The Czech Dance Platform is an annual opportunity to monitor the current state of contemporary dance and movement theatre as well as trends in this industry in the Czech Republic. The platform is a space for reflection for our dance professionals, as well as for establishing domestic and international contacts.

BASIC CRITERIA that the Dramaturgical Council of the Czech Dance Platform follows when creating the program:

In general, the council strives to demonstrate the high quality and diversity of contemporary dance and movement theatre works. Czech works are works by Czech artists that were created in domestic conditions or during internships or residencies abroad, as well as works by foreign artists residing in the Czech Republic and working here. To maintain diversity, the council includes only one work by the same author/choreographer each year.

The Czech Dance Platform aims to reflect the current state of the art, thus giving preference to works created in the last year, or at most, the last two years. Each work can be submitted to the Czech Dance Platform only once.

In exceptional cases, the Dramaturgical Council can at its discretion include a work that was entered in the previous year but could not be accepted for an objective reason.

We comprehend dance and movement theatre within a broad, modern, liberal concept, encompassing both pure dance forms and cross-over genres. In general, all forms that utilize movement and physicality as the primary components of artistic expression are included, extending to the edge of what is termed performances and the new circus. Given that national platforms are consistently observed by international guests, the Dramaturgical Council is compelled to consider the international context and anticipate the potential interest of foreign visitors and professionals. Therefore, evaluating how the selected works may resonate abroad becomes an important criterion in the selection process.

The quality of the work is defined by the creators’ strong opinions or attitudes towards the theme, coupled with an individual, unmistakable expression, and originality in the language of dance. The Council also assesses how the work responds to the contemporary aesthetic context.

The Dramaturgical Council of the platform actively seeks and highlights creators-authors with a distinct personal artistic style, individuals with the courage to transcend established conventions, provided their work is fuelled by persistent inspiration and conveys a relevant message.

This quality inherently requires a professional level of dance/movement performance, although it is not an end goal in itself. The Council also expects a professional level from other components of the scenic design.

The state and composition of works of dance and movement theatre varies from year to year. Sensitively identifying changes in the aesthetic, content or social paradigm, which cannot be defined once and for all, is the expert task of the Council, which takes full responsibility for adequate shifts in approach.

The Council has a variable, if possible odd number of members or votes. The board includes representatives of Tanec Praha, who also bear the greatest responsibility for the successful course and results of the entire process. They have one vote.