Dancers of the “Aqua” studio win the European Productions Cup in Skopje — North Macedonia’s anthem rang out in the “Boris Trajkovski” arena

Skopje is living these days to the rhythm of dance: at the “Boris Trajkovski” Sports Center, the IDO European Championships in Performing Arts are being held — a major international event that has gathered around 2,900 dancers from 26 countries.

Among the North Macedonian representatives shone the “Aqua” dance studio from Skopje, which won FIRST PLACE in the “Productions” category of the European Productions Cup, part of this major IDO championship.

Behind this success stands a studio with over a quarter-century of tradition: founded in 1999, “Aqua” is among the oldest North Macedonian schools of hip-hop and contemporary dance, as well as one of the founders of the North Macedonian Association of Modern Dances. For more than two decades the studio has been led by Emilija Dostinova — founder of the studio and an international dance judge.

The winning production bears the special signature of Elena Terzieva — dancer and choreographer, whose creative path connects hip-hop and street dance culture with contemporary dance.

The story of this choreography does not end in Skopje: with the same winning production, “Aqua” will represent North Macedonia in October at the World of Dance Romania Championship Series in Bucharest — a global dance competition platform with teams from all over the world.

Such results are achieved under conditions where competitive modern dance in North Macedonia still lacks continuous and systematic institutional support — the weight of training, costumes, quotas, travel and appearances at international competitions is carried by clubs, coaches and especially parents, with their own means and dedication, as Puls24 reports.