Petra Fornayová
Petra Fornayová is a choreographer, theatre director and performer. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at Comenius University in Bratislava and studied dance at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, as well as at EDDC Düsseldorf as a guest student. She danced with Zuzana Hájková’s Contemporary Dance Group, was a member of the ballet company at the State Opera in Banská Bystrica, and joined Théâtre du Mouvement in Paris before beginning her freelance career. She has created more than 20 original works – including Grass is Green, Manifesto of Possibilities, The End The End, Subjective Future, Opernball, Objects of Research, among others – regularly presented both in Slovakia and internationally (Nová dráma Bratislava, Divadelná Nitra Festival, Jamais Vu! Paris, Tanec Praha, Ars Cameralis Katowice, HybajHo! Praha, Korespondance CZ, etc.). Her works Dance with Changing Parts (2018) and Patterns (2019), created in collaboration with the contemporary music ensemble Cluster ensemble and premiered at the Opera Nova festival at the National Theatre in Prague, were both nominated for the Tatra Banka Foundation Award for Art. She also directs contemporary theatre (e.g. works by Vyrypajev, Bodnárová) and is the founder and artistic director of Nu Dance Fest, an international festival of contemporary dance and movement theatre. She is a member of the editorial board of VLNA, a magazine for contemporary art, and is active in cultural policy development. In 2018, she was nominated for the National Film Award Sun in a Net for her role in Juraj Lehotský’s film Nina. She also played a leading role in Mira Fornay’s Cook F**k Kill, nominated for Best Film at the Czech Lion Awards 2021. Petra is a member of the programme board of Trenčín – European Capital of Culture 2026, and since 2023, has been a board member of the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. In 2024, she was part of the artistic team of the Slovak national pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale. In 2025, she completed her PhD at the Department of Theatre Studies, Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. |
