When the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy collapsed in 1918, a wave of independence movements swept over its former territories, which led to the creation of new countries. One was Czechoslovakia, whose independence was proclaimed on 28 October 1918 in Prague. A hundred years after the event, the National Theatre in Brno is commemorating the occasion with its annual dance, which this year will be called Dance Brno 100 and will be part of the official, nationwide celebrations held under the theme RE:PUBLIKA 1918–2018.
Held from 23 May to 16 June, the festival will bring together ballet companies from countries created after the breakdown of the Habsburg empire. Apart from the Brno and Prague-based ballet companies, the event will welcome the Polish National Ballet, Ballet of the Slovak National Theatre, Ballet of the National Theatre in Belgrade, Ballet of the Volksoper Wien, Slovenian National Ballet, Ballet of the Lviv National Opera, Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre, and the Hungarian National Ballet.
Each company will present a sample of its contemporary repertoire, including pieces by such renowned choreographers as Hans van Manen (Hungarian National Ballet) or Ohad Naharin (Ballet of the National Theatre in Prague). Krzysztof Pastor proposed that the PBN perform a programme of three ballets featuring Polish music and choreography: neoromantic Chopiniana set to music by Fryderyk Chopin and choroegraphed by Mikhail Fokine as well as Moving Rooms to music by Alfred Schnittke and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki and Bolero danced to the Maurice Ravel's piece in Mr Pastor's own choreography.
The Polish National Ballet will take to the stage in Brno led by Chinara Alizade, Yuka Ebihara, Maria Żuk, Palina Rusetskaya, Aneta Zbrzeźniak, Dawid Trzensimiech, Maksim Woitiul, Kristóf Szabó, and Vadzim Kezik. (pch)
Pictured: Poster announcing the Polish National Ballet's performance in Brno
