Introduction

It is with pride that we present the 3rd edition of the Dancing on the Edge Festival.

The enormous events of the last year in the Middle East and North Africa have focused the world’s attention on the region. Courageous activists, many of them artists, have in a short time succeeded in bringing down repressive regimes. During this year’s festival we will again present engaged pieces created from the inner urgency of artists determined to comment on the world around them. In light of the recent events however, we now understand that artists have not only been responding to situations through their artwork, but are actually real agents of change in their world. Many of the works presented this year were made before the revolutions or in countries that have remained relatively calm, but show that boundary-breaking thoughts and ideas were never far from the surface. The festival’s film program ‘Critical Syrian Cinema - Roots of Revolution?’ also reflects this theme.

This edition’s program is a combination of internationally praised pieces which have not yet been seen in the Netherlands, as well as a number of works by young talented artists. In addition, some performers from previous festivals have been invited back with their new pieces.

The performances and films, together with visual arts installations, our ‘Arts and Minds’ program of debates, meetings, and other events, and of course the presence of more than 60 artists from 9 countries in the region, promise to make Dancing on the Edge 2011 an exciting festival. On behalf of the crew and the artists, I invite you to experience a dance on the edge of this culturally rich volcanic zone.

Gary Feingold

Artistic Director