Residency - Tomislav Feller: ADRIATIC EPIC - workshop 7.3.2026.
Tomislav Feller is staying at the Mediterranean Dance Center for a one-week residency during which, together with collaborator Marin Lemić, he is developing a new dance project with the working title Adriatic Epic. The residency focuses on researching choreographic material and shaping a stage language that emerges from traditional dance structures. As part of the public program, he will lead a workshop open to the local community on
7 March at 10:00
Mediterranean Dance Center, Svetvinčenat
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Adriatic Epic is inspired by traditional dances of the Balkans, with a particular focus on the knightly dances from Blato on the island of Korčula. From these folkloric formations, elements such as combative movements, collective synchronization, rhythm, and spatial orientation are drawn. These elements are transformed into a new stage movement oscillating between ritual marching and rhythmic unison steps. Dance thus becomes a means of exploring transformative states of the body – from shared ecstasy to collapse, from strength to fragility.
The central theme of the project is togetherness. The work explores how two people share space, how they support one another, and how they physically and emotionally respond to the limits of endurance. The performance creates a dialogue between bodies in which touch, contact, and mutual dynamics become carriers of meaning. One of the key questions emerging from the process is: what does it mean to be a pillar of support – literally and metaphorically?
Adriatic Epic is a dance project that seeks to create a new stage experience through the intersection of tradition and authored movement, combining dance, music, and togetherness. It is also a tribute to all those who search through movement for closeness, freedom, and transformation.
CAST & CREDITS
Concept and idea: Tomislav Feller
Main collaborator, performer: Marin Lemić
WORKSHOP
Tradition as Movement – From Folk Structure to Contemporary Expression
This dance workshop is intended for the local community of Svetvinčenat and takes place following a one-week residency dedicated to new choreographic research. It offers insight into a working process based on traditional dances of the Balkans.
The focus of the workshop will be on choreographic elements inspired by the knightly dances of the island of Korčula. Through guided tasks, participants will explore ways in which traditional movement can be transformed into contemporary dance expression. The workshop begins with a physical warm-up through improvisational tasks that encourage awareness, presence, and creativity. It also includes partner work through physical contact, where touch becomes a stimulus for movement, communication, and mutual listening. This is followed by group work on creating rhythmic sequences, approached as a tool for transformation and collective connection.
The workshop is open to everyone interested, regardless of age or previous dance experience.
Date: 7 March
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Location: Mediterranean Dance Center, Svetvinčenat
Workshop language: Croatian
Workshop fee: 15 EUR
The number of participants is limited.
Registration: rezervacije@mediteranskiplesnicentar.hr
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & PEDAGOGUE
Tomislav Feller (Zagreb, 1983) is a choreographer, performer, and educator working between Berlin, Zagreb, and Amsterdam. He graduated in 2010 from the choreography department of SNDO – School for New Dance Development at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, where during his studies he collaborated with artists such as Steve Paxton, Deborah Hay, and Jeanine Durning. After graduating, he continued working as a performer and author, developing his own projects and collaborations. He is a co-founder of the performance project Contemporary Cruising, the collective Young Boy Dancing Group, and the space Jacuzzi in Amsterdam. He collaborated with Matija Ferlin and with Roberta Milevoj created the performances Rachel & Sony and &.
His authored work Cabbage no cabbage was presented in Amsterdam, and as a performer he participated in works by Eglė Budvytytė and Eoghan Ryan. He worked as a pedagogue at SNDO (2020–2023) and as a choreographic assistant to Jefta van Dinther.