Angelo Egarese

(Italy)

"Fa'atama"

Since 2017, he has served as Artistic Director of Kinesis Contemporary Dance Company in Florence, developing a distinctive choreographic practice. His work has been presented through international platforms and collaborations with companies and institutions across Europe, the United States and Asia, including Balletto del Sud, Mandala Dance Company and Gonzaga University. His choreographies have toured internationally and received several awards, while his cultural projects have been supported by leading Italian public institutions and foundations.

Junjian Wang

(China)

"Body Chiang"

Rafaela Nunes

(Portugal)

"In the Uncertainty of Being"

Born in Lisbon and raised partly in Angola, Rafaela trained in Portugal before joining Elephant in the Black Box Junior Dance Company in 2021, where she worked with choreographers including Jill Crovisier and Sofia Nappi. She later joined Quorum Project and AZA Dance Program, collaborating with established artists and companies across Portugal while developing her practice in contemporary dance and physical theatre. As a freelance dancer and creator, she has presented her own works IMAGINARIUM, selected for the National Showcase of Young Creators, and KIMLIK, a co-creation with Lizi Manisa.

Sophie Tukker & Carmine Vigliotti

(Netherlands & Italy)

"Foreign Skin"

Founded in 2022 by Sophie Tukker and Carmine Vigliotti, Mind in Movement is a creative collective whose work spans contemporary dance and international artistic collaboration. The collective has created works for Het Nationale Ballet, ISH Dance Collective and Fontys Academy of the Arts, and developed projects through residencies at Conny Janssen Danst and Magnezy Dance Production. In 2025, Mind in Movement won First Prize at both the Internationales Solo Tanz Theater Festival Stuttgart and Voci dell'Anima Festival, while also being selected as a finalist for Mittelyoung.

Anton Mladenov

(Bulgaria)

"Where is Mommy?"

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Anton Mladenov graduated from Ballettschule Theater Basel in Switzerland and performed with companies including Opera na Zamku in Poland and Ballet Arabesque in Bulgaria. He is currently the Artistic Director of AM Company and made his choreographic debut in December 2024 with Amalgamate. His solo Where Is Mommy? received the Individual Performance Award at Theater Laboratory Sfumato's Small Season 2026.

Kalia Mavrofti & Panagiotis Tasoulis

(Cyprus & Greece)

"NOI"

Kalia Mavrofti, from Cyprus, and Panagiotis Tasoulis, from Greece, are Berlin-based dancers who graduated with distinction from the Greek National School of Dance (KSOT) in 2024. They have collaborated with a range of choreographers and directors, including Alan Lucien Øyen, Antonis Foniadakis and Patricia Apergi, and performed at major venues and festivals across Greece and Germany. Both are members of the dance collective My Piece Of Paper, directed by Tamae Yoneda, and continue to develop their artistic practice through international collaborations and workshops with leading dance artists.

Ria Girard

(Canada/Germany)

"2 Things Existing at Once"

Ria Girard is a Germany-based performer and choreographer whose professional dance career spans over a decade, with engagements at Ballet BC in Canada, Staatstheater Augsburg and Theater Pforzheim in Germany. Her performance experience includes the Venice Biennale, alongside collaborations with project-based companies and non-profit arts organisations. Her multidisciplinary practice combines dance, writing, visual art and community workshops, driven by curiosity, collaboration and a commitment to imagining more just futures through movement.

Elena Marinova

(Bulgaria)

"Syndrome of the Absent-Minded"

Elena Marinova is a Bulgarian contemporary dance artist, choreographer and cultural entrepreneur who graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London in 2023. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Dance Frame Collective, creator of Head Under Water Dance Company, and founder of Dance Frame Fest, an international festival for young choreographers held annually in Sofia. Her artistic practice explores consciousness and personal and collective transformation through multidisciplinary approaches, while her educational initiatives support emerging artists and her choreographic work includes collaborations with Ballet Arabesque, ATOM Theatre and DUNE Youth Company.

KUO Chueh-Kai

(Taiwan)

"Towards Equilibrium"

Born in Chiayi, Taiwan, Kuo Chueh-Kai trained at the National Taiwan University of Arts and joined Hung Dance in 2018, touring internationally across Europe, the Americas and Asia. As co-founder of Nonly Body, he develops a multidisciplinary choreographic practice combining contemporary dance, circus arts, martial arts and acrobatics to explore the body as an expression of self. His work Pua̍h-pue was nominated for the 23rd Taishin Arts Award in 2024, while Towards Equilibrium won six awards at the Stray Birds Dance Platform in 2025 and reached the final seven at the Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition.

LI HAN & LIU YAHAO

(China)

"Nookrest"

LI Han and LIU Yihao are emerging choreographers whose work has received recognition at international dance competitions in Asia and Europe. In 2026, they won the Silver Award in the Youth Choreography Category at the Seoul International Dance Competition for their original duet Resting in a Corner, while also receiving the Gold Award in the Expert Choreography Category for their participation in the group work Tribute. Both were selected among the top 100 choreographers for the 2026 Top Dancers Development Programme, with their individual works also earning shortlist selections and awards at international competitions.