RP's Home * Culture Index * Operas * Theater * Children's

This evening of dance from the National Theater Ballet Company is a collage of one-act ballets based on the most representative and important current North American ballets and dance pieces. Neo- classic and modern pieces from renowned American artists are performed to music by composers from Mozart to Purcell to Ellington. The pieces were chosen for their high standard, variety of genre, and on the basis of the professional importance of the choreographer. Amerikana fills a gap in the National Theater Ballet Company's repertoire and offers a neat summary of the last few decades in American dance all at the same time.
National Theater, Narodni trida 2, Prague 1, tel. 24 91 34 37

Three pieces are performed to classical music by the Czech Republic's most famous composers. Antonin Dvorak's "American Quartet" is choreographed by Pavel Smok. Leos Janacek's "Navrat do nezname zeme" (Return to an Unknown Country) - a meditation on life and death and the fine line that separates them - is choreographed by Jiri Kylian, as is Bohuslav Martinu's "Polni msi" (Field Mass), which is 'a requiem for all soldiers that have fallen in war - full of fear and courage, loneliness, heroism, longing and fond memories of home.'
National Theater, Narodni trida 2, Prague 1, tel. 24 91 34 37

Choreographed by Libor Vaculik and directed by Jozef Bednarik, this production of Coppelia in 1995 was the first in Prague in 30 years. Originally premiered at the Paris Opera in May, 1870, this well- loved ballet had its Prague premier in 1893, and has been staged here a total of six times since then. This seventh production of the classic story was held on the occasion of the original's 125 birthday and and tells the tale of a puppet-maker whose greatest dream is to create a doll which comes to life. Lovers Svanilda and Franz enliven the plot, which involves jealousy and vanity but also love and forgiveness. Of course, it all has a happy ending - which is one reason (but not the only one) that this performance is also appropriate for children.
National Theater, Narodni trida 2, Prague 1, tel. 24 91 34 37

Down Side Up is made up of dancers who are also members of the much larger and looser grouping, "Upside Down." For the last three years, it has been a tradition of theirs to have a different special guest on for each and every performance. Previous programs have consisted of pieces such as "More" (Sea), "Jednou pozde po pulnoci" (Once Upon a Midnight Dreary), choreagraphed to an English-language reading of Poe's famous poem, and "Uryvky ze zivota labuti" (From the Life of the Swans), a parody of 'Swan Lake' set to music from Tchaikovsky.
Labyrint Theater, Stefanikova 57, Prague 5, tel. 24 51 17 37

Based on the novel by Friedrich Durrenmatt, Minotaurus combines imaginative film projections, jazz and rock music, and expressive choreography in the multi-media style that made the Laterna Magika famous back in the 1960's before the term "multi-media" existed. The original black-light theater, Laterna Magika is now housed at the National Theater's New Stage on the banks of the Vltava river instead of in its historic home at the other end of NarodnĄ trĄda in downtown Prague - but even as most things change, some things stay the same: Minotaurus is directed by Josef Svoboda, one of the founders of the original Laterna Magika.
Laterna Magika, NarodnĄ trĄda 4, Prague 1, tel. 24 91 41 29, 24 21 26 91

It's time to get into the Christmas spirit with this most yule-ful of classical ballets. The dancers in this production represent the best talent from among the youngest generation of serious dancers in the Czech Republic, as the cast is made up of students and recent graduates of the Prague Dance Conservatory. Their high energy and refined technique make this an interpretation of the Nutcracker that you won't want to miss.
Palace of Culture, ulice 5. kvetna 65, Prague 4, tel. 61 17 27 11/21
Stavovske divadlo (Estates Theater), Ovocny trh 1, Prague 1, tel. 24 21 50 01

Tchaikovsky's classic is choreographed by the renowned Czech choreographers Jiri Nemecek and Olga Skalova, who have aspired to keep true to the spirit of Lev Ivanov and to the traditional arrangement of the piece, especially in the second act. The story of the girl who is transformed into a swan needs little introduction, if any; Tchaikovsky's lyrical, romanticist composition is complemented by imaginative scenery from Josef Jelinek and costumes by Jindriska Hirschova. The State Opera House, one of the three opera houses in Prague, is built on a spot which was formerly occupied by the wooden New Town Theatre and which was torn down in 1885 because it was a fire hazard. Originally a German-language venue, the "Neues Deutsches Theater" was opened in 1888 and was closed when the Nazis marched into Prague in 1939. It has been the State Opera (under a few different names) since the end of the war.
State Opera House, Wilsonova 4, Prague 2, tel. 24 22 76 93, 24 91 34 37

RP's Home * Culture Index * Operas * Theater * Children's and Other

Document URL: http://www.radio.cz/listings/

Contact info: