The Contemporary Dance Artistic Ecosystem in Karlovac
The members and collaborators of Free Dance form a living network of relationships that transcends traditional boundaries between the professional and the amateur, the local and the international, the artistic and the communal.Some joined us as children and remained throughout their youth; some arrived as guests and chose to stay; some discovered a new language through dance, while others shared it with the community. Within this continuous circulation of knowledge, experience, and energy, we create the continuity that forms the foundation of any living artistic practice.
Melita Spahić Bezjak
Melita Spahić Bezjak was born in Karlovac. She has gained theatre and creative performance experience since childhood, starting as a student within the dance education programmes of the Ballet Studio at the Zorin Dom City Theatre, alongside various collaborations and professional training. She graduated from the Ana Maletić School of Contemporary Dance in Zagreb and went on to complete her dance studies at the London Contemporary Dance School, where she also earned her Master’s degree. Additionally, she completed the Teacher Competences Programme at the Croatian Catholic University in Zagreb and holds a degree in Administrative Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb.
As an independent dance artist, she is actively engaged in the fields of contemporary dance, pedagogy, choreography, and dance research. She works as a choreographer and author of dance performances, as well as a performer, producer, educator, lecturer, and dancer. She is the Artistic Director of the Karlovac Dance Festival (KDF), and the founder and an active member of the Free Dance Centre for Dance and Performing Arts.
She has successfully initiated and organised numerous artistic projects in Karlovac and regularly collaborates with various artists both in Croatia and internationally. During her studies and career in London (from 2004 to 2009), she participated in numerous dance, theatre, and opera projects. Melita shapes her artistic expression through multidisciplinary reflections on the connections between art, science, nature, and technology, focusing on dance, pedagogical, and choreographic research. She is the author and choreographer of numerous projects in the UK and Croatia. As a collaborator, she is involved in the work of theatre houses, as well as projects for students at the LCDS and Roehampton University. She is a member of the Croatian Association of Dance Artists (UPUH) and the Croatian Freelance Artists Association (HZSU). Today, she works as a dance artist and educator in Karlovac, active within the Contemporary Dance Studio (Atelje) and Free Dance.
Photo: Tin Vučković
ALMA JERINIĆ
An economist by profession, Alma Jerinić has been connected to dance and theatre since childhood. She took her first dance steps at the Ballet Studio of the Zorin Dom City Theatre in Karlovac, where she trained and performed from 1990 to 2004 under the guidance of Branka Podvorac, Đurđica Kunej, and Melita Spahić. Over the years, she has participated in numerous dance performances and theatre projects, developing a deep love for the performing arts.
As one of the co-founders of the Free Dance Centre for Dance and Performing Arts Karlovac, she channels her experience and organisational skills into the production, coordination, and development of contemporary dance projects.
Since 2011, she has been actively involved in organising the Karlovac Dance Festival, and since 2015, she has served as an assistant and coordinator for artistic performances and volunteers. In recent years, she has been involved in various dance programmes and international collaborations for Free Dance, including the projects SINIPARKSI and Invisible Rivers. Since 2022, Alma has worked as a collaborator on Free Dance’s programmes, including The Sustainable Contemporary Dance Ecosystem, Forward with the Audience, and the Karlovac Dance Festival, as well as a programme coordinator at the Contemporary Dance Studio (Atelje) and Head of the Free Dance Office. In her work, she combines economic precision with creativity and a passion for dance, contributing to community development through her dedication to the contemporary Karlovac dance scene.
Photo: Denis Stošić
IVANA FRANCIŠKOVIĆ OLROM
A dramaturg, author, and editor, Ivana Francišković Olrom is guided in everything she creates by the inspiration of nature and a deep connection with people and the spaces in which she operates. She studied dramaturgy and subsequently dedicated herself to writing and editing at the Šumeki publishing house.
Since 2002, she has been an active member and employee of the Eko Pan association, where in recent years she has been developing the social enterprise Klijanac i Pup, dedicated to sustainable living and the local community.
As one of the co-founders of the Free Dance Centre for Dance and Performing Arts Karlovac, she contributes to the development and visibility of contemporary dance art in Karlovac through her dramaturgical and organisational work. She collaborated with Melita Spahić Bezjak on performances for the Ballet Studio at the Zorin Dom City Theatre, and later on numerous dance and performing arts projects for Free Dance. She has participated in the creation and development of a series of artistic and educational projects, including SINIPARKSI, Invisible Rivers, Once Upon a Time Under Water, and Rončić. In her work, Ivana merges artistic sensitivity, dramaturgical tools, and ecological awareness, believing that art and nature share the same rhythm – the rhythm of life.
SONJA ZALAR
Sonja Zalar is a creative director, multidisciplinary designer, artist, and a member of the Croatian Association of Interdisciplinary Artists (HUIU). Born in Karlovac in 1983, she has been working professionally in the spheres of design, visual arts, and new media since graduating with a degree in Computer Science (Information Design, Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, 2008). Since 2006, she has periodically lived abroad, including stints in England and New Zealand, and currently lives and works in Croatia. She passionately creates digital solutions, helping visionaries turn their ideas into long-lasting, recognisable products.
She has been active within Free Dance since 2023, engaging in various creative activities, developing visual solutions for online promotion, and serving as the project manager for Free Dance’s Sustainable Contemporary Dance Ecosystem programme.
SANJA RADIĆ
Sanja Radić graduated from the Medical School in Karlovac as a registered nurse. She began dancing in primary school under the guidance of M. Ivošević in the category of standard ballroom dance, and later developed an interest in the performing arts, participating in burlesque performances with the group LaBurlesqueAss.
Since 2024, she has been involved in projects at the Free Dance Centre for Dance and Performing Arts Karlovac, contributing to the production and coordination of contemporary dance projects and serving as an assistant organiser for the Karlovac Dance Festival. Alongside dance, Sanja nurtures a strong connection with the theatre – she was a member of the DIĐIDIRUS drama group in Zagreb, and today she is active in Triko Cirkus Teatar’s Propuh Cabaret in Zagreb and the Bez drame drama studio in Karlovac. She is a long-standing street performer at Zagreb’s Cest is d’ Best festival, and in 2024, she organised the first Croatian edition of the global event The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever in Karlovac.
In addition to her artistic engagement, she is active in promoting human rights, volunteer work, social activities, and supporting those in need. For six years, she collaborated with the Luka Ritz Counselling Centre, participating in the fight against violence through Augusto Boal’s Forum Theatre methods in Zagreb schools. Sanja blends dance, theatre, and social engagement, creating a bridge between art and the community.
MAJDA DŽANIĆ
Majda Džanić (born 1985) is a video and multimedia artist. She graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, Department of New Media, under the mentorship of Dalibora Martinis. She is actively engaged in the field of contemporary art, with a particular emphasis on video, animation, and new media.
She has collaborated with Zagreb Film and realised significant projects with prominent Croatian choreographers, including Marija Šćekić, Melita Spahić Bezjak, and Zrinka Lukčec Kiko. As an artist, she has designed visual identities and digital scenographies for numerous dance performances, and her work frequently blends experimental film, animation, and performance.
Alongside her artistic pursuits, she works in media production, delivering a variety of video projects. She has been collaborating with Free Dance artists since 2012 as the author of visual concepts for the performances In Between Tracing Reflections, Quartet of Two, Light and Water, Invisible Rivers, and Tesla on the Beach. Her work explores the interrelationships between movement, light, and space, using performance and recorded video materials which she reshapes using software tools into unique visuals, thereby deepening the performance experience.
DAMIR ŠIMUNOVIĆ
Born in Karlovac, Damir Šimunović began working in theatre music in 1998 at the Zorin Dom City Theatre in Karlovac. Upon moving to Zagreb, he continued his professional career, collaborating with numerous theatres and contemporary dance companies. As a composer and sound designer, he has created music for many theatre and dance projects. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with institutions such as the Zagreb Puppet Theatre, Mala Scena, Teatar &TD, Trešnja City Theatre, the Zagreb Dance Company, the Studio for Contemporary Dance, Žar Ptica Theatre, Dubrava Children’s Theatre, the Zagreb Dance Centre, the “Novi Život” Theatre for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Teatar EXIT.
His work has been recognised with the Mali Marulić Award at the Festival of Croatian Drama for Children in Split for the performances VIS Životinje and Tijelo, produced by the Trešnja City Theatre.
He has been collaborating with Free Dance since 2019 as a composer and music director for dance projects and performances, including Rončić, The Magnetic Field of Play, and Tesla on the Beach. Damir bases his work on the exploration of sound and movement, creating soundscapes that connect scenic energy, emotion, and choreography.
NIKOLA CRNKOVIĆ-BRACO
For nearly forty years, Nikola Crnković-Braco has been exploring, learning, and playing various types of percussion, drums, rattles, and shakers. He creates rhythm with everything around him, as for him, the boundaries between a musical instrument and an everyday object do not exist – anything can become a source of sound.
Over the years, he has participated in numerous musical projects and bands, including Lorelei, Art Takt, Geronimo, Davorin i Bogovići, Flegmato, Dobra Vibra, Recycled Beat, Leela, Threeling, and Stampedo.
He has been collaborating with Free Dance as both a performer and creator since 2012, crafting musical and rhythmic backdrops as well as compositions for various projects such as SINIPARKSI, Invisible Rivers, Imprinted Movements, the dance performance Visible Time, Memories for the Future, and others. In his work, he explores the relationship between rhythm and movement, sound and the body, viewing rhythm as a fundamental element of communication in dance and performance. His approach is rooted in improvisation, active listening, and creating a musical space that supports and complements dance expression.
Photo: Kristina Štedul
ROBERT PAVLIĆ
Technical Director and Lighting Design Collaborator.
Robert Pavlić has been working as a lighting designer for 25 years, gaining his professional stage experience at the Zorin Dom City Theatre in Karlovac. He is a long-standing collaborator of the Free Dance association, serving as the technical director for performances and the Karlovac Dance Festival (KDF). As a lighting designer, he has worked on performances including Light and Water, Visible Time, Rončić, The Magnetic Field of Play, Tesla on the Beach, and various other productions. He has extensive experience working on both amateur and professional theatre and dance productions for children, youth, and adults. He credits the lighting design for numerous theatre and dance performances and continuously collaborates with local and national artists, theatre houses, and festivals both in Croatia and abroad.
Photo: Denis Stošić
DENIS STOŠIĆ
Denis Stošić was born in Karlovac in 1969. He graduated in Textile and Clothing Design from the Faculty of Textile Technology at the University of Zagreb, and also holds degrees in graphic and web design. He worked as a press photographer for Karlovački tjednik and Karlovački list. Portraits are the most frequent subject of his photography, serving as a natural continuation of his long-standing career in photojournalism. In addition to portraits, he captures landscapes and engages in commercial photography and graphic design. He is the author of the photography exhibition Stečajna masa KIK 2001 (Bankruptcy Assets KIK 2001), which documented the state of the Karlovac Leather Factory. He has exhibited in around thirty group exhibitions and seven solo exhibitions. Denis collaborates with Free Dance on festival and project activities, capturing and documenting Free Dance’s work with his distinctive artistic eye.
Photo: Denis Stošić
IVANA SANSEVIĆ
Ivana Sansević was born in Zagreb, where she graduated with a degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Political Science. After working for several years as an independent journalist for Fade In and H-Alter, she shifted her focus to public relations in 2007. Since then, she has managed communication and PR for numerous cultural events and festivals.
She has worked on Croatia’s largest film festivals – Zagreb Film Festival, ZagrebDox, Motovun Film Festival, Animafest, Human Rights Film Festival, and the Zagreb Jewish Film Festival – and has collaborated with a wide range of other cultural projects and artists. She is the founder of Soonce, a PR and business services craft, working as a PR expert and consultant within the culture and arts sector.
She has been collaborating with Free Dance since 2022 as an external associate on the projects Forward with the Audience, the Karlovac Dance Festival, Tesla on the Beach, and The Sustainable Contemporary Dance Ecosystem, contributing to the visibility and communication of the contemporary dance scene. Ivana is passionate about dance and movement, which guides her in understanding the artistic process and shaping stories that connect art with audiences. In her work, she merges professionalism, creativity, and a passion for culture, believing that a good story can move people and connect different worlds.
Photo: Vanesa Pandžić
MIRAN BARJAKOVIĆ
Since 2018, Miran Barjaković has been collaborating with the Free Dance organisation as a graphic designer, creating visual solutions and preparing archival materials. He documents the association’s working processes, performances, and projects. He has participated in the preparation and creation of multimedia archival records and in designing visual and creative assets for Free Dance, including festival programmes. As a speleologist, graphic designer, and creator, Miran brings an interdisciplinary approach and a deep understanding of contemporary dance art and its aesthetic and production challenges to his work with dance projects.
Photo: Denis Stošić