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.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is more than just the celebrated author of The Little Prince. He is also the author of two extraordinary autobiographical novels. In an exceptional Slovenian translation by Edvard Kocbek, Night Flight (Vol de nuit, 1931) and Wind, Sand and Stars (Terre des hommes, 1939) were published together under the title Wind, Sand and Stars in 1966. Directed by Iztok Kovač and adapted by Stojan Pelko more than half a century after Kocbek’s translation, the performance Wind, Sand and Stars stars Pavle Ravnohrib.
Today, one cannot fly over North Africa without seeing devastated countries, smelling the oil that has been drained from the land, or witnessing the suffering of those forced to flee. Nor is it possible to look from a European perspective without acknowledging Europe’s historical role on the continent. Consequently, Wind, Sand and Stars is not a romantic saga of pilots setting records with postal deliveries and expanding horizons. Rather, it is a dramatic performance about nomads and victims, about water and oil, about the premonition of fascism and the longing for love – and, ultimately, very much about the present.