On characters and chances... Petr Zuska (host): You come from Mexico, anyway, you have lived for a long time in Finland and created this ballet (i.e. Sleeping Beauty) for the Finnish National Ballet. Why Finland and how does your Mexican temperament comply with the rather calm, settled down nordic soul? Javier Torres: Well, I don't think my coming to Finland was a mere coincidence, because I don't really believe in coincidences as such. I believe that things happen the way they were meant to...

Your festival celebrates the 10th anniversary this year. What do you consider the greatest achievement so far?The greatest achievement is the 10th anniversary itself. Considering the current situation in performing arts, it is fantastic that due to enthusiasm and commitment of all participants we can accomplish the tenth year of the festival now. Another great success is the establishment of the network DNA / Development of New Art /, the initiator of which is the organizer of the New Web...

Dear readers, we have launched a new thematic section of our web that will be updated every fortnight. "Three questions for ..." are short interviews, done either in person or by email with prominent personalities of both Czech and foreign dance scenes, covering current issues and events. We start with Jaroslav Slavický, who spoke about the upcoming premiere of Don Quixote at the Prague State Opera.

A prominent Belgian company Ultima Vez came to Prague for the seventh time last December to introduce one of theirlatest productions. Production Radical Wrong as a generational statement of teenagers today and in their own interpretation is a perfect psychological probe of Wim Vandekeybus into the world of young people, both in the preparatory stage, where he let them do anything, and in the final implementation. Rebelling against themselves and everything, seeking life values ​​that complywith...

Mr. Bruce, you have been many times to Prague, do you remember your work with Prague Chamber Ballet?I don’t remember quite exactly how many years ago it was, but I had a good time with them, it was a lovely company. We made a piece called Sergeant Early´s Dream, to mainly Irish folk music, Scottish and also American folk tunes and songs. How old are the creations you staged now for the National Theatre?The oldest piece is Rooster which was created for Geneva ballet in 1990, so it’s twenty one...

In November 2011 the repertoire of the National Theatre ballet in Brno received a present – a gem of the romantic ballet era, Giselle. The piece, which is a charming recollection of the naivety of the 19th century and a great display of dance technique still untouched by a superficial postromantic virtuality. It is a remembrance of a time when ballet was indeed a theatre of action, yet lost nothing of its lyricism and sensitivity. With a feeling of nostalgia the spectator in Brno can enjoy a...

The National Theatre Ballet ensemble has introduced the first premiere of the season, a piece called Moonshine, composed of choreographies by Christopher Bruce, a famous British author and former artistic director of the London-based Ballet Rambert. Even before the opening night took place, Czech audiences also had had the opportunity to get to know Christopher Bruce in a way somewhat different from his artistic work. The National Theatre organized a week before the premiere at the New Stage...

A new movie Pina by Wim Wenders is scheduled to appear in Czech cinemas soon. We had the opportunity to see Europe's first 3D film on Wednesday, July 24th 2011 at the Atlas cinema and would like to share our experiences now. The film gives a spectator an idea of the life of one of the most talented dancers in the second half of last century Pina Bausch, who died in June 2009. The idea to make such a dance movie arose from a genuine and longstanding friendship between Pina Bausch and film...

Could you please briefly introduce your company Compagnia Zappalà Danza? What sort of contemporary dance do you create (pure dance or physical theatre), what are the themes in your choreographies, what music do you usualy use? My choreographic work has been focused on body since the very beginning of my artistic activities, a characteristics that has wilfully recurred over the past few years as a protagonist of all my latest choreographies. Working with technologies depends rather on the...

Interview with Fabrice Mazliah and Ioannis Mandafounis about P.A.D. choreography. This piece studies limits of intimacy, finds space for proximity and keeping the distance, discovers changes of relationships in a closed space. What does the abbreviation P.A.D. stand for? Does it have a concrete meaning?Well, somehow we like to keep people wonder about it and try to find out what it stands for. We can say that when we made the piece originally we were three persons working on it and each one...

(Europe dance laboratory 1)  Your choreography deals with miniatures. How has the idea of this theme appeared?  I am fascinated with the magic of detail, rigour and care. Miniatures are extremely well made small-scale portraits and figures and they evoke all these characteristics. They opened a door to a world of small dimensions and I felt like diving into it and create a delicate universe where the tiniest thing would be important, without forgiving the sense of humour. Are tiny...

Czech audiences had the privilege of seeing La La La Human steps in October 2002 (Amelia), but were rather shocked by what they saw: a new abstract use of point-work virtuosity emphasizing movement, vigor, speed, and endless continuity which was strange to the traditional ballet audience as well as to contemporary dancers here. How is your own choreographic production different from the one you experienced as a dancer with La La La Human Steps? In the short video trailer of...