Sarkasms Ballet

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April 2025
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Prague ballet fans had their first opportunity to see a work by Andrey Kaydanovskiy in 2018, when the National Theatre performed his Perfect Example. The artist utilises his experience from his native Moscow, as well as studies in Germany and Austria. In 2007, he was engaged as a dancer at the Wiener Staatsoper. He has also worked as a choreographer. In his new piece, he seeks answers to the questions: Where are we running to? Where or from what? Life is like a race from birth to death. Like being on a hamster wheel with a carrot on a stick. You always wait for things to finally calm down. You have the desire to stop time. Is it even possible?

 

A towering international dance figure, Hans van Manen has created some 150 ballets, which have been staged by theatres worldwide. His Frank Bridge Variations forms part of the triple bill Beyond Vibrations, premiered at the National Theatre in Prague in 2023. The Czech National Ballet will now present Van Manen’s playful Sarcasmen, to Sergei Prokofiev’s Sarcasms, a set of five eerie pieces for piano.

 

Eyal Dadon too is no stranger to our audience, who could see his ARTZA within the triple bill bpm, premiered in 2022. In relation to his new choreography, he asks: Why are we afraid of random things?  Why are we afraid of losing control? And why do we seek order and stability? adding that he is interested in the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Eyal Dadon is a major representative of contemporary Israeli dance. Soon after gaining recognition as a performer with the Kamea Dance Company and, particularly, the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance, he started to devote to choreographing as well. Dadon founded and is artistic director of the Sol Dance Company.

Program and cast

Creative team

 - Andrey Kaydanovskiy: TBA - 

Choreography: Andrey Kaydanovskiy

 

 - Hans van Manen: Sarcasmen -

Choreography - Hans van Manen

 

 - Eyal Dadon: TBA -

Choreography: Eyal Dadon

Prague National Theatre

The National Theatre today

 

The historical building of the National Theatre, constructed in 1883, is generally considered the prime stage in the CzechRepublic. It is the flagship of the National Theatre institution, today amounting to five buildings and encompassing four companies. You can see there Opera, Drama and Ballet performances.

 

Idea of building a stately theatre for the Czech nation

 

The National Theatre is the embodiment of the will of the Czech nation for a national identity and independence. Collections of money among the broad mass of the people facilitated its construction and hence the ceremonial laying of its foundation stone on 16 May 1868 was tantamount a nationwide political manifestation.

 

The idea of building a stately edifice to serve as a theatre was first mooted in the autumn of 1844 at meetings of patriots in Prague. It began to materialise through a request for “the privilege of constructing, furnishing, maintaining and managing” an independent Czech theatre, which was submitted to the Provincial Committee of the Czech Assembly by František Palacký on 29 January 1845. The privilege was granted in April 1845. Yet it was not until six years later – in April 1851 – that the Society for the Establishment of a Czech National Theatre in Prague (founded in the meantime) made its first public appeal to start collections. A year later the proceeds of the first collections allowed for the purchase of land belonging to a former salt works with the area of less than 28 acres, which predetermined the magnificent location of the theatre on the bank of the river Vltava facing the panorama of Prague Castle, yet at the same time the cramped area and trapezoidal shape posed challenging problems for the building’s designers.
 

By car

To the centre (OldTown), approach on Masarykovo nábřeží (Masaryk embankment) in the direction from the Dancing House, at the crossroads in front of the National Theatre turn right to Divadelní street and then right again to Ostrovní street to the National Theatre car park. Parking costs 50 CZK/h.

 

By tram

By daytime trams Nos. 6, 9, 18 and 22 and night trams Nos. 53, 57, 58, 59 to the stop “Národní divadlo” – in front of the NT historical building; by daytime tram No. 17 to the stop “Národní divadlo”.

 

By metro

To the station “Můstek”, line B (yellow), and then by foot on Národní street; or to the station “Karlovo náměstí” and then two stops by tram No. 6, 18 or 22 to the stop “Národní divadlo”. To the station “Staroměstská”, line A (green), and then two stops by tram No. 17 to the stop “Národní divadlo”. 

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