By now, On Record has developed a small but serious end-of-platform ritual – somewhere, somehow, there must be a dog. The “Epidog” is the place where dance coverage gives way to animal evidence, where the platform is remembered not only through performances, but through whoever padded, barked, slept, watched or wandered through its margins.
At Moving Balkans 2026, however, the assignment proved more difficult. I looked in venues, at parties, around dinner tables and along the Creative District. The dogs were either absent, blurred, promised but undelivered, or possibly metaphorical. What follows is therefore not quite an Epidog, but the verbatim correspondence between me and Sanjoy Roy, editor of On Record, in which a new species entered the tradition.
Hello Sanjoy,
It’s the last day of Moving Balkans and I have not yet found a good dog story. It is terribly frustrating, as I have been literally looking for dogs the whole time I’ve been here!! But we should not despair. Here are the Epidog leads/alternatives so far:
- The other day, Dany found out that Ivan, one of the drivers involved in Moving Balkans, has a Yorkshire Terrier named Rocky – it was literally on his phone lock screen. Ivan said he would bring the dog to Novi Sad’s Creative District, where some of the performances and dinners take place, but there was no sight of the dog the next day. Alas, very disappointing.
- A stray dog has also been roaming around the Creative District these past few days. He was even present at the late-night party on May 14th. Some people who stayed up later than I did said he slept all the way through their dancing. I’m attaching some not-so-good pictures of the dog. Night photos with moving dogs are a menace.
- My personal favourite interaction of the whole festival, however, was with another stray animal, but this time, a cat. Due to some logistical issues, the dinner party on 15 May was delayed by more than half an hour, so all of us had to wait outside Menza, where the food was served. At some point during the wait, a stray cat appeared and then simply never left again for the whole evening. Can confirm she (and it is a she, I’m attaching the video of someone confirming it on the spot!) was petted by absolutely everyone. Can confirm she tried to eat our food multiple times. Can confirm absolute cuteness. I asked some of the volunteers if she had a name, and they said no. Since Dimitrijius had been my constant companion in trying (and failing!) to find a good dog story, he was somewhat relieved when I proposed the idea of an Epicat, you know, as in Epic-cat. So, naturally, we started calling her Epicat. I’m attaching videos.
- During last night’s party, Dany actually said I spoke like Droopy. Can you blame me after 10 dance shows in only 3 days? Maybe I am the dog after all…
Hope I’m not disappointing. Please do tell me which of the these leads you think is the best one to follow through.
Hugs,
Daria
And so, under conditions of canine scarcity, Epicat entered the archive, as proof that the end of an On Record album may now require a more flexible animal policy. The Epidog can remain the noble tradition, of course, but perhaps the Epicat should become its mischievous Balkan cousin, sneakily appearing at dinner, refusing to leave, accepting universal affection, attempting mild food theft, and reminding us that every platform eventually finds the creature it deserves.
