of names of some of the artists whom BITEF has brought to Belgrade during the past forty years is the best exposition of the festival's history. Some of these artists were "discovered" at BITEF. For others, BITEF has been another in a series of the artists'affirmations of their vision, accomplishment and international significance.

Janowska • Gébôr Zsâmbéki • Kama Ginkas • Frederick Flamand • François Michel Pesenti • Meredith Monk • Roman Viktjuk ■ Wim Vandekeybus • Andrâs Urban • Theodores Terzopoulos • Lev Dodin • Silviu Purcarete • Joseph Nadj • Nigel Charnock • Jagoš Marković • De la Guarda • Frank Castorf • Saburo Teshigawara • Nikita Milivojević • Théâtre de Complicité&Simon Mcßurney • Vito Taufer • Giorgio Strehler • Angelin Preljocaj • Phil Soltanoff • Ivan Popovski • Margaret Jenkins • Valerij Fokin • Sonja Vukićević • Christoph Marthaler • Sacha Waltz • Thomas Ostermeier • Regis Obadia • Aleksandar Popovski • Michael Nyman • Eric Lacascade • Arpad Sopsits ■ Susanne Linke • Nicolas Stemann • Alisa Stojanović ■ Dalija Aćin • Grzegorz Jarzyna • Michael Thalheimer • Krystian Lupa • Marius Kurkinski • Krysztof Warlikowski • Rezo Gabriadze • Pjotr Fomenko • Johan Simnos • Oskaras Korsunovas • Egon Savin • Tomi Janežič • lan Grieve • Daniela Nicolo • Enriko Casagrande • Yossi Yungman • José Montavlo • Lorenzo Bazzocchi • Matjaž Farič • Robert Alfoldi • Rami Be'er • Heiner Goebbels • René Pollesch • Alvis Hermanis ■ Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker • Bojan Đorđev • Lloyd Newson • Marie Chouinard • Constanza Macras • Dmitri Černjakov • Stefan Kaegi • Rodrigo Garcia • Kirsten Dehlhoim • Lotte van den Berg • Guy Weizman • Rony Haver • Ivica Buljan • Maurice Bèjart • Ohad Naharin • Romeo Casteliucci • Phil Soltanoff - Suzanne Osten • Andraš Urban • Emma Dante • Boris Bakal • Lenka Udovički • DVB • Aurélien Bory • Vida Ognjenovié • Meg Stuart • Bojana Cvejić • Suzanne Osten etc...