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Petr Jirsa

Petr Jirsa

Biography

After studies at the Dance Department of the Prague Conservatoire, Petr Jirsa (born 14. 9. 1962) was engaged by Prague’s Karlín Musical Theatre (1980–1989), where he worked his way up to the rank of soloist in the company’s ballet ensemble. He became involved in choreography as a member of the Vít Nejedlý Army Art Ensemble. As a soloist of the Czechoslovak Television ballet, he was in close touch with the work of many Czech and international choreographers. His further professional engagements included a long period with Prague’s Revue Alhambra (1985–2002) and its successor, Bohemian Party (1994–2002). He has worked regularly with Czech Television and TV Nova (choreographies for the 1989 and 2001 New Year’s Eve Gala Shows, and the 1999 Meeting in Kroměříž). In the 1994/95 season, he joined the Prague State Opera ballet, where he was involved in adaptations of touring versions of the company’s opera productions (Japan: Die Fledermaus; Aida; Die Zauberflöte; Hungary: Aida; and Turkey: Nabucco). Figuring among his other choreographies for the Prague State Opera are New Year’s Eve performances of Die Fledermaus Gala (2001–2013), apart from which he was assistant choreographer in the ballet productions of The Rite of Spring  and From the New World (2001/2002). In 2003, becoming assistant stage director at the Prague State Opera, he created choreographies for its opera productions of La bohème  (Puccini, and Leoncavallo); Béatrice et Bénédict; Les Mamelles de Tirésias; Cavalleria rusticana & I pagliacci; and of the gala soirée Vivat Operetta! He adjusted choreographies for productions of Carmen (2006, 2007, 2010) and La traviata  (2007) for the Beseto opera company of Seoul, Korea. He also choreographed the opening dance numbers for the Ball at the Opera spectaculars (2009, 2010) and created choreographies for the world premieres of the compositions by contemporary composers for benefit concerts Trebbia 2010 and 2012. He is currently a permanent guest artist of the National Theatre Ballet. In 2001, he prepared a ballet soirée for the Summer Festival in Cagliari, Sardinia. He has done choreographies for a production of Carmina burana mounted at the Kunětická hora castle (2003–2005), and at the Dvořák Festival in Příbram (2006). For the Open Air Opera Prague 2007, he choreographed Polovtsian Dances and Carmina burana, and for the Gala Open Air Brandýs nad Labem 2011, he provided choreography to music of Rossini, Johann Strauss, Mozart and Vivaldi. In 2011 he also adjusted choreography for productions of Lehár’s The Merry Widow  in the F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec and in 2013 choreography for production of Nedbal's Polish Blood in the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň. In May 2014, he was involved - as a choreographer, stage director and set designer - in the semi-staged performance of Puccini's La rondine at the State Opera in Prague. In September 2014 he adjusted choreography to the production titled Aida - New Way of the Swiss company PrismArt for a tour in Germany and Austria.