Stress, irony and disaster: the ballet production of Sarkasmy will offer three premieres in one evening
In the main role of stress
Austrian choreographer and Russian-born dancer Andrei Kaidanovsky chose as the central motif of his choreography ...And How Is Your Life? to use stress. The absurd cycle of everyday life consumes most of us and Andrei Kaidanovsky asks: are we still able to feel, stop and take a breather, or do we just run forward because it's easier than stopping?
"We live in a time when stress has become the norm. It is no longer a reaction to danger, but to information. And the body still thinks it has to fight or flee - we just don't give it the space. For me, dance is a way to make this internal struggle visible. And maybe finally become aware of it," says Andrei Kaidanovsky.
The result is a poetic but very apt look at stress. Through dance, Kaidanovsky balances between the desire to escape and the need to stay that many of us experience, between instinct and rationality. He challenges the audience not to be afraid to be authentic, not to be afraid to express their emotions in the midst of the pressure we often create ourselves, which often seems like a necessity when in fact it is not.
Kaidanovsky is an award-winning choreographer whose work has been performed by the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the German Opera Ballet on the Rhine, the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre in Moscow, and the Origen Festival Cultural in Switzerland. He is no newcomer to Prague either. In 2018, Kaidanovsky choreographed Perfect Example on the New Stage of the National Theatre, laying the foundation for his collaboration with the National Theatre Ballet.
Sarcasmen from the work of the legend of world ballet
If you're just getting into the world of ballet, it's great news that one of the pieces in the production is Sarcasmen, choreographed by Dutch ballet dancer and choreographer Hans van Manen, one of the greatest figures in world choreography. As a dancer, he has worked with major companies including Roland Petit's Ballets de Paris. In the early 1960s he was at the birth of Nederlands Dans Theater, later becoming court choreographer of the Dutch National Ballet.
Hans van Manen created more than 150 works that are characterised by their refined simplicity, and van Manen is therefore considered a master of dance minimalism. He has received numerous awards for his work, for example in 2018 King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands awarded him the Medal of Honour of the Order of the Orange Dynasty for Arts and Sciences for his "enormous contribution to the arts in the Netherlands, especially ballet". It's clear, then, that Sarcasmen will be a hardly forgettable experience. Moreover, it is one of the masterpieces of the Dutch choreographer.
The central theme is relationships - their tension, irony and mutual provocation. We will witness definitions, fights and inner tensions, a game in which attraction alternates with detachment, wit and passion, all accompanied by a subtle eroticism.
Sarcasmen is a chamber work for two dancers and a pianist, originally created by Hans van Manen for Rachel Beaujean and Clint Farha. Its uniqueness is evidenced by the fact that Rachel Beaujean shone in it so much that she was later promoted to soloist of the Dutch National Ballet. Now Rachel Beaujean is returning to Prague to stage the work and to give ballet lovers, among other things, her personal experiences from the original production.
We must not forget the exceptional musical accompaniment. The musical background is Sergei Prokofiev's cycle Sarkasmy Op. 17. The piece was written between 1912 and 1914 and, thanks to its ironic subtext, which moves from sarcasm to disquiet and sadness, it was particularly popular with avant-garde composers and performers.
How do we act in a crisis? An Israeli choreographer explores the small and large disasters in our lives
Life doesn't always go according to plan and things turn out differently than we planned. How do we cope with major or minor disasters? How do we behave in a crisis and what do we do after it? What does spilling coffee on a white shirt right before going to work or losing someone close to us do to us?
"We can decide what attitude we take," believes Eyal Dadon, the creator of the choreography of Catastrophes. In his latest work, the Israeli choreographer, who works between dance, music and performance, explores the boundary between order and chaos, between control and the loss of it. Again, a theme that concerns us all.
Two world and one Czech premiere
Thursday evening will be exceptional in all respects. The Czech audience will be the first in the world to see the premiere of ...And How Is Your Life? and Katastrof. The two world premieres will be complemented by the Czech premiere of Sarcasmen.
"Our new production offers contrasting perspectives on the human experience - from the grotesque to the suspenseful to the uneasy silence. We want the audience to laugh and think. Sarcasms are not a mockery. They are an invitation to a shared experience. This evening is a celebration of choreographic diversity and the courage with which each of the creators looks at our world. I am proud that the National Theatre Ballet is able to present two world premieres in one evening and at the same time welcome to Prague a classic of European modern dance, Hans van Manen," says Filip Barankiewicz, Artistic Director of the National Theatre Ballet.
Although each choreography is dedicated to a different theme, they are united by a subtle irony, deep humanity and openness to different emotions, meanings and world views. If you can't make Thursday's premiere, the National Theatre will present Sarkasma in April, May and September.
