The Czech National Ballet in South Korea

The Czech National Ballet is performing Gods and Dogs for very first time – September 27. 2019 in Seoul Arts Center. Sharing one stage with Korean National Ballet. Cooperation on Gala evening with program created exclusively from Jiří Kylián's works.

The Czech National Ballet represents the National Theatre in the South Korean city of Seoul and will perform together with the Korean National Ballet. Their show will present several choreographies of Jiří Kylián. The Czech National Ballet is performing Gods and Dogs for very first time here. This avant-garde choreography had world premiere in September 13. 2008 and The Czech premiere is planned on September 13. 2019 as a part of production Kylián – Bridges of Time in The National Theatre.

“Dear friends,
My name is Jiří Kylián, I am a choreographer and I was born in Czechoslovakia in 1947 (one year before the communists took over). I left my country in 1968, the year in which the communists took over again and who crushed the political movement called the "Prague spring". This movement was an attempt to create "Communism with a human face". The invasion of the "Warsaw pact forces" lead by the Soviet Union, took place on the 21st of August 1968 - 51 years ago. Many things have changed since that time, but essentially nothing has changed at all! Until today, there are still totally unnecessary economic, ideological, religious, political, social and cultural divisions among many people of our tiny planet....!
You might wonder why I am writing you all this. The reason is simple. 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 8258 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 the Nederlands Dans Theater, one thing was very clear to me: "When politicians fight, artists must communicate". I wish I could be with you in these days, and I hope that you will enjoy this experience.”
Jiří Kylián - The Hague, the Netherlands
September 8, 2019

photo: Serghei Gherciu