Czech dance scene celebrated the spring by the display of the best dance productions of the season. Between April 11th and 14th,2013 Czech Dance Platform 2013, subtitled New perspectiveof movement was held at six Prague theatres (Ponec, Studio Alta, La Fabrika, Alfred ve dvoře, ROXY/NoD, Archa Theatre). The programme was composed of productions selected by experts to make a list of highlights that occured on the Czech dance scene in the past year. This year the audiences could choose from a total of twelve dance projects, which had been selected by a jury composed of: Nina Vangeli – dance publicist, Ivanka Kubicová – professor at the Dance Department of Academy of Performing Arts, Jana Návratová – chief editor of the magazine Taneční zóna, Petra Hauerová – choreographer, dancer and dance pedagogue, Petr Tyc – choreographer and on the behalf of organizer Yvona Kreuzmannová – chair of the Tanec Praha civic association and Markéta Perroud – co-director of Tanec Praha festival; the latter two shared their vote. The following awards have been presented: Audience Award, Lighting Design Award, Male/Female Dancer of the Year Award and Dance Production of the Year. The festival could also boast a varied accompanying programme: exchange of projects, a unique, rather informal opportunity for Czech artists to meet their audiences called Meet the Artist, discussions, commenting on individual productions in the course of the festival, Read the Dance studio, late-night concert of singer Lenka Dusilová, just to name few.
Selected projects were on the programme of the Czech Dance Platform at five, seven and nine o'clock every day. The long streak of performances started on April 11th, 2013 with Manson, a joint work of Lenka Vágnerová, Pavel Mašek and Irina Andreeva. The production deals with the psychological ambivalence of a man searching for his identity. He steals ideas from his victims, but he is also a victim himself. Bloodlust is present in every moment of the choreography. The spectator is petrified, watching the rampage and perverted desires of the man, who has never been proven guilty. Otherwise impressive work, the premiere of which was discussed in more detail in a review by Kristina Durczaková Cooperation on a Knife Edge – TNF and DOT504 on Manson (www.tanecniaktuality.cz/spoluprace-na-ostri-noze-tnf-a-dot504-na- tema-manson) somewhat lost its intensity mostly due to the new cast, whose performances lagged behind the visual and musical aspects of the work.
VerTeDance company presented their production Simulante Bande – two worlds, one of them is bound by a seeming weakness and the other, in contrast, is way too free, without any boundaries. Simulante Bande reminds us that pettiness of human problems may be sometimes ridiculous. The fact that Simulante Bande is definitely not about a bunch of malingerers is explained in a review by Daniela Zilvarová (www.tanecniaktuality.cz/simulante-bande-rozhodne-neni-bandou-simulantu). Another piece on the programme was a choreography Orbis Pictus by Michal Záhora and
Lenka Bartůňková. Spirituality and energy make this dance piece really special. It reveals the history of mankind, its struggle and victories. Mythical, spontaneous images are transformed into images of biblical seriousness or images of ancient physical grandeur and nobility. In the performances of dancers there is a kind of subliminal message about the condition of man and his mind. The magical atmosphere creates a visually captivating imagery, which was further enhanced by excellent performers Michal Záhora and Dagmar Chaloupková who replaced Lenka Bartůňková, dancing on the opening night in November (more on the premiere performance at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/orbis-pictus-animace-sveta-obrazem-duse/).
The programme on the second day started with a piece Pisum Sativum by choreographer Karine Ponties together with students of a Theatre Faculty at JAMU, performing in the piece. This project was created in close collaboration among four artists and ten performers, who have dealt with the theme of metamorphoses of the human body. The production put forward the theme of a group, opposed by an individual, his separation and subsequent exclusion from the collective. Common motive in this piece is animality.Completely different energy and work with body was employed in a solo production One Step Before the Fall, a joint creation of Spitfire Company & DAMÚZA & Markéta Vacovská and Lenka Dusilová. The collaboration among those professional artists brought into being a very compact work, which is a kind of psychological study of a boxer just a moment before he steps into the ring. Close cooperation between Lenka Dusilová and Markéta Vacovská creates an atmosphere of tension and expectation. One Step Before the Fall is a unique production that draws the spectator into the story and makes him or her experience its every single moment until the very end, as discussed in more detail by Lucie Břinková at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/muhammad-ali-marketa-vacovska-a-lenka-dusilova/. What Is the Weight of Your Desire?, the latest production by VerTeDance was already awarded the prize for the best production of the year the previous year of the festival. Four outstanding dancers flirt with the expectations of spectators who are upon their very arrival asked to scale the weight of their desire. A humorous, at some points parodic piece shows a woman in all her transformations. More about the premiere of this piece in December 2011 can be found at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/jak-se-v-ponci-vazila-touha/. On April 13th, 2013, the third day of the festival a production called Much More Than Nothing by dance company ME-SA was performed. The piece, created in collaboration with the Slovak choreographers Peter Šavel and Stano Dobák deals with the idea of manipulation. It introduces a grotesque character of a stage technician with a bottle of beer in his hand, who not only commands the music, but also has power over all dancers, he affects their lives and their decisions. Choreography deals with the theme of the ever-lasting Czech-Slovak "banter" as well. The project was chosen by an international network Aerowaves as one of the twenty priority performances for the year 2013 (review at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/slovenska-sila-v-alte/). Andrea Miltnerová, Czech-born British dancer, presented her production Dance of the Magnetic Ballerina. Minimalism in its perfect form lets the spectator enjoy the pure energy of movement along with the sensitive lighting design by Jan Komárek. This project was also chosen by the international network Aerowaves among the twenty priority productions of the year, review by Zuzana Smugalová can be found at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/andrea-miltnerova-telo-jako-symbol/. Last choreography performed that evening was S/he Is Nancy Joe by Miřenka Čechová. Choreographer copes with the theme of identity and alienation in one’s own body. Her body itself is a delight to watch, spectator watches with keen interest not only her excellent technical skills, but also the breathtaking quality of the physical performance.
April 14th, the last day of the festival started with the 13th Month / Requiem for Bruno Schulz created in cooperation between Spitfire Company and Warsaw Mime Centre, a controversial production that one would either love or hate. It irritates audiences with brutality, stage design, lyrics, costumes, props, nudity, gunfire, simply with every part of it. It strives to shock, to raise emotions, to not let the audiences sit passively. I would not say that it was the best piece of the entire festival, however, it elicited a lively and fruitful discussion among the audiences. (Daniela Zilvarová described the piece as breathtaking in her review Spitfire Company Flirting with Bruno Schulz at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/spitfire-company-koketujici-s-bruno-schulzem/) Controversial nature of this piece by Spitfire Company was emphasized by the following choreography Wind-Up by dance company 420PEOPLE, led by Václav Kuneš and Nataša Novotná. A completely different work with movement, body and ideas. Everything was plain, smooth, without any slip-ups, the audiences were not in a trance, they just watched gracefully moving bodies on the stage. The spectator was offered no space for his or her
imagination, everything has been said. (More on the production can be found at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/kunesuv-napnelismus/)
As the last piece on the programme the dramaturgy picked the dance "hit" of the season Riders by choreographer Lenka Vágnerová & Company. Lenka Vágnerová undoubtedly contributes to the Czech dance scene with a new perception of motion. The spectator is taken aback by her handling of situations, movement material and marvels at the perpetual fluidity of motion. Outstanding artists, imaginative music and stage design make this production one of the hot candidates for the Dance production of the year award. Helena Kazárová points out its exceptionl qualities at www.tanecniaktuality.cz/lenka-vagnerova-jezdci-kineticka-hostina/)
John Ashword pointed to the fact that the Czech dance scene is dominated by distinctive personalities rather than big companies. Expressive and movement qualities especially of the female Czech dancers (less frequently of their male counterparts) is exceptional and confirms that the Czech Republic has indeed something to contribute to the dance world. This year’s Audience Award went to VerTeDance for their piece Simulante Bande.For the Dance production of the year following productions have been nominated:
Riders (Lenka Vágnerová & Company)
Much More Than Nothing (ME-SA & Peter Šavel & Stano Dobák)
One Step Before the Fall (Spitfire Comp. & Damúza & Markéta Vacovská, Lenka Dusilová)
Pisum Sativum (JAMU Brno & Karine Ponties)
Dance of the Magnetic Ballerina (Andrea Miltnerová)
Among the nominees for the Male/Female dancer of the year are:
Miřenka Čechová
Tomáš Červinka
Václav Kuneš
Andrea Opavská
Markéta Vacovská
For the Lighting Design Award following artists have been nominated:
Jan Komárek (for Dance of the Magnetic Ballerina)
Michal Kříž (for Manson and for collaboration with Spanish lighting designer David Alcorta Ruíz on the piece Riders)
Martin Špetlík (for One Step Before the Fall).
Interviews with performers at the Czech Dance Platform (Tereza Ondrová (VerTeDance), Karolína Hejnová (ME-SA), Andrea Miltnerová, Lenka Vagnerová, Nataša Novotná (420PEOPLE), Petr Boháč (Spitfire Company)) can be found at: www.tanecniaktuality.cz/Interviews/interview-2013/.
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