Richard Kročil

Biography

Soloist of the National Theatre Ballet Richard Kročil was born in Karviná. He gained his ballet education at the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava (1992–1997). At the age of 17 he accepted the offer from the choreographer and artistic director of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre in Ostrava, Igor Vejsada, to dance the lead role of Albert in Giselle, for which he won the Young Talent of the Year award and later on the Art Award. After graduating, he became a soloist of the ballet of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre in Ostrava (1997–2001). At the age of 18, he rendered the lead role in Philippe Tallard’s choreography The Rope Dancer, for which he received a nomination for the prestigious Thalia Award. Impressed by his performance in this production, the artistic director of the National Theatre in Mannheim, Philippe Tallard, invited him to collaborate. In 1999 he danced the lead male role in Mozart’s Requiem (choreography: Eddy Toussaint) within the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauver in Montreal. From 2000 to 2003 he was engaged at the Washington Ballet as a principal dancer (under the artistic director Septime Webre). With this ensemble, he participated in a three-month tour of the USA. After returning to the Czech Republic in 2004, he was engaged as a principal dancer at the ballet of Brno’s National Theatre, where he stayed until 2007. Since 2008 he has been a soloist of the National Theatre Ballet in Prague. Richard Kročil’s repertoire is extensive indeed, primarily encompassing lead roles in classical ballets; for example, Don Quixote (Basil, Espada), Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried, von Rothbart – nomination for the Komerční banka Award), Giselle (Albert), The Nutcracker (the Prince), La Fille mal gardée (Colas), Les Sylphides, Le Corsaire (Conrad), Cinderella (the Prince), Le Spectre de la Rosa, Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), La Bayadere (Solor), Spartacus (Crassus), Raymonda (Abderakhman) and La Sylphide (James). When it comes to the modern repertoire, he has won greatest acclaim for his performances in the ballets Short Stories (choreography: Derek Williams), The Rope Dancer (choreography: Philippe Tallard), Requiem (choreography: Eddy Toussaint), The Time of Dance (choreography: Libor Vaculík, Igor Vejsada, Eric Trottier), Dvořákstory (choreography: Christopher Fleming), The Doors (choreography: Igor Vejsada), Brief Fling (choreography: Twyla Tharp), Sweet Honey in the Rock (choreography: Septime Webre), Blue until June (choreography: Trey McIntyre), Carmen (choreography: Septime Webre), Unknown Territory (choreography: Choo-san Goh), Reassuring Effects of Form and Poetry (choreography: Trey McIntyre), D.M.J. 1953–1977 (choreography: Petr Zuska, nomination for the Thalia Award), A Little Touch Of The Last Extreme (choreography: Petr Zuska), Last Touch (choreography: Jiří Kylián), Sylvia (choreography: Bronislav Roznos, nomination for the Thalia Award), The Rite of Spring (choreography: Libor Vaculík), Bolero (choreography: Zdeněk Prokeš) and Carmen (Escamillo, choreography: Mats Ek, nomination for the Komerční banka Award). As regards the neoclassical repertoire, he has also danced in George Balanchine’s choreographies Rubies and Serenade. He danced at international gala performances in the USA (for Barbara Bush, Chelsea Clinton and Mikhail Baryshnikov), at the meeting of presidents of EU countries in Brno and at a gala evening to mark the occasion of the state visit to the Czech Republic of the King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni. In June 2009, upon the invitation of the Royal Danish Ballet, he danced James in La Sylphide within the company’s tour of the South of France, performing in Biarritz, Bergerac, Hyeres and Aigues Mortes.