Yugo: an anthem of female rage explores identity through a feminist lens. Questions of embodied heritage, social-political dynamics, shifts in identity – both individual and collective – and the endurance required of female bodies permeate this intense, percussive journey. The term Yugo refers both to derogatory connotations attached to it, and to layered personal and collective identity shaped by feminist perspectives on the patriarchal structures of post-Yugoslavia.

The piece navigates longing, inheritance, and the friction that emerges through displacement, questioning how identity is fractured and renegotiated over time. Moving through geographies and cultural value systems, the artists investigate inherited responses to oppression and violence, while striving to transform them. Tracing how the political and the intimate are embodied, Yugo opens a path from silencing to articulation, from inherited violence to collective agency, from fragmentation to reclaiming one’s body as a site of resistance and unfolding.

The project

On January 17, 2025, the work-in-progress version of YUGO was presented to a Zürich audience, supported by INKUBATOR ’25 at Rote Fabrik with the artists Coko de Windt, Sophie Larson and the composer Paul Taro Schmidt. Following the successful presentation, Rote Fabrik extended its support through an ongoing contribution and a residency, strengthening the project’s development phase.

Subsequently, YUGO was selected within the Moving Balkans platform, where it established partnerships with HKD Rijeka and Tanzfest Skopje, and initiated ongoing collaborations with tanzmainz, Bazaar Festival Prague, and Tanz im OFF Vienna for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

The project has further received co-production support from Lichthof Theater Hamburg, as well as funding from the Ministry of Culture of North Macedonia.

Most recently, YUGO was awarded funding by the City of Zürich and the Canton of Zürich, establishing a solid foundation for the development of the full-length production. The premiere is scheduled to take place in Zürich from April 16–18, 2026.

ARTISTIC TEAM
artistic director / choreographer: Ivana Balabanova
dramaturg: Marisa Godoy

PERFORMERS
performers: Tamara Gvozdenovič, Maya Selezneva, Jenna Hendry

MUSIC & SOUND
composer: Paul Taro Schmidt
sensor artist / sound interaction: Jonas Füllemann
vocal coach: Irena Z. Tomažin

SCENOGRAPHY & DESIGN
scenographer: Ana Strika
light designer: Linus Jacobson
costume designer: Jodie Schulthess
graphic designer: Alejo Trulls

DOCUMENTATION
photographer: Anja Kalin
Videographer: Kushtrim Memeti

COMMUNICATION & PRODUCTION
PR: Ivana Balabanova & Daniela Guse
producer: Daniela Guse
fundraising: Olena Iegorova

Funded by:
Stadt Zürich Kultur
Kanton Zürich
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia

Supported by Foundations:
Stiftung Ernst Göhner
Ernst und Olga Gubler-Hablützel Stiftung
Stiftung Anne-Marie Schindler
Scheherazade Foundation
Pro Helvetia

Co-production:
Kulturhaus Helferei (Zürich)
Lichthof Theater Hamburg
HKD Rijeka

With the generous support of:
Fabriktheater Zürich
Moving Balkans

Presenting venues:
POOL Raum für Kultur 12.03.2026
Lichthof theater (Hamburg) 27-28.03.2026
Kulturhaus Helferei (Zürich) 16-19.04.2026
Skopje Tanzfest (Skopje) 24.04.2026
Port of Dance Festival (Rijeka) 28.04.2026