Biography

Divadlo Setkání is an interdisciplinary Czech-Slovak artistic collective that brings more-than-human stories and perspectives into theatre in public space. Our work combines theatre and visual arts approaches with ecologically and socially engaged themes. Through theatre performances, audio walks, opera, and participatory community projects, we create spaces for dialogue between art, science, and local communities.

Artistic project

“Dancing Bears” is a documentary performative audiowalk that shares with audiences specific bear stories from different European countries and contextualizes them within Europe’s long history of human–bear relations from sacred beings through Christian demonisation, to today’s contradictory position:  circus clowns, children’s toys and both protected and problematic animals that are often weaponised by far-right politicians in Central and Eastern Europe.

The project is a continuation of our long-term artistic research at the intersection of theatre, ecology, and anthropology. In “Dancing Bears” we connect individual bear stories with social, political, and historical frames. We approach the work as a living archive where scientific knowledge and artistic imagination meet in public space. 

We look at bears not only as a biological species, but as beings that share space and history with us and open up possibilities for a different kind of coexistence. Respect in this relationship does not imply idealization or romanticization, but a willingness to live alongside beings that preserves its own autonomy. We aim to open a space where audiences can think about their own position in ecosystems, and recognise the political, symbolic, and emotional dimensions of interspecies coexistence.

Format: performative audio walk

Size of audience: 50-100 people

Specific location: ecosystems around cities and villages

Timing/duration: 90 min