From 6th–29th June in Prague and 9 other towns of the Czech Republic the 23rd edition of TANEC PRAHA will offer top foreign and Czech ensembles, many of them for the very first time hosting in the Czech Republic. The highlight of this year’s edition is the piece Sutra made by the Flemish choreographer and dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Cherkaoui created the piece at the prestigious London theatre Sadler’s Wells together with seventeen young Buddhist monks from an original Shaolin monastery in the Chinese province of Henan. “This production will amaze the lovers of acrobatics and Chinese discipline of motion as well as connoisseurs of contemporary dance. No fan of theatre or dance should miss it. All the more that Prague is one of the last cities hosting this extremely successful project on its world tour,” explains Yvona Kreuzmannová, the director of Tanec Praha civic association. The piece accompanied by live music brought admiring reactions from the audience at its London premiere. The festival TANEC PRAHA will host it three times in a row: from 25th to 27th June, at Music Theatre in Karlín. The closing of the festival will take place on 29th June under the direction of Cherkaoui’s equal in terms of reputation – Akram Khan and his company are to present their brand new choreography Vertical Road, inspired by the mystical tradition of Sufism.
This year’s edition of the festival is bringing an exceptionally high number of big names of international dance scene. Palle Granhøj will open the festival, the icon of contemporary Canadian dance and the ex star of the company La La La human Steps Louise Lecavalier is coming, and so are Crystal Pite, RootlesRoot Company, Compagnia Zappalà Danza and many more. The young European and Czech scene will be presented within European Dance Laboratories that are designed on the basis of the international Aerowaves jury’s recommendation, that is, the pieces were chosen from as much as 600 pieces. The festival will also offer shows for kids, workshops, and an exhibition.
Tickets for all festival shows are on sale from 20th April at Ponec theatre. Tickets for shows at music Theatre in Karlín and the New Stage of the National Theatre are on sale at the respective box offices. Ticket prices: Ponec theatre – 290 CZK, Music Theatre in Karlín – 190 - 1090 CZK, the New Stage of the National Theatre – 100 - 350 CZK. Shows for kids are sold for 100 CZK for adults and 80 CZK for kids. The festival offers a range of reductions for students, retired, disabled people, and regular comers. More information and the detailed festival programme to be found at www.tanecpraha.cz.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s choreography Sutra is inspired by skills, power, and spirituality of Buddhist monks: it is a unique dance spectacle, one that will leave you completely breathless. The Eurasian dialogue shows the difference between the two cultures as well as their mutual accessibility and capacity to understand one another, the show respects the specificities of both sides. Besides the internationally renowned Flemish choreographer, the creative team of the piece consisted of the famous designer Antony Gormley and the composer Szymon Brzóska whose acoustic music sets the show in a unique ambience. The piece is performed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui himself and seventeen monks from a Shaolin monastery, aged between 12 and 26. All of them follow the strict rules of Buddhist philosophy, including the everyday training of the martial arts kung fu and tai chi.
Akram Khan’s brand new choreography Vertical Road is a fascinating show inspired by the mystical tradition of Sufism and the work of the Persian poet and philosopher Rumí. The piece features a group of exceptionally talented dancers from Asia, Europe and Near East. „Don’t expect a downpour of impressing effects, this piece wants you to concentrate, it is a dim piece, an unpretentious one that will draw you in by its completeness, a perfect choreographic harmony, scenic design, costumes, light design and original music. Those who appreciated festival shows of Alain Platel or Marie Chouinard must not miss this one,” comments Yvona Kreuzmannová.
The festival will be launched on 6th June with a show of Granhøj Dans, an ensemble well known to festival audience. Granhøj Dans will open the night with a visual-dance concert Dance me to the end on / off Love, a show inspired by Leonard Cohen’s songs. After the intermission, they will present a choreography based on the music heritage of the great composer Gustav Mahler entitled 2men2mahler. „Live music on stage with the astonishing performance of the guitarists is in perfect harmony with the dancers who very subtly perform the visual equivalent of the music. They are full of respect, joy and humour: a delightful experience for your eyes, ears and your soul,“ points out Yvona Kreuzmannová.
For the first time this year, the festival will take place also at the New Stage of the National Theatre. This venue will host the Italian group Compagnia Zappalà Danza and, at the very end of the festival, within one night, 420PEOPLE and Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM, a company lead by the internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Crystal Pite.
It is within the so called European Dance Laboratories that the festival traditionally presents short pieces by progressive artists from around the world. This year’s first Dance Laboratory will offer an opportunity to see for example Ferenc Fehér (Hungary), Ambra Senatore (Italy) or Roser López Espinosa (Spain). The second one will present DOT504 and the original performer Clément Layes (Germany) with his astounding concept Allege. Furthermore, Ponec theatre will also host Louise Lecavalier, until recently a member of La La La Human Steps, or a brand new project created by a Greek-Slovak tandem RootlessRoot Company. Besides, the festival audience will have a chance to see pieces by Czech artist who are getting more and more involved in the regional part of the festival.
The same as every year, the festival will also offer a variety of programmes for children spectators. For the first time this year, shows for kids will take place within the core programme in June. Contemporary dance and performing arts companies such as Stage Code, VerTeDance or Kyklos Galaktikos will present pieces hand-tailored for children who know how to enjoy dance. Furthermore, the accompanying programme of the festival will, among other things, include interactive workshops following-up the pilot project Dance to Schools: the workshops will be organized at Ponec theatre and at several Prague schools. The accompanying programme will precede the core festival programme and will culminate on the International Children’s Day.
The festival will also offer workshops for professional dancers at Studio Alt@ as well as an extra bonus: a special critical mass bike ride called NANOHACH on bikes! It is organized in co-operation with Auto-Mat civic association. Last but not least, the festival will offer a unique exhibition of pictures of the piece Vertical Road made by Laurent Ziegler.
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