Kosovo Dancers Feel out of Step With Neglectful Governments

Dance professionals claim the lack of infrastructure and investment has halted their advancement, while the government pledges to fix the issues with the Minister of Culture, Hajrullah Ceku, promising a revolution in culture. 

As if the problems that dancers face daily are not enough, in mid-April Ceku angered professional dancers by saying Kosovo "doesn't have graduate choreographers". 

Ceku's claim sparked a dance performance protest in front of the Ministry of Culture and drew condemnation from choreographers. 

The ministry clarified that Ceku was referring to an Ombudsperson's report, which had concluded the highest level of education in ballet in Kosovo was at secondary or high-school level. 

"In the explanation that he [Ceku] offered, referring to the opinion of the Ombudsperson, he referred to the need to establish university-level education in ballet, while unintentionally at one point he also mentioned choreography," the ministry said.

Robert Nuha, a Kosovo-based choreographer and professor at the private University AAB, told BIRN that it is difficult for students to trust their professors when "their professors' education is insulted".

"As choreographers, we feel devalued by our state because we have never been consulted for our expertise, which could have served to pave the way for the development of choreography in Kosovo," Nuha told BIRN. 

Opera and ballet house remains a distant dream

A dance performance protest in front of the Kosovo Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports in the capital Pristina, April 29, 2022. Photo: BIRN

One of the main obstacles facing Kosovo professional dancers is the lack of a proper Opera and Ballet house, or any alternative facilities to the National Theatre, for...