f Masks, Problems, Transformations and Transitions

The themed section of this issue of Maska - Movements in Contemporary Dance II - is based on a very specific event: in mid-2012, the then Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia led by Minister Žiga Turk - following the instructions of the right-wing Prime Minister Janez Janša and under strong pressures from the Minister of Finance, Janez Šušteršič, and the newly passed Fiscal Balance Act - abolished the Centre of Contemporary Dance Arts, the first public institute in the field of contemporary dance in Slovenia, established after a long struggle under the previous, liberal government in 2011. The frustration faced by the Slovenian contemporary dance scene raised several issues, including that of the historisation of contemporary dance in Slovenia. What are the specific materials, stories, records and evidence that contemporary dance in Slovenia can present to decision makers whose policies choreograph very sensitive artistic and cultural microorganisms in a context where artistic practices cannot be implemented without public support? What can contemporary dance use to prove its existence?