On November 26 at 7:00 PM, we invite you to Jam Factory Art Center for a screening of the recording of the Ukrainian premiere of GALA, a performance by French choreographer and director Jérôme Bel. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Maria Bakalo, assistant director, who worked on the Ukrainian production of the performance in Lviv.
About the Performance
Have you ever danced? It doesn’t matter how, where, or when. The point is not to master a technique or perform it perfectly. Your age, profession, or life experience don’t matter either. What matters is allowing yourself to move freely, without judgment. Fail again, fail better! Here, the joy and freedom of dance matter more than virtuosity.
On stage are 20 people from Lviv with vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Some are professional dancers, while others have never performed on stage before. Regardless of their experience, they come together to create GALA — a shared celebration where there are no “wrong” bodies or incorrect movements.
GALA is a performance about dance and the desire to dance. It challenges our assumptions about what dance “should” look like and who truly belongs on the grand stage of a national theatre.
On July 28, the Ukrainian premiere of GALA took place in Lviv. The performance was created by Jérôme Bel, a leading figure in contemporary European theatre and a French director whose work has been presented at the Olympic Games, the Avignon Festival, and the Louvre.
The Ukrainian premiere brought together 19 Ukrainian performers from Lviv and other cities across Ukraine, ranging in age from 7 to 73 and representing a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.
We invite you to watch the recording of the performance and join a conversation with Maria Bakalo, assistant director, who worked on the production in Lviv.
About the Screening and Discussion
During the event, we will watch the recording of the Ukrainian premiere and speak with Maria Bakalo, a performer and assistant director of the Ukrainian production of GALA.
The conversation will explore the process of creating the performance in Lviv, working with participants of different ages and backgrounds, and the ideas behind Jérôme Bel’s production.
Event Information
Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026, 7:00 PM
Venue: Jam Factory Art Center, Auditorium, 124 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St., Lviv
Duration: 2 hours
Discussion led by: Maria Bakalo
Admission: Free with prior registration
Jérôme Bel
French choreographer and theatre director, widely regarded as one of the founders of conceptual dance. Bel’s works are considered classics of contemporary theatre and have been presented at the Olympic Games, the Avignon Festival, the Louvre, and in London and New York. For the first time, Lviv joins this list of cities.
Organizers
Organized by the Kharkiv Independent Theatre Nafta in collaboration with French director Jérôme Bel.
In partnership with the UNBROKEN Rehabilitation Center and the Maria Zankovetska National Theatre.
The production of GALA in Lviv is supported by the French Institute and the City of Paris, with the assistance of the Ukrainian Institute in France.
This project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Photos from Lviv premiere show
