On 18 October 2015, the Estates Theatre will host the Prague Chamber Ballet’s first premiere of this season called Metaphors of dance. The mixed bill includes three works created by contemporary choreographers – Aleksandra Dziurosz (Poland), Hana Litterová (Czech Republic), Žiga Jereb (Slovenia) and Anna Štěrbová (Czech Republic).„The authors of the individual pieces are related not only by their Slavic origin, but mainly by the effort to create audience-friendly and comprehensible works. They have different approaches to dance and use different movement vocabularies, but every time these carry the principal idea of their work and are created in harmony with the music accompaniment,” add the organisers.
The central theme of the performance is human behaviour - both its light and dark sides. „What can influence our acts? It can be conventions, social norms, emotions, passion, senses….. Where might lead the forced suppression of one’s personality or, by contrast, unrestricted behaviour?,” ask the authors.
The choreographer Hana Litterová explains where she was looking for inspiration for her piece entitled Silent Cry: „I was partly inspired by Antonín Dvořák’s symphonic poem Water Goblin and partly by K. J. Erben. The depth, character and significance of the music are projected into the dance portraying the tragedy of three people: mother, daughter and lover. But I created my own, present-day story, devoid of any ‘fairy-tale’ creatures; the one that can happen anywhere around us. Shortly it is a story that might involve ourselves as well.”
Aleksandra Dziurosz’s work Come see comme ça is inspired by the 17th and 18th centuries’ Europe and the Baroque conception – paradox and contrast. “My choreography presents a man and his needs which only come to light in some particular, very specific situations,” explains the choreographer herself. „These situations might include courtly divertissements, balls or carnivals. On such occasions the man’s needs, often hidden away from the outside world, make their way to the surface and overshadow the usual conduct and common human instincts.” The contemporary choreography is accompanied by the music of period composers of Czech origin.
Žiga Jereb and Anna Štěrbová co-created a piece called This Is Not a Kiss! It tries to explore what comes, or might come, with a kiss - from the first moment when we are gently kissed into life to our first experience with kisses and later with relationships. „The central motif of the piece emerged during the creative process. It’s quite paradoxical – our choreography is about kisses but it’s called This Is Not a Kiss,” says Žiga Jereb and smiles.
The premiere of the mixed bill, taking place forty years after the foundation of the Prague Chamber Ballet, is intended as a present for the legendary founder of the ensemble, prof. Pavel Šmok as he celebrates his 88th birthday on 22 October 2015.
Hana Litterová received a Thalia for outstanding stage performance. She is a teacher, choreographer and her work has been awarded several times, among others by the Sazka Award or the Theatre Newspaper Award.
Aleksandra Dziurosz, director of the Polish company Warsaw Dance Theatre, is a teacher and choreographer and during her career she has choreographed many full-length as well as one-act dance etudes.
Žiga Jereb & Anna Štěrbová are young dancers and choreographers of Slovenian and Czech origin. Their collaboration started during their engagement in Linz, Austria.
More info on www.prazskykomornibalet.cz
Source: Pražský komorní balet
Josef Bartos
Thank you for your thoughts. One got stuck in my mind – that passion makes us different from AI. Just yesterday I read…I am a dance critic. I am a member of an endangered species