56 | Beograd » Belgrade R I TAM GRADA / RHYTHM OF THE CI TY Duringthe57yearsofits existence, Dom Omladine Beograda, the Belgrade Youth Centre, is an institution that has fulfilled its mission, but whichalsocontinues thatmissionof dedication primarily to young people and everyone who feels young in spirit. And being young in spirit means being focused on creativity and that which is new and yet to come. In that sense, the Belgrade YouthCentrehas immeasurable importance in its positionas the driver of cultural events inBelgrade, Serbia and the region, as the stronghold of a different view of reality and the venue where our country’s creative potential comes together. Alwayson a quest for new limits, ready to take onthe impossible andcourageous in discovering newpossibilities, Dom Omladinehas successfullyorganised tens of thousands of valuable cultural programmes, thebest ofwhich have forever changed the face of our area. Evenmore importantly, however, is the fact that it enables, supports and assists the young people of Belgrade and Serbia in expressing and exposing themselves, and realising themselves in themost creative ways, which exude freedom. B E LGR ADE YOU T H CENT R E From the city’s top rock ‘n’ roll dances of the ‘60s, via the Belgrade Jazz Festival, the boldest, midnight screenings of FEST, Marina Abramović, who had her first exhibition here, and the best Yugoslav films, to unforgettable concerts by everyone from EKV to Džoni Štulić and the Belgrade blues scene… Cult venue of youth and culture Apart fromthat, it gives young people the opportunity to personally meet some of today’s most important artists, and to experience contemporary artistic and educational practises and trends first-hand. The most important Yugoslav and Serbian artists, thinkers and politicians took their first professional steps at the Belgrade Youth Centre. The world's most important musicians, actors, philosophers, poets, writers, performance artists, politicians and sociologists have been among its guests over the course of a history that dates back more than half a century. It was right here that some of the key events of the more recent cultural and social history of Belgrade and Serbia took place. It hosted some of the city’s best rock ‘n’ roll dances during the 1960s, the 1971 founding of the Belgrade Jazz Festival, FEST’s boldest, midnight screenings from the very beginning, Marina Abramović, who had her first exhibition there, the best Yugoslav films that were always presented at the Little Pula. It was here that important domestic rock 'n' roll concerts became more frequent during the ‘80s, from EKV to Džoni Štulić; where the Belgrade blues scene found its home, the first SOS tele-appeal for victims of domestic violence was supported, and assistance was provided for the establishment of youth television channel OK… This 21st century is a time of reconstruction for DomOmladine, resulting in most programme initiatives being focused on internal modernisationandupgrades – from the 2005 relaunch of the Belgrade JazzFestival, vianumerousnewfestivals of film,music and theatre, and freeworkshops, to incentive forum programmes that develop social dialogue under new circumstances.
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