Busart has been systematically active since its establishment (2012) in the field of networking with emphasis on performing arts, aiming to act as a channel of communication and interconnection between the Greek scene and the European scene, as well as in the field of capacity building for artists and cultural professionals.
It is a member of 4 important European and international networks in the field of Performing Arts, in particular the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts IETM, the International Network for the Mobility of Artists On the Move and the European Platform for Art in Public Space In Situ, developed targeted networking and awareness-raising activities, including seminars on how networking works in Europe, seminars on curating and organising festivals, and structured information and networking visits for artists and professionals to major international events: Avignon Festival in 2009 and 2010, the Fira Tarrega Festival in Spain in 2011 and the Plenary Meetings of the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts IETM in October 2011 and April 2012.
Through this activity, in 2012 the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts IETM selected Busart as the main local organizer for the 2013 Autumn Plenary Meeting in Athens. The event brought together more than 500 artists and programmers from all over Europe in Athens for 4 days during which a series of discussions on the contemporary Greek scene and its relation to the European scene took place and an artistic programme was presented, including 23 productions by Greek theatre and dance companies. The organization of IETM Athens was an important moment in the company’s development, which gave it great recognition in Greece and Europe and greatly expanded its network of partners abroad. Also, as a result of this course, in 2013 the President of Busart Kelly Diapouli became a member of the Advisory Board of IETM.
With this “capital”, experience and know-how in international collaborations, the company has set the goal of further developing the interconnection of the Greek scene with the European scene through the European Capital of Culture 2021 programme. Thus, in 2014, the company undertook the development of Elefsina’s candidature file – and its subsequent artistic programme – for the title of European Capital of Culture 2021, which was completed at the end of 2016 with the successful takeover of the title by Elefsina over the other 13 Greek cities that had applied for the title. From 2016 to 2020, the company suspended its activity due to the working relationship of its President with the Municipal Company “Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture” and restarted in 2021, renewing its participation in the networks it was a member of, taking over the curation and production of the “Culture 2030 Meeting” and creating new capacity building programmes for artists and performing arts professionals, such as Capital Connections and the ” Kipseli (Hive) Performing Arts”.
