Just a few days divide us from the premiere of Peter Pan, a new production of Bohemia Ballet, ballet company of the Dance Conservatory of Prague (22nd January in the Estates Theatre). The ballet fairytale is set to score of James Newton Howard, with original choreography by the young French dancer and choreographer Bérangère Andreo, who already worked with the company several times. As we wanted to bring our readers a few details beforehand, we asked the creator a few questions about this upcoming production.
Who chose this story as the most important premiere of the season for Bohemia Ballet?Last year, when I received the price for Lunedda, we spoke with Mr. Slavicky about our future collaboration... But what would be the subject? It was evident that the new ballet will be for children and with children... It was wonderful to have this opportunity to work with young people and with the Prague Conservatory once more! I decided to choose Peter Pan very quickly; for me it was the best moment to transform my favourite story I loved when I was a little girl into movements. I love this story where we can find lots of boys and lots of different people and creatures as Indians, Sirens, Pirates, Crocodile, Fairy Tinker Bell... it’s a really fantastic world! Peter Pan is a story we usually take as a pure fairytale. Does the production go this way; is it primarily created for children?
My version of Peter Pan is a choreography full of Poetry, Fantasy, and Humour to offer each of us a little escape from our daily life in order to DREAM! LET'S COME TOGETHER INTO ANOTHER WORLD! I can say that Peter Pan is for everyone: for children, because when they play games they see the same people as in the real world but in an “artistic reality“... and for adults too, because as I feel it, to the end we all are everlasting “children“, or at least we would like to come back to childhood keeping innocent PICKING LIFE LIKE A GIFT! Is it set to the world of the original story or into today’s environment?
It’s very important to respect the original text but obviously I open the door to another world to give you a new image, a new view of this story with new eyes!
You have to come and see...SURPRISE :) Has the story of Peter Pan some special message for today’s spectator?
Don’t forget and don’t be afraid to escape from yourself, just let yourself go one more time into your dreams and feel the sensation that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, because you're not alone and this life is a present for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What you try to do... time goes on but all roads and stories are always the same; they have been coming back for a long long time!!!!!!! How would you characterise the choreographical language, is it more classical or contemporary?
For my choreography, the relationship Music – Dance is paramount... There must be a perfect osmosis between what we hear and what we see! The goal is to find the fairest cohesion between the Choreographic part and the Score!
Within the development, I use classical technique (which is the best basis for me) to take it to a more contemporary style.
It is very fun and exciting to create on the basis of a story such as Peter Pan: by movements, attitudes, postures and so on the characters must be recognizable. Music, movements, costumes, situations... everything is so complementary! How about the music? It is a very famous score, wasn’t it difficult to gain rights to its usage?
In fact, the music is “Wouahou...” so good!, that it would be impossible for me to create this choreography on a different music and we are lucky because we can use it! This fairytale is maybe about imagination and ability to feel and play like a child. Do you think it is something that is disappearing from our lives? And where is the role of arts in this aspect?
I know that life is not very easy for everyone but where is the part of a dream in every one of us? It’s so important: not to forget to play, to give, to share like a child! Feel your emotions with sincerity and without restraint...you can play, sing, dance... LIVE! Life is so short and time goes so quickly. That's why we need to take time to enjoy this beautiful gift that life is.
The arts are very important because they are the way to give us a message!
Dancer in each ballet is lucky to interpret different characters and thus express himself and be free... this is a wonderful expressive tool! One day you are a pirate, another day a crocodile... lots of possibilities to allow children to have fun and to live different feelings and at the same time to discover new sensations... with even more freedom! You have cooperated with the Prague Conservatory several times, how did this cooperation start and why are you coming back so often?
It’ true, I was here for the first time in 2005 (after first contact with Mr. Slavicky during a French competition), then in 2007, in 2012 and now for Peter Pan... I love working here and creating for the Conservatory... it's a PURE HAPPINESS!
It’s a perfect collaboration between the Direction, teachers, assistants, students, theatre... Everybody understands what I hope for and where I want to go during the whole creation process.
It’s always better and each time the relationship is bigger so I can create more quickly! I don’t work alone, I think we are a real team and we follow together the same way to the same goal: to present a quality ballet from which both dancers and public take pleasure!!!
I want to say a big Thank you to the dancers: WITH YOUR BODY YOU ARE GIVING LIFE TO MY IMAGINATION... Thank you assistants, theatre technicians, costumers for your involvement, your smile and your energy everyday... YOU ARE MY BEST PRESENT!
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