SDF Meetings & Conferences
SDF FORUM 2026
Dance as Diplomacy
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 18h00
Venue: Arsen House of Arts, Šibenik, Croatia
Moderated by: Zorana Mihelčić, Artistic Director, Šibenik Dance Festival
About the Forum
SDF Forum is a dedicated space where artists, choreographers, producers, festival programmers, and educators come together to exchange ideas, forge connections, and shape the future of contemporary dance.
For its 15th jubilee edition, the Forum focuses on a question more urgent than ever: Can dance serve as a tool for cultural diplomacy? Across borders, crises, and geopolitical divides, movement holds a unique power to create dialogue where words fall short. This year, SDF Forum brings together leading voices from Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas to explore how dance builds bridges between nations, institutions, and generations.
The Forum integrates expert discussion, live artistic performance, and direct mentorship into a single, dynamic evening.
Program
Panelists
Artistic Director & Founder, Šibenik Dance Festival / Plesni Teatar Sjene
Founder and Artistic Director of the Šibenik Dance Festival and Plesni Teatar Sjene. Over 15 years, she has built the festival into one of the most distinctive platforms for contemporary dance in the Adriatic region, consistently championing independent artists, international exchange, and the belief that when words fail, art speaks louder.
Pamela Pietro is Chair and Arts Professor of the Department of Dance at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and Director of the Tisch Dance study abroad programs in New York and Berlin. A specialist in interdisciplinary research and performance, she bridges academic training and the professional market, preparing emerging artists for the realities of a shifting global industry. She will also perform her solo work Everything I Thought I Knew But… during the evening.
Co-founder of the Derida Dance Center in Sofia and an active member of the European Dancehouse Network. Atanas has been instrumental in building resilient infrastructure for independent dance in the Balkans, developing artist residencies and regional platforms such as Moving Balkans that connect creators across borders.
Artistic Director of Dance Festival Malta. Working from one of Europe’s smaller cultural hubs, Francesca has pioneered strategies for community engagement and audience development that demonstrate how contemporary dance festivals can act as a genuine educational bridge between artists and the public.
Artistic Director of MASH (Jerusalem) and International Dance Week. In the face of geopolitical instability, Ofra led a remarkable initiative to take the MASH platform beyond Israel’s borders turning a crisis into an act of active cultural diplomacy and demonstrating that strategic international partnerships can transcend geographical and security divides.
Director of the Barcelona International Dance Exchange (BIDE). An advocate for artist-led, decentralised collaboration, Sebastian champions independent networking as a form of diplomacy creating space for co-productions and dialogue directly between artists, without the need for large institutional structures.
Lead Producer of the Quinzena de Dança de Almada, one of Portugal’s most enduring international dance festivals. Carlota brings deep expertise in sustainable production models balancing high artistic standards with the economic realities of non-profit cultural programming to keep ambitious international work alive year after year.
A leading dancer and performer with the internationally acclaimed Club Guy & Roni (Netherlands) and company NITE, and President of the Board of The House of Circus, Amsterdam. Drawing on years of international touring and physical storytelling, Angela explores how the embodied experience of the performer becomes a direct instrument of cultural diplomacy.
Cultural producer and manager with over 14 years of experience in contemporary dance and performing arts. Founder of IM industries, Ivan works closely with leading Croatian organisations including HIPP, SSP, and ON/A, leading production, strategic development, and international partnerships. He has been involved in more than 18 EU-funded projects including current Creative Europe projects dancEUA, Beyond Front@: Bridging Periphery, Waterfronts, and Open Relief and holds an MA in Production from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, where he has also taught as a guest lecturer for nine years.
Call for Applications
Are you an emerging independent artist at the start of your professional path? This is your chance to present your work, artistic vision, and career plans in a 3-minute pitch to some of the most respected programmers, producers, and festival directors in Europe.
You will receive direct, constructive feedback from all seven panelists and the connections made in this room can open doors to international co-productions and residencies.
What to prepare
A short, effective presentation (slides, photos, short video clips) to accompany your 3-minute pitch.
Key details
- Places are strictly limited to 10 artists.
- All participants receive exclusive discounts on evening performances at Šibenik’s fortress venues.
- Application deadline: June 26, 2026
Beyond the invaluable networking and connections that can open doors to international co-productions, all pitching session participants receive exclusive discounts on evening performances at Šibenik’s stunning fortress venues.
Detailed information on ticket packages will be sent to you upon registration.