Opera Ballet
Gaj Žmavc
Slovenian dancer and choreographer Gaj Žmavc began his dance studies at the former Maribor High School of Music and Ballet (today’s Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet), and later continued his training at the International Academy for Classical Ballet in Kiev, Ukraine. In 2006, he joined the Maribor Ballet, where he was soon noticed by artistic director and choreographer Edward Clug. As a dancer, he toured in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, South Korea, Colombia, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia, Singapore, Russia, Ukraine, Canada and the USA, attending the most prestigious festivals such as the Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Stars of the White Nights at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, etc. As a freelance choreographer he has created several dance miniatures and twice qualified for the finals of the Belgrade Festival of Miniature Choreographies. In 2013, he presented his debut choreography Home for the Evening of Contemporary Choreographies that hosted by the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor. Today he creates choreographies and stage movement for drama, music and dance theatre. Among other things, he designed the stage movement in Nataša Matjašec Rošker’s drama project Tukaj so levi (Hic Sunt Leones) as well as in the production of The Old Fashioned Comedy directed by Ajda Valcl. In 2015, upon the invitation of Tomaž Rode, the president incumbent of the Society of Slovenian Ballet Artists, he created a new choreography for the Young Slovenian Ballet, The Last Four Songs to the music score by Richard Strauss. In 2017, he also created the choreography for Richard Wagner’s music drama Das Rheingold directed by Igor Pison and produced by the Maribor Opera. In the same year, he won the first prize at the 3rd Young Slovenian Choreographers Competition, namely for his choreography Yesterdays.
Performs in
