From 22 September to 3 October 2025, the Jolda Dance Theatre in Almaty hosted an intercultural dance residency for dancers and choreographers from Turkmenistan. This significant event was part of the multifaceted “Dance Turkmenistan!” project, aimed at developing contemporary dance in the region.
The project is implemented by the French Institute in Turkmenistan in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, the Delegation of the European Union, the Embassies of France and Italy in Turkmenistan, and the Goethe-Institut in Kazakhstan.
The goal of the residency was to create a space for experience sharing, networking, and collaborative creativity. Over the two weeks, participants worked with curators, attended masterclasses by local dance specialists, and engaged with representatives of theatrical and dance communities. Under the guidance of curators, they refined their own ideas and developed performance sketches.
Participants explored the activities of Jolda Dance Theatre, the Samruk Contemporary Dance Theatre, Teatro89, Almaty Creative, the cultural space Transforma, the ArtKoshe Theatre, the Almaty Museum of Arts, the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture, as well as costume designer Tamara Said, composer and sound artist Ella Bayysbaeva, and director and multidisciplinary artist Mark Kuklin.
Jolda Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company from Kazakhstan, renowned for its bold experiments and international projects. Its portfolio includes collaborations with Goethe-Institut Kazakhstan, the French Embassy, Indrive, participation in TEDxAstana and TEDxAlmaty, and performances at the Steppe Awards, Alternativa, and Ballet Globe.
The residency was funded by EUNIC—the network of national cultural institutes of European Union countries—under the “European Spaces of Culture” program. This initiative experiments with and implements innovative models of cultural cooperation between European EUNIC members and EU Delegations and local partners in countries outside the EU, realizing the EU’s strategic approach to international cultural relations. ///nCa, 3 October 2025