Do you register any anti-comparative tendencies and criticism of the competition in the environment of awarding larger or smaller awards in your artistic field?

“We live in a society where grades are more important than the mental health of a child, we have the pressure to be able to apply for the best university so then you can get a perfect job that will make you earn a lot of money. It is a circle of constant burden. I am sure everyone has experienced this.

When we talk about contemporary dance, it looks like we do not have this crisis or thought process but somehow contemporary dance lives within the system that constantly teaches us how society works and labels us, any form of art must somehow fit in and here is where the two points of the question clash between them.

Contemporary dance is a form of expression which I personally think is quite hard to measure, it is is so abstract and the experience varies from person to person, the meaning and feelings as audience sometimes is so open that to have a few juries deciding who is the best and the winner is almost surreal and it makes no sense to me. In some part I understand that once the artist have won the award and the money, they make the statement that they do not believe that art should be rewarded in a way the “capitalistic model” wants to label it, however I personally think that if this sort of situation continues happening as a trend it will potentially be just like it is a “trendy way of saying: “Yes! I applied for this and I sold my soul to the devil and yes! I don’t agree but I need the money” and artists will continue applying, which I think it will be a never ending circle.

I strongly believe that if we would like to make a bigger change we have to create another form of scheme that will allow art to be more open and accessible for everyone and it will allow us to create a better environment within ourselves as artists.”