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About Czech National Ballet

The Czech National Ballet in Prague occupies a solid position in the Central European context. Its founding in 1883 gave rise to the continuous evolutionary tradition of Czech professional dance. A truly cosmopolitan ballet company, the largest in the Czech Republic, it is currently made up of 75 dancers of 19 nationalities. This diversity affords the Czech National Ballet a colourful scale of means of expression, with the results being a blending together of numerous dance schools and styles, mutual enrichment and inspiration.

The Czech National Ballet’s dialogue with global dance theatre has been cultivated over the long term, with this trend having been further developed by its current Artistic Director, Filip Barankiewicz. 

Ranking among the big players of the European dance scene, the company has enhanced its renown by regularly collaborating with foreign choreographers, coaches, stage directors and designers. The experience with various movement phraseologies serves to spice up the artistic work, helping the company to find its Central European identity.

“The centrepiece of our artistic vision is the commitment to offering you a diverse repertoire, encompassing classical, neoclassical and contemporary works. We believe that such a large variety of styles affords both the dancers and the theatre-goers profound and fulfilling experiences. We do our utmost to make our repertoire balanced yet dynamic, ranging from iconic classical ballets to top-notch contemporary creations. We showcase the Czech National Ballet artists’ talent and versatility,” says Filip Barankiewicz, Artistic Director of the Czech National Ballet.

The Czech National Ballet operates at four venues. In the 2024/25 season, the company will give 131 performances on Czech stages and abroad, within appearances in Spain (Valencia), Oman (Muscat), Belgium (Liège), Hong Kong (Arts Festival Society) and Germany (Ludwigsburg).

In the 2024/25 season, it will present three new feature-length productions and one new triple bill. Of the six pieces, four will receive world premieres. The Czech National Ballet will continue to pursue additional activities and ND+ projects, including dance workshops, autograph sessions and pre-performance lectures, and also link up to the first series of the popular DANCE ON classes. 

Premieres in the 2025/2026 Season

  • Liliom – dramatic ballet by John Neumeier (Czech premiere)

  • The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol at the State Opera – timeless classic in a new production

  • Avant-Garde: Cutting Edge – a mixed program of three works: Jiří Kylián’s piece (27'52") and new works by Robert Bondara and Marco Goecke (world premieres)

  • Who Cares? – a tribute to George Balanchine and his choreography, including Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and Who Cares?

The repertoire of the 2025/2026 season includes the following productions:

  • Swan Lake (choreography by John Cranko)

  • The Nutcracker – A Christmas Story (choreography by Youri Vámos)

  • Coppélia (choreography by Ronald Hynd)

  • Romeo and Juliet (choreography by John Cranko)

  • Vibrations (choreography by Sharon Eyal, Hans van Manen, Marco Goecke)

  • L'Histoire de Manon (choreography by Kenneth MacMillan)

  • Scheherazade (choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti)

  • Slunečník, Měsíčník a Větrník (choreography by Viktor Konvalinka)

The Czech National Ballet Abroad

The National Theatre Ballet contributes to spreading culture abroad, representing not only the Czech Republic but also becoming an important player in maintaining and promoting significant works in the ballet repertoire and the world’s cultural heritage.

Under the leadership of artistic director Filip Barankiewicz, several notable achievements have been made during its tours.

The National Theatre Ballet company is proud to have repeatedly presented the works of Jiří Kylián, a Czech-born choreographer and one of the world’s most significant artists, thereby connecting its Central European identity with his legacy.

"I know that Jiří Kylián means a great deal to Czech dancers and audiences—they are proud of him, it’s like Czech gold. But for me and dancers from all over the world, Kylián means the same. He is a remarkable and talented artist, a genius creator, and a person of great human dimension. I am delighted that we could show his works to international audiences."
— Filip Barankiewicz

A particularly exceptional event was the collaboration with the Korean National Ballet in autumn 2019. The National Theatre Ballet presented the Czech premiere of Kylián’s Gods and Dogs in Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center. This was a historic first: the National Theatre Ballet became the first Czech company to perform in Korea. Beyond its cultural significance, this performance also carried political importance, as the company successfully represented Czech culture and the Czech Republic in the best possible light.

As part of this reciprocal project, the Korean National Ballet performed in Prague at the National Theatre for the first time in history, presenting Kylián’s choreography Forgotten Land during the Czech premiere of Kylián – Bridges of Time (November 13–15 and 21–22, 2019).

Jiří Kylián – from the program brochure:

"Tonight you will see two major dance companies from two very different parts of the world, sharing one stage. This is very unusual and very precious. The distance between Prague and Seoul is 8,258 kilometers...! But this distance will disappear tonight because people of many different countries, cultures, and religions will share the same space and the same time: the dancers of the Korean National Ballet, directed by Sue-jin Kang, and the dancers of the Czech National Ballet, directed by Filip Barankiewicz. I don’t remember anything like that ever happening before, but it is wonderful, and I am happy to be part of it. When I was the artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater, one thing was very clear to me: When politicians fight, artists must communicate. I hope that you will enjoy this experience."
— Jiří Kylián, The Hague, the Netherlands, September 8, 2019

Another significant guest performance, continuing the dramaturgy of presenting Kylián’s works, took place at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv (Performing Arts Center, November 25–27, 2021). The National Theatre Ballet performed Kylián’s repertoire (Gods and Dogs, Bella Figura, Petite Mort, Six Dances), which is exceptionally rare on a global scale. Moreover, it symbolically marked the post-COVID return of cultural life, as the National Theatre Ballet was the first foreign company allowed to perform in Israel after the pandemic.

"A grand display of Czech choreography."
— David Borek, Czech Television correspondent in Israel and the Middle East

"Two years ago, when Jiří Kylián was formally inducted into the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, I thought it would be a dream to present him in Israel. Today, this dream is coming true, even in such a difficult time, when until the last moment we were uncertain whether it would be possible. Thanks to our partners, including airlines, we managed it. I am very happy that we succeeded and that we were part of this project as the Czech Centre in Israel."
— Robert Mikoláš, Director of the Czech Centre Tel Aviv

Another major tour took place in 2019 (October 6 – November 3), when over seventy members of the National Theatre Ballet undertook a large-scale tour of China, performing ten full-length performances of La Bayadère in five major theaters (Nanjing, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing). The tour also included participation in two prestigious gala evenings.

The company has repeatedly returned to Spanish audiences. Following the success of La Bayadère in Seville in January 2019, the company presented John Cranko’s Swan Lake (May 26–30, 2021) in five sold-out performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Notably, the National Theatre Ballet became the first company authorized to perform this Cranko ballet abroad (previously, this privilege was reserved for the original Stuttgart Ballet).

Another John Cranko title, Romeo and Juliet, was presented by the National Theatre Ballet during a tour to Cagliari, Italy. From November 11–19, 2022, eight exceptionally successful performances were staged with Jürgen Rose’s original scenography.

"A fascinating and poetic performance, captivating, full of color and vitality, completely enthralled the audience and received a stormy applause."
— TG24.SKY.IT, November 12, 2022

The repertoire of the National Theatre Ballet includes both classical, traditional works and contemporary ballets by modern choreographers. In August 2017, the company presented Ohad Naharin’s Decadanse in Lappeenranta and Tampere, Finland. Two years later, the company performed Vertigo by Mauro Bigonzetti and Aspects by Katarzyna Kozielska in Finland. These works, along with Dumka by Ondřej Vinklát and Perfect Example by Andrej Kajdanovsky, were also performed in Astana, Kazakhstan, in June 2019.

The ballet Kafka – The Trial was also performed by the National Theatre Ballet in two performances in Bonn, Germany, in January 2023.

History