What happens when the body embraces the grotesque as a form of liberation? “If Aphrodite Was a Monster” draws inspiration from the aesthetics of the carnivalesque and the grotesque female body as a way to unleash its full potential—an explosive force that spins out of control, seductive and threatening all at once. The performers enter a ritual of transformations where corporeality traverses exaggeration, disintegration, absurdity, and ecstasy, forging new modes of existence. The taming gaze is defied, clichés are overturned, and predictable frames shatter. Femininity emerges as a symbol of both desire and destruction—a gateway to renewal. Where Aphrodite’s breasts wield the same power as Medusa’s eyes.

Iva Sveshtatova graduated in “Choreography and performance” from the Institute of Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen, Germany, “Synthetic and Stage Art” from the University of Plovdiv and the experimental theatre classes 4XC. In 2006 she was a grantee of “DanceWeb”. From 2002 to 2006 she was part of the company “Acto – Instituto de Arte Dramatica”, Portugal. She has worked with directors and choreographers such as Nikolay Georgiev, Galina Borisova, Ani Vaseva, Filipe Pereira, Deufert and Plischke, Thomas Lehmen, Maren Strack, Helena Botto, Andre Rio-Sarsey, Anna Dankova, etc. Since 2007 she has been a member of the Brain Store Project. 

Iva Sveshtarova is the author of the performances “Perfectly Pink” (ICARUS Award nomination for Contemporary Dance and Performance, 2019), “a (e) ffect”, “Doing that thing again”, “Mirror Phase” and “Kafka’s Metamorphosis” (production by Acto – Instituto de Arte Dramatica, Portugal). 

Sveshtarova collaborates artistically with the artists Willy Prager and Rose Beermann (Germany). In recent years she and Willy Prager co-authored the following works: and “Bodies of Power”, “Euphoria of Sickness Or crossing beyond microscopic boundaries”, “Before the end … (of the world)”, “A Better Life” (a collaboration between Sveshtarova, Prager and Stiefermann, Germany), “Made for Happiness”, “shamebox” with Willy Prager, ”Balkan dance reality show ”(collective work with Rosa Beermann and Sonja Pregrad), “Our last pas de deux” by Galina Borissova, “Museum of Hygiene”, “Donna Clara” and “Cliché”, etc. Contemporary performances with Rosa Bergmann: “Soft things”, “Strip naked, talk naked” (realized within “FREISCHWIMMER” 2014/15, produced by “Sophiensaele”, Berlin), “Show me how” and “Velocity Pumps” (in cooperation with Tessa Theisen).   

Iva Sveshtarova is co-founder of the Nomad Dance Academy – Balkan Network for Contemporary Dance and of Antistatic International Festival for Contemporary Dance and Performance. Some of the co-productions of Iva Sveshtatova and Willy Prager – “shamebox” /2018/ and “Made for Happiness” /2019/ were awarded the national ICARUS award in the “Contemporary Dance and Performance” category.