The International New Theater Festival "Homo Novus" is the leading festival of contemporary performing arts in Latvia and one of the largest in the Baltic region. The festival takes place in Riga and introduces even young and already recognized artists, whose works show a constant interest and opinion about the modern world and society. In addition to a diverse program of performances, the festival offers opportunities for creative experiments, theoretical and educational sections and other activities. Since 1995, seventeen festivals have taken place in Daugavpils and Riga, showing more than 140 guest performances and producing dozens of new works.

In 2023, Homo Novus took place from 30 August to 9 September.

The festival co-curated by the New Theatre Institute of Latvia, Kanuti Gildi SAAL, and Lithuanian Dance Information Centre provides contexts in which to present Baltic work, under the lens of Baltic curators. The Baltic Take Over is in collaboration with URB Festival (www.urb.fi), Kiasma Theatre, Annantalo, Viirus Theatre, Mad House Helsinki and with the help from Eskus, Takamo, Tanssin Talo, TINFO and Circus Dance Finland. Baltic Take Over has been centrally funded by Baltic Culture Fund and The Nordic-Baltic NGO Program from the Office of Nordic Ministers Latvia, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Lithuanian Culture Council and State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia. Baltic Take Over is equally directed towards the diverse audience of Helsinki and the participating artists. For two years all nine artist collectives have come together to meet each other at assemblies, share practices and experiences.

James Batchelor and Collaborators are a team of independent dance artists from Australia. Their body of work, including DEEPSPACE (Dance Massive 2017), HYPERSPACE (Aerowaves twenty19) and REDSHIFT (Chunky Move, Next Move Commission 2017) is known for its visual clarity, architectural composition and rhythmic playfulness. With a commitment to slowness and sensitivity, movement is hypnotically focused and detailed, drawing audiences into contemplative and imaginative realms. They have presented extensively in Australia and overseas to such festivals/venues as Tanz Im August (DE), December Dance (BE), Tanzmesse (DE), Birmingham International Dance Festival (UK), Arnolfini (UK), Chisenhale Dance (UK), B.Motion / Operestate (IT), Homo Novous (LV), Trois C-L (LU), Jonge Harten (NL), Lonely in Rain? (FI), Arts House (AU) and Dancehouse (AU).

“The Shake Down” was a collaboration project between The New Theater Institute of Latvia and Rosendal Teater in Norway from January 2022 untill May 2023. 10 young curators from Latvia and Norway created programmes for two international performing arts festivals.

On September 9–10, 2022, “The Shake Down” programme as part of the International festival of Contemporary Theatre “Homo Novus” in Riga, Latvia, and on April 26–29, 2023, “The Shake Down” programme during “Bastard International Arts Festival” in Trondheim, Norway.

The New Theatre Institute of Latvia (NTIL) is a non-governmental and non-commercial project organization that works with contemporary theater, dance and other performing arts at the local and international levels. NTIL expands the boundaries of theater creation, distribution and perception and promotes the development of diverse, innovative, responsible and independent professional performing arts in Latvia. NTIL produces the International Festival of Contemporary Theatre "Homo Novus", the leading festival of contemporary performing arts in Latvia and one of the largest in the Baltic region. The festival takes place in Riga and introduces contemporary performing arts that sit on the precipice of practice and form, presenting works that invite dialogues of urgent social issues. In addition to a diverse program of performances, the festival offers opportunities for creative experiments, theoretical and educational sections and other activities.