TRILATERAL Artists Exchange ‘25-‘26
Adam Kerbel- Viola Lévai- Emiliya Toncheva
Philadelphia Dance Projects – Philadelphia, Műhely Alapítvány / Workshop Foundation – Budapest and BodyMeld – Sofia announce artists selected to participate in a three city artist-led international residency program that takes place in Philadelphia (USA) September 2025 and Sofia (Bulgaria) and Budapest (Hungary)
in the Spring of 2026.
SAVE THE DATES Meet TRILATERAL artists through workshops/classes/salons in September 9/27, 9/28, 9/29 in collaboration with PHILLY DANCE SHARE. Details to follow… https://www.phillydanceshare.com
The TRILATERAL Exchange has developed out of a BILATERAL: Budapest/Philadelphia Exchange which began in 2012, where visiting artists have explored each city’s dance and performance communities. This expanded edition is intended to not only give artists the experience of being in a different city but also to develop a more direct relationship with the other artists in terms of sharing their artistic practice and their corresponding experience of living and creating performances on their own home base.
Sustaining relationships, keeping ongoing dialogues between artists, and sharing strategies for dealing with both the opportunities they have and the difficulties they face, seem never more important than the present. Through the BILATERAL we have recognized the value of this experience, both with the similarities and challenges that each city’s artistic communities face.
We all have much to gain from knowing each other through the arts, in this instance dance and movement-based performance. The power of imagination remains key everywhere. To this end we look forward to a TRILATERAL: Budapest/Philadelphia/Sofia Dance Artist Exchange.
ABOUT THE TRILATERAL ARTISTS:
Adam Kerbel (he/him/el) is a movement artist and choreographer working across choreography, improvisation, and hybrid forms as tools for reflection and connection. With roots in theater, circus, puppetry, and experimental performance, his work has been presented by New York Live Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, The Music Center, Skirball, and Breaking Walls Festival. He established Performa Choreographic, a platform for brave new dance, co-founded Almanac, and produced Cannonball. Kerbel creates spaces attuned to shifting culture. Visit adamkerbel.com. Follow @adam_kerbel.
Viola Lévai is a Budapest-based freelance contemporary dancer. “I finished my BA at the Budapest Circus Arts and Contemporary Dance College 10 years ago as a Contemporary Dancer and completed my MA there as a Dance Teacher 3 years ago. Currently, I teach release technique and contact improvisation at the same institution and its preparatory course. Alongside teaching, I create and perform in various projects, mainly presented in alternative or site-specific settings. My most recent community- based movement research was a collaboration with the Kaland Budapest collective. We explored “Contact Parkour” as a potential form of community movement practice… What excites me most is discovering and deepening our knowledge of the body through research and play and discovering its infinite possibility. I’m passionate about making creativity and physical self-expression accessible to adults—both in the professional and amateur spheres. I see dance not just as performance, but as a shared inquiry—something that lives between people and grows
through exchange.” https://violaworks.hu/
Emiliya Toncheva is a dance artist and actress with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Acting from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing—where she studied on a full scholarship—and in Dance Theatre from New Bulgarian University. She has performed in a wide range of theatre and dance productions, and has taken part in numerous workshops and artistic residencies. Since 2022, Emiliya has expanded into choreography, creating original pieces as well as choreographing for theatre productions. Her artistic work explores the human pursuit of perfection and the inevitable transformation of utopian ideals into dystopian realities.