Apart from the three world-wide known dance stars, the festival will present many outstanding international professionals from France, Switzerland as well as far-away Madagascar, Indonesia and Ghana. The programme includes a significant number of Czech artists – and not in regions only. TANEC PRAHA started to cooperate with the Prague Quadrennial (PQ), which takes place on June 6-16, and developed into the dramaturgic line Czech Dance Focus for PQ+, which is also part of the PQ programme and will present the premiere of the new festival production as well as the recent most successful co-productions of Tanec Praha. The presence of PQ international guests offers great publicity for selected pieces.
The new international festival co-production Eymen – Point of View, supported by the Czech Embassy in Ghana, started as a joint project of the choreographer and dancer Lenka Kniha Bartůňková and singer Ridina Ahmedová. They worked with the African company Ghana Dance Ensemble and invited two artists to cooperate with the Czech creative team. They created a piece, which merges traditions of Africa and Central Europe and deals with the topics of the old age and death.
“We have carefully gone through hundreds of offers to make the programme varied, of high quality and to have a chance to approach various target groups. Thus, some productions are family-friendly: they were created for adult viewers, but they are responsive even for school-age children – experiences can be shared among generations. We were also lucky to find strong contemporary statements in countries with their own long traditions, such as Madagascar, Ghana or the Indonesian island Java. Young talents from the European platform Aerowaves promise contrasts and surprises, some of them will also invite JAMU students for cooperation in a two-day workshop. Tabea Martin was once a shooting star of this platform, her original and mature approach opens taboos for teenagers and their parents. Many Czech productions will be staged as well and not only in regions, thanks to close cooperation with the PQ. There is something to look forward to,” says Yvona Kreuzmannová, the director and founder of Tanec Praha.