Works selected by the Dramaturgical Council of Czech Dance Platform 2024

Czech Dance Platform 2024

The current edition of the Czech Dance Platform (CDP) marks a significant and symbolically rich milestone. While 30 years may be deemed somewhat demonized in the context of human life and history, it holds immense importance for the establishment of a resilient dance scene. This period represents a critical timeframe, shaped by the dedicated efforts of hundreds of individuals. For CDP 2024 to truly capture the evolution of their continuous endeavours, as evidenced not only since the early nineties, it is imperative to acknowledge a fundamental principle: the persistence of creators transcends territorial, linguistic, genre and generational boundaries.

To achieve such a commitment, the Dramaturgical Council, composed of mainly foreign experts (Anna Cremonini, Elia Liloff, Anton Ovchinnikov), who were accompanied by a local element (Martin Macháček), worked on the program of the thirtieth CDP. The interplay of collaborative discussions has given rise to a program that mirrors the delicate nuances amid the usually contrasting poles of the Czech scene. Monumental meets subtle, eccentric intertwines with intimate, and, above all, the established encounters the new.

This year’s CDP will thus offer a confrontation between the titans of domestic dance with young choreographers, powerful solos and opulent rituals. The performer Tereza Ondrová sends a love letter to the Vltava River, the city of Prague, the PONEC Theatre and the earth as a bolt between matter and time in the remarkable stage essay GEO. With an extensive team, she delves into the most intimate aspects of performance throughout her distinguished career thus far. The cooperation of the principal of Spitfire Company, Petr Boháč, with distinctive female performers on solo projects will continue on the platform this year as well. In the enchanting creation F*cking Beautiful Spring, Markéta Jandová, as a choreographer and dancer, takes her own body to the limit of physical possibilities. Andrej Lyga acts as a silent narrator in A Fairytale for the Brave, but the epic in his presentation is bursting with imagination. By choosing his and other solos, we endeavour to trace creative tendencies that treat genre definitions loosely yet remain focused and exceptionally absorbing. Choreographer Tereza Lenerová and the remarkable composer Floex reevaluate the value of beauty in yet another of their featured works – Glove Concern. The work delves into the contentious reputation of a dwindling craft, considering that leather, specifically tanned leather, is not sold independently worldwide. Jitka Čechová and Andrea Miltnerová engage in a discourse about the responsibility associated with the use of materials, emphasizing that aesthetics, a quality we all seek in our surroundings and occasionally demand from others, doesn’t manifest spontaneously. Yana Reutova’s contemplative random encounters, stemming from her time in Prague, address profound societal as well as internal themes. In the production Together Alone II and III, she returns to the forefront of choreographic work, confidently emphasizing body language as the foundational basis of expression. In the fragile duet Tremula, Eliška Brtnická and Martina Hajdyla celebrate the transience of life and the uniqueness of the moment with every breath. In a continuous interplay, they thoroughly examine their own means of movement as stanzas, which they compose into a psychedelic scenic poem. The Dramaturgical Council was intrigued by the political treatise Why things go wrong, in which choreographer Sylva Šafková connected the rich interpretation material of dancers Michal Heriban and Viktor Konvalinka with a critique of the arrogance of power. In creating the production of Fatamorgana, Studio Hrdinů’s artistic director Jan Horák took advantage of his work at the NORMA festival, where he brings artists from, among other places, Polish origins. He invited the renowned choreographer Paweł Sakowicz to Prague, who with local performers covered the auditorium and the stage in a mysterious fog.

The Czech Dance Platform has never aimed to monopolize the continuity of Czech dance but rather wants to be an organic and collaborative part of it. Its intention is not to assume superiority but to function as a partner. The organizers acknowledge that the program is merely a moderated snapshot of a diverse mix, representing only a fraction of the extensive body of work beyond the eight featured productions. The CDP also incorporates the Meet the Artist format, providing artists, ensembles, and creative collectives the chance to engage with audiences or international promoters. Additionally, the program incorporates special interventions like art walks. Creators who did not make it into the main program with their productions, but who greatly impressed the Dramaturgical Council, have the opportunity to present themselves as part of Artist Trips: Helena Arenbergerová and Václav Kuneš for 420PEOPLE, Mirka Eliášová for Eli. and coll., Jan Jirák and Eliška Vavříková for Feel the Universe, Eva Stará for Holektiv, Nela Kornetová, Jaro Viňarský and Matthew Rogers for T.I.T.S. and Tomáš Janypka for ZDRUHESTRANY.

In conclusion, it should be noted that at the CDP we try to detect a certain tendency by selecting or by presenting works together to discover even more, new content in addition to the existing quality and high standard.

We have felt this way for the past 30 years and we will for the next 3,000. At least.

The author of the text is Martin Macháček