Dance preview: Chamber Dance Evening

Bohemia Ballet, the ensemble of Prague Dance Conservatory students and graduates, has had a challenging time recently: extensive traveling and guest performances at local and foreign theaters in the past few months, culminating in a tour of Japan in December. The forthcoming performance at the Estates Theater, "Chamber Dance Evening," indicates the company's busy season is not over yet.

Just before the program featuring three contemporary pieces starts, an award ceremony of the Dance Art Contest of Contemporary Creation (organized by Dance Association of the Czech Republic) will take place onstage.

"The main show will feature two award-winning productions," Jaroslav Slavický, artistic director of Bohemia Ballet and director of the Prague Dance Conservatory, tells The Prague Post. "The first one is Lunedda by Berangere Andreo, the Award for the Best Choreography; and the second, Deka pod dekou by Tom Rychetský and Viktor Konvalinka, the Award for Humor in Choreography. Our program will be complemented by Trio g moll in what is today almost an iconic piece created by one of the best-known Czech choreographers ever, Pavel Šmok."

The opening piece, Lunedda, showcases the work of young contemporary French choreographer Andreo, who used to work with Jaroslav Slavický's ensemble. Andreo has staged some of her choreographies with Bohemia Ballet several times already. For example, the piece Primavera, which the company premiered in 2011, and Aquar'elles, premiered in 2010.

Lunedda is a very emotional and poetic ballet created for three couples. The score is an original musical collage by Christina Pluhard. Lunedda starts with a lyrical and very refined dance of three fragile girls dressed in very simple costumes. Suddenly, their slow dance full of femininity, sensuality and sensitivity is replaced by a contrasting swift and acrobatic part in which three boys perform. Their dance seems to the audience almost an energetic wave. The piece ends up with duets full of fluidity and beautiful curves highlighting the capabilities of each dancer. Lunedda is captivating choreography.

Trio g moll, created in 1991 by one of the most prolific and significant Czech choreographers of the 20th century, Šmok, to a score by Bedřich Smetana, is today regarded as one of the "contemporary style classics" of Czech choreography. The composition for three dancers (two girls and one boy) carries the signature of Šmok. The movements he uses are very efficient yet impressive, and they perfectly resonate with a distinctive score. The choreography sensitively reflects any mood change in the music, emphasizes elegance and displays the technical virtuosity of the dancers.

Utilizing light design, Šmok thoughtfully structured the space of the stage. A large circle of light allows the dancers to escape it but at the same time forces them to return inside the shape. Even 20 years after its creation, the choreography still captivates audiences and has become a time-proved classic.

The end of the evening is devoted to choreographic duo Konvalinka and Rychetský and their creation, Deka pod dekou (A Blanket Beneath a Blanket). This humorous piece for seven dancers is very demanding, especially on the acting capabilities of its interpreters. The main prop, as the title suggests, is a blanket, and the dance vocabulary the choreographers use is loose and playful. They did a fine job, as plenty of their funny ideas evoke laughter in the audiences. This piece will certainly leave smiles on spectators' faces long after the performance ends.

"Bohemia Ballet's dancers will convince audiences not only of their technical maturity, but also the capability of their dance expression, ranging from drama to comedy," Slavický says.

The Chamber Dance Evening is a delightful experience that will please every lover of contemporary dance. Despite their youth, the dancers make a sophisticated impression and are able to present difficult dance pieces on a highly artistic level. Their joy and enthusiasm are the perfect combination.

Johana Mücková can be reached at
features@praguepost.com