KRABAT: a Spine-chilling Dance Performance Based on an Old Sorbian Legend
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The Czech National Ballet is preparing the world premiere of a dance production titled The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which will take place on 28 February 2013 at the National Theatre.
The performance is based on an eerie Sorbian legend dating from around the turn of the 18th century that tells the story of a boy who at the threshold of maturity gets entangled with black magic and is fascinated by it until he comes to realise that it can destroy him. The tale highlights the danger of dabbling with mysterious powers that can infatuate and enthral. Yet the hero ultimately becomes aware that only love can defeat even the darkest magic.Accordingly, the theme is rather macabre, occult and spine-chilling, yet one with a happy ending. As is customary in most fairy tales, legends and myths, in this story too love proves to be a force more powerful than death.
You can rest assured that a fabulous night’s entertainment is in store since The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has been co-created by the young tandem of stage directors SKUTR – Martin Kukučka and Lukáš Trpišovský – whose previous productions have met with enthusiastic responses on the part of critics and audiences alike. Their works have earned them numerous awards, including the Grand Prix and the Audience Prize at the FIST international festival in Belgrade, the Evald Schorm Award and the Josef Hlávka Award.
Our production is intended for families with children, adults and, primarily, teenagers. It will be a dark dance story, replete with Jan Kodet’s physical and dynamic choreographies. On the basis of the ongoing rehearsals, I can confirm that it will take the form of contemporary ballet, whereby even an ordinary gesture transforms into a magical dance element. Owing to our targeting teenagers, the production also places emphasis on a bold visual aspect. When designing the sets, Jakub Kopecký was inspired, among other things, by abandoned industrial buildings in the Liberec region gradually being swallowed up by nature. Saša Grusková created the costumes primarily with regard to the dancers’ dynamic movement. And perhaps the most crucial aspect besides the choreography is the bewitchingly dark, almost cinematic music of Zbyněk Matějů.
(Lukáš Trpišovský, co-author of the libretto and stage director)
Source: National Theatre