Jiří Pokorný: The prodigal performer

If you don't know Jiří Pokorný, you don't know Czech dance.

Pokorný is one of the most successful contemporary Czech dancers, one of the few Czechs to be accepted into the prestigious Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), and one of even fewer to voluntarily leave that company. Born in Prague in 1981, Pokorný entered the Ballet Prep School of the National Theater when he was just 7 years old and graduated into the Prague Dance Conservatory at the age of 11. Pokorný started his career after graduating from the conservatory and joining Prague's Laterna Magika in 2000. He stayed with that company for three years, dancing many solo roles from the repertoire and earning the Philip Morris Prize for the best dance talent of the year in 2002. In 2003, Pokorný was accepted into the Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT 2), one of the most prestigious dance theaters in the world.

"Getting into the Nederlands Dans Theater 2 was what I had always longed for. It was a long journey, and although I never thought I would, I reached my goal," Pokorný tells The Prague Post.

The history of dance in the Netherlands only dates back to the years following World War II. The arrival of Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián in the early 1970s initiated a long period of artistic prosperity, and today the country is one of the liveliest dance arenas in Europe. Realizing the importance of education for young dancers, Kylián created NDT 2 in 1978 to give talented young dancers between the ages of 17 and 22 the opportunity to develop their skills in the hopes of becoming members of NDT 1.

Persisting to success

Pokorný's audition for this prestigious dance theater was one of the biggest challenges of his career and took several attempts, he says.

"The audition for NDT consists of two parts: classical training and the company's dance repertoire. Frankly, my classical technique has never been brilliant, so I always failed the first part of the audition," Pokorný says. "When I went to the Netherlands for the fourth time, I decided to take an individual audition without the participation of the 300 other candidates. The next day, I got a call from the artistic director of NDT 2, Gerald Tibbs, offering me my dream engagement."

After three years in the junior section of the theater, Pokorný got an offer to continue with NDT 1, the prestigious main ensemble, which consists of 30 dancers between the ages of 23 and 42. These phenomenal dancers and the multifaceted repertoire they bring to the stage attract full houses all over the world.

"Eighty percent of the members of NDT 1 are dancers from the NDT 2 troupe, which is like a bridge to the large main group. But at the end of the bridge, there is a gateway that is not always open. The main reason for that is a lack of positions in NDT 1," Pokorný says.

Dancers in NDT 2 are allowed to stay in the company for a maximum of three years, making competition to be accepted into NDT 1 extremely fierce. Pokorný says style, skill and maturity play the biggest roles in whether a dancer is accepted into NDT 1, but there are other factors involved, as well.

"Everything also depends on the the boss's taste, of course, and a little bit of luck is necessary, too," he says.

Pokorný cooperated with the elite of world choreography at NDT, including Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Paul Lightfoot, Sol Leon, Mats Ek and Hans van Manen. Despite these opportunities, Pokorný decided in 2010 to leave the troupe and join Kidd Pivot, a company based in Frankfurt and led by Crystal Pite, a Canadian choreographer. Pokorný says his decision to leave was difficult yet necessary to maintain his peace of mind.

A new life in Frankfurt

"There were many reasons for me to leave NDT," he says. "To dance there means to dance 24 hours a day, which after seven years, was too much. The work was great but very demanding, and I almost didn't have any time for my personal life."

In Kidd Pivot, Pokorný says he is more satisfied than ever. The work is balanced, he has more time for himself and the activities he wants to devote time to, such as teaching workshops or his own choreography work.

"The work in Pite's company is focused on one style only; therefore, I can concentrate completely, which allows me to perform better. All in all, I enjoy my work more now, since I don't have to be under constant stress," he says. "And I like all Pite's pieces a lot. Her distinct choreographic language characterized by interconnecting stories with abstraction, theatrical sensibility and strongly physical dance really appeals to me."

Prague audiences will have the rare opportunity to see Pokorný perform this month. Dance troupe 420 People has invited Kidd Pivot for two evening performances at the Nová Scéna June 27 and 28. It will be the very first time Pokorný performs in the Czech Republic since he left to go abroad in 2003 and will be a prestigious homecoming for this prodigal performer.

Johana Mücková can be reached at
features@praguepost.com