KorFest marks 50 years of choreography higher education

KorFest, a dance festival at Tallinn University’s Baltic Film, Media and Arts Institute, will run from September 14 to October 14 to mark the 50th anniversary of the university’s choreography programme, ERR reports.

“Dance education is not standing still but moving forward with firm steps,” said Oksana Tralla-Anger, head of BFM’s choreography programmes.

“The anniversary festival brings together choreography alumni, students and professionals to celebrate what has been created over 50 years and highlight their contribution to shaping Estonia’s dance scene. At the same time, we are looking to the future, towards new artists, ideas and encounters,” she said.

The festival will open with Before the Form, a photo exhibition by artist and choreographer Alissa Šnaideri at Tallinn University’s Vita Gallery. The series features graduates of the 2026 choreography bachelor’s programme during the early stages of their final projects, when each student was still developing the language, method and dramaturgical style of their work.

Several productions by recent choreography graduates will be performed at Tallinn University’s Mait Agu Hall. The programme will also include a podcast recording and panel discussions in the university’s assembly hall, as well as a free evening of dance films at BFM’s Supernova cinema.

A choreography alumni reunion will take place on October 2.

“Fifty is a dignified number. We hope that dance-makers from different generations will meet in our halls. The day will be full of reunions, stories and memories,” said Heili Lindepuu, project manager of BFM’s choreography programmes.

Alumni were also invited to send in photographs from their student years. Photos from different decades have been submitted, offering a look into the history of the choreography programme, while the alumni evening will add further layers to that history, Lindepuu said.

The alumni evening will feature a choreography production by master’s students under the guidance of Külli Roosna and Kenneth Flak.

The Mait Agu Dance Awards will also be presented for the 25th time. The awards recognise outstanding students, alumni and creative collectives for their creative or research work.

Tallinn University was the first educational institution in Estonia to offer choreography at higher education level. Its graduates now work in a wide range of dance and performing arts fields, including Angela Arraste, Elo Unt, Mart Kangro, Sveta Grigorjeva, Tiina Möld­er, Rene Nõmmik and Priit Raud.

BFM faculty members who graduated from the university include Oksana Tralla-Anger, Sille Kapper-Tiisler, Külli Roosna and Irina Pähn.