Bodies of Power | Nomination for IKAR 2026

If you associate power primarily with money, influence, corruption, abuse, and illegality, listen to this: "Power comes slowly. First it enters through the pores, the posture, the chest, the corner of the mouth, until it takes over the whole body."

The words are part of the latest performance by Iva Sveshtarova and Vili Prager, which leads us to think about power through the body – a body in whose memory it pulsates, not as an idea, but as a muscle, a habit, a breath. From an instrument of violence, the two choreographers transform the body into a territory of vulnerability, and power into new, seemingly harmless forms. It becomes theater – grandiose, merciless, absurd. In Bodies of Power, bodies are props, the choir is the people, and the stage is life.

Watching the performance, you will inevitably ask yourself: haven't I seen this before? Yes, you have probably seen it – in archive photos, interviews and reports from institutions, in courtrooms and court decisions, bills, regulations.

The performance is not funny, despite the amusing moments in it. It remains unclear what it is making fun of—the body or power, politics or society. The only thing that is clear is that it all begins with an execution.

In addition to being choreographers, Iva Sveshtarova and Vili Prager also appear on stage as performers, together with Violeta Vitanova, Vasilia Drebova, and Daniel Denev. The music is by Tsvetan Momchilov, the lighting is by Stefan Dimitrov, the set designer and consultant is Maria-Emilia Ivanova, and the costumes are by Paula Popova. The Sveshtarova & Prager duo is well known to fans of contemporary dance and performance because the two have not only won several IKAR awards, but are also among the founders (together with Stefan A. Shterev) of the Antistatic International Festival for Contemporary Dance and Performance. With their Brain Store Project, they publish the only dance magazine currently available in Bulgaria. After Shamebox, Produced for Happiness, and Euphoria of Illness, the two prove that they are not only capable of interpreting contemporary crises and phenomena, but also of bringing together impressive artists in one place.