Special Edition 2021 - Dance and Education

The fourth Special Edition focuses on the theme “Dance and education”. Our bilingual printed magazine, with an attractive visual character, offers readers at home and abroad articles on the state of Czech dance education. 

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The methods and standard of dance education in the Czech Republic has, in recent years, become the subject of expert and public discussion. In 2018, the Arts and Theatre Institute - Theatre department organised a series of conferences entitled “The Centre of Interest (‘Střed zájmu’), two of which touched upon questions surrounding dance education and the role of dance in education more generally. In October 2020, at the behest of the HAMU dance department, the conference ‘Dance - education -  economy’ (‘Tanec – vzdělávání – ekonomika’) took place, where some of our own writers even presented, and Taneční aktuality also helped organise several online debates on dance education, all within the auspices of the project ‘Focus on Dance’ (‘Zaostřeno na tanec’). Amongst the wider public, a fierce debate broke out about dance education thanks to the controversial novel ‘Ballerinas’ (‘Baletky’) by Miřenka Čechová. For several years, professional organisations have been actively lobbying for a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which would enable equal access to dance education within the framework of plans for a new cultural policy. 

The content of this year’s Special Edition offers a behind-the-scenes look at Czech dance education - professional and leisure time, and also presents the experiences of Czech dancers abroad, bringing examples of good practice from Sweden. This issue also looks at the Czech phenomena of ballroom dance courses and elementary dance and movement education. Readers may also look forward to a variety of articles from the perspective of authors who have followed dance art for many years, who write on the subject, take part in expert discussions at conferences, but who also are in contact with the public at large. These include  Lucie Dercsényiová, Petra Dotlačilová, Lucie Hayashi, Daniela Machová, Zuzana Smugalová, Kristina Soukupová, Lucie Štádlerová and Monika Štúrová.

To the content itself, Publication Coordinator Petra Dotlačilová adds: “Besides the main subject which is more general and, to a certain extent, timeless, there will be articles covering the year and season in which they are published. There will be the traditional four articles looking at the season from the perspective of experts in the genres of ballet, contemporary dance, non-verbal theatre and new circus, these are Roman Vašek, Roman Horák, Jana Návratová and Hana Strejčková.”

This year’s 162 page Special Edition will be adorned with Martina Koželuhová’s attractive graphic design, Martina will also employ the mirrored type-setting of the English and Czech text. Future patron of the edition, world renowned primabalerina, and revered dance pedegog Daria Klimentová is pictured smiling on the cover, captured by the lens of Michal Hančovský. The magazine will be distributed from September through partner bookstores, shops with dance products, and theatres. Thanks to Czech Centres it will also circulate throughout 22 countries across the world. The publication is now available for advance order on the website https://www.tanecniaktuality.cz/specialni-vydani or via email at daniela@tanecniaktuality.cz. This edition will be published with the support of the Ministry of Culture, The State Culture Fund and many other partners and advertisers whom we would like to thank for their support.