The festival’s dance program reflects this year’s leitmotif through the stories of artists for whom movement is both a means of rebellion and an expression of collective memory. One of the most prominent guests will be the Lebanese artist Omar Rajeh with his performance Dance Is Not for Us. In it, the Lebanese artist looks back on the history of his hometown, a city devastated by political upheavals yet reborn thanks to the resilience and vitality of its inhabitants. In the spirit of the Solidarity theme, Rajeh’s imaginary return to Beirut is not a nostalgic recapitulation, but a promise of hope, unfolding in the symbolic final act of the production.
The protagonist of this subtle work—in which, alongside personal history, the collective memory of a unique place is also imprinted—and one of the most respected choreographers and dancers in the Arab world, who will be performing in the Czech Republic for the very first time, said of his career choice: “It may seem strange that I chose dance as my field in a country that was just recovering from civil war, destruction, death, and loss. At the time, however, it seemed to me to be the most revolutionary, the most provocative, and the most confrontational medium. I believed that through it, the taboos of both the past and the future could be broken.”
Adam Russell-Jones also chose dance—as a means of self-expression—in his early childhood. His raw contribution to the 29DF theme—the unbridled stage ecstasy of Release the Hounds—is inspired by the exhausting dance marathons of the Great Depression era. In it, Russell-Jones has transformed his long-standing negative experience with overproduction and the constant, enormous pressure on his performance as a soloist in elite ballet companies into a radical gesture—an abstract depiction of dance as the sole means of escaping reality and “surviving” it. The British artist, based in Germany, uses the form of an open physical poem to reveal “the spectacle of a man who cannot stop dancing” and explores what it means to remain alone on the dance floor. As in the case of Omar Rajeh, Russell-Jones’s festival presentation marks the domestic premiere of this rising star of the global dance scene.
While Adam Russell-Jones (much like Lucia Kotikova, for example) represents the distinctive faces of the emerging generation of contemporary theater—whose discovery and presentation are among the emblematic features of Divadelní Flora—the Austrian Doris Uhlich has long been, without a doubt, one of the most talked-about figures in European dance.
Come back again. Photo by Alexi Pelekanos.
The uncompromising choreographer and performer returns to Flora after three years—this time in a duet with former Vienna State Opera prima ballerina Susanne Kirnbauer. The performance Come Back Again explores the courage to confront one’s own physical biography and to set out on unknown paths even in advanced age. Kirnbauer—a living legend of Austrian ballet—joins Uhlich in exploring where her energy can be directed now that she is no longer physically capable of performing perfectly precise ballet steps. This respectful, inspiring dialogue between exceptional women with diverse artistic experiences and backgrounds—at a time when the society around them is fracturing and dividing—has been included in the programs of renowned dance festivals. Its presentation at 29DF follows last year’s festival performance M/Others by choreographer Eszter Salamon and her mother—dance teacher Erzsébet Gyarmati. Flora thus continues to emphasize the issue of intergenerational coexistence and once again pays tribute to life experience and maturity.
An original work by director Petra Tejnorová and dancer Tereza Ondrová, GEO, also emerged from a creative symbiosis. Their joint “bio-geo-choreography” reveals layers of “bodily memory” and identity linked to the space where Ondrová worked for two decades.
This unique and sincere introspection, authentically pulsating within the unusual framework of biography-history-geology, will be made even more distinctive at the festival by its “communication” with the interior of Central—the hall of the Olomouc Museum of Art.
“Every year, through artistically compelling statements and distinctive creative gestures, we strive to comment on the reality in which we live and draw attention to pressing issues that must be acknowledged and addressed with empathy. We do not want to be a value-indifferent theater showcase. Following the mottos of Otherness, Freedom, and Equality, we are therefore once again this year, as part of the continuous dramaturgical thread running through recent editions of Flora, framing its program with an easily memorable, evocative leitmotif. “We wish for the 29th Divadelní Flora to be a celebration of solidarity, and we want its ethos to permeate most of the festival’s events, which, through individual and collective human experience, will express respect and support for all those who have been and are, in violation of the principle of solidarity, marginalized, discriminated against, abused, or silenced,” comments Petr Nerušil, the festival’s director, on the dramaturgical intentions of the 29th Flora Festival, inviting visitors to Olomouc: “We will present audiences with powerful stories of many real, contemporary, and historical heroes and heroines whose fates have been and continue to be shaped by ideologies and historical milestones affecting people’s lives from Central Europe to the Middle East. We look forward to theatrical reflections on the diverse social and cultural phenomena shaping our world and the arts. And with respect for his legacy, we dedicate this year’s festival—with the annual motto “Solidarity”—to the memory of playwright, dissident, and President Václav Havel.”
In addition to the main productions, Flora will also offer the discussion program FloraLab for students of the arts from across Europe, thereby reinforcing its role as a platform for critical reflection and cross-cultural encounters.
Source: Divadelní Flóra
