On 28 August 2025, the creative team of the performance Declarations received the Golden Lightning award for the outstanding event of The Old Power Station in the 2024/2025 season, which was presented as part of the 28th International Mladi levi Festival.
The GOLDEN LIGHTNING award for outstanding event goes to the CREATIVE TEAM of the performance DECLARATIONS
The Old Power Station, season 2024/2025
Declarations are characterized by precision, thoughtfulness and professionalism of execution at all levels of the creative process. There is an unmistakable intertwining of choreography and direction by Maja Delak, which maintains clarity between one area and the other, but at the same time also harmony and mutual reminder of one and the other performance language, without the creators, and especially the choreographer and director, falling into naivety – behind every movement, movement in space or spoken word, one can sense an elusive and complex sentiment of the intertwining of regret, love and beauty, which fills mourning or passing away, perhaps ultimately the sentiment of what remains. The intertwining of choreography and direction thus appears as a unique and fresh approach to performing texts – not only in The Old Power Station, but also on the wider Slovenian stage. The meticulously thought-out and stylistically refined (there is nothing superfluous on stage, neither in speech nor in movement) performance concept requires complete concentration from everyone involved. Maja Delak's decision to have a cast consisting of dancers and actresses who perform the same tasks on stage, thus blurring the boundaries between one performance apparatus and another, is welcome in our space, where the performance registers within mixed ensembles are often still divided according to the profession of the individuals, without offering the individuals the challenge of inhabiting other genres. In the staging of Declarations, the entire cast together steps into areas of creation that are not native to the individuals, but nevertheless bravely and skillfully inhabit them – whether in words or movement. Nataša Živković stands out in particular, taking the stage of The Old Power Station with a sovereign and calm presence and following both words and movements in a precise and clear execution. It is also worth noting the scenography by Urša Vidic, which, despite its realism in The Old Power Station, works organically and supports the feelings conveyed through the text, as well as the dramaturgy of the performance.
- 28. 8. 2025, Bunker, Old Town Power Plant - Elektro Ljubljana, expert committee: Mateja Bučar, Klara Drnovšek Solina, Špela Kopitar, Katarina Stegnar and Benjamin Zajc
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Choreographed and directed by: Maja Delak
Performed by: Nataša Živković, Mark Jacob Cavazza, Staša Popovič, Leon Marič, Loup Abramovici
Programing, sound design and music: Luka Prinčič
Stage design: Urša Vidic
Dramaturgy: Benjamin Zajc
Text editing: Tjaša Pirnar
Lighting design: Janko Oven
Costume design: Andrej Vrhovnik
Graphic design: Mauricio Ferlin
Programming Raspberry Pi: Jurij Podgoršek
Executive production and organisation: Maja Delak, Tamara Pepelnik
Production: Emanat
