IZDANI – a project about children who are not the problem

A participant in an IZDANI T-shirt sits on rocks, looking towards the mountains

IZDANI is an original somatic, artistic and experiential project by Marija Šćekić / Histeria Nova. Through natural and functional movement, contemporary dance, improvisation, group process and natural space, it develops a different way of working artistically with children and young people.

The project does not start from the question "what is wrong with the child?" but from the question "what is the body trying to survive?" Movement, rhythm, task, space, nature and relationship are used as the real material of the artistic and experiential process.

IZDANI is not a therapy programme, nor is its aim to produce a predetermined performance. The work is based on presence, experience, a shared task, functional movement, non-verbal communication and creating a space in which a child or young person can take part, act and belong to a group.

Nature is not a backdrop. It is an active element of the work. Different terrains, walking, climbing, preparing food, shared physical tasks, observing the space and changing conditions create situations in which your relationship to yourself, to others and to the task cannot be learned in theory alone – it has to be experienced.

During 2025 and 2026, the project developed through field and experiential activities in Paklenica / Ramići, Brušane, the Mediterranean Garden Kava in Karlobag and Split / Plavo svjetlo Polyclinic, and through cooperation with schools and school support professionals.

In Paklenica and Brušane, the emphasis was on functional movement, natural space, group process, physical tasks, drawing, photography and experiential learning. In Split, natural movement and somatic dance workshops were held, together with a multimedia presentation of the project for parents and professionals.

IZDANI continues to develop as a long-term programme of the Histeria Nova School of Natural Movement, and as a meeting place for artistic work, education, nature and real-life experience.

EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEORY. The body often speaks before language.