Iztok Kovač is a choreographer and founder of En–Knap. Following the international success of his solo How I Caught a Falcon (1991), he became one of the key figures in the development of Slovenian contemporary dance. He founded En–Knap Group, Slovenia's first permanent contemporary dance ensemble, and serves as artistic director of both En–Knap and the Španski borci Cultural Centre. His works have toured internationally for more than three decades. Additionally, his artistic practice includes six dance films, international pedagogical work, guest choreography and the direction of major national events in Slovenia. During the Covid period, he initiated Stage360, developing dance works in virtual reality.
After three years of working together, the dancers of En–Knap Group presented the first project for young audiences that revealed the ensemble’s growing artistic and performative maturity. Guided by Miha Brajnik’s humour and curiosity, audiences were led through the landscapes, questions and occasional traps of contemporary dance. Do you remember String and Sting, Vertigo Bird or Dom Svobode? The performance retraces the artistic journey of Iztok Kovač, from his vertiginous defiance of gravity on the chimneys of Trbovlje and his exploration of chance as a principle of dance composition, to the formation of En–Knap Group.
Part documentary, part performance, Beware, Dance! explores questions of movement, identity and artistic creation. It reveals some of the hidden mechanisms of choreography, examines the role of the performer, and offers audiences an opportunity to get to know the members of the international ensemble. At the same time, it provides an accessible introduction to the artistic work of Iztok Kovač and his collaborators, revisiting some of the key moments in their creative development.