Dancer, choreographer, pedagogue

Alja Branc (1994, Jesenice, Slovenia) is self-employed in the the cultural sector and works between Ljubljana and Budapest. She finished the High School for Contemporary Dance (SVŠGUGL) in Ljubljana and graduated from the Budapest Contemporary Dance Academy. Alja is a dancer, performer, choreographer, pedagogue and a member of the collective “Irene Plaque”.
Her first work was made during her studies at the academy. The most acclaimed miniature is entitled Manufacture of Immoral People, which was performed outside of the school programme. During her studies she had the opportunity to work with well-known choreographers such as Eleonore Valere Lachky, Marco Torrice, Tijen Lawton and others. Her first full-length performance titled Don’t do. Try! was produced in Hungary and performed in Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia. Alja’s latest work Corporal Espionage premiered in June 2024 in Ljubljana. She is currently starting a new creative process for Platonic Dances which will be shown in process in Academy of Visual Arts in April, at the U500 Festival in Budapest in June and premiered in Španski borci Culture Centre in September 2025.
As a performer, she frequently collaborates with Patrik Kelemen, featuring in works such as Cardiology (2023), Cryptic Bodies (2021-23), and Cryptic Bodies Unplugged (2022). In Slovenia, she has performed in Sara Janašković’s Konstelacije / Constellations (2024), Urša Sekirnik’s Radio Hit – 20 m in lenght (2024) Julija Pečnikar’s Softwareness (2023), Vita Osojnik’s Temporarily Detained Bodies (2021), and Blanca Arrieta’s Realignments (2020).
Alja actively collaborates in creation with Slovenian and Hungarian artists. In the collaboration of sharing creative processes she finds deep inspiration for work and research in the field of dance and consequently shares the science and passion for developing movement and discourse on dance art.

Irene Plaque (2024)
Irene Plaque is a Budapest-based collective consisting of Katalin Bitó, Zsófia Szász and Alja Branc. Their goal is to develop a common thinking and discourse on dance, art and community and to help the recognition of the individual activities of the members. Their interest is to find alternatives for collaboration and to develop new tools and strategies for creation.
Original works of the collective: The Meeting, Dollhouse, Triple Bill. Initiation, organisation and facilitation of the Dance Shop event is a collaboration with the Workshop Foundation and is part of the LLB-Performance Situation Room program. The Dance Shop provides a platform where dance and performative materials in the initial creative stages can be presented to a diverse audience to reflect on the material seen. The project aims to develop a discourse and exchange between artists and the audience and to expand the notion of interpretation. The event includes introductory speeches, sharing of work in process, games and tasks for the audience and a curated discussion – all in a relaxed atmosphere.

Links: Alja Branc: Instagram  /  FB  /  Home page
Links: Irene Plaque collective: Instagram  /  FB