Jakub Rašek

Biography

Jakub Rašek is a Czech ballet dancer and a graduate of the Dance Conservatory of the Capital City of Prague. Since August 20, 2014, he has been a member of the Czech National Ballet, where he has held the position of demi-soloist since October 1, 2020.

He is known for his versatility, strong musicality, and ability to combine technical precision with deep emotional expression. His repertoire includes major roles from both the classical and contemporary ballet repertoire. He has performed, for example, as Josef K. in Kafka: The Trial (choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti), Mercutio and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Alain in La Fille mal gardée, the Prince in Cinderella, and Harlequin and the Russian Dance in The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol. He also stood out in choreographies such as Rain (Radu Poklitaru), Cacti (Alexander Ekman), Gods and Dogs and Petite Mort (Jiří Kylián).

In contemporary repertoire, he frequently appears in demanding solo performances – for instance in Phoenix, Vertigo, Timeless, Solo for the Two of Us, or Tremble. He is also known as a reliable substitute for principal roles. In 2019, he gained attention when he successfully took over the leading role in Jiří Kylián’s Gods and Dogs after principal dancer Ondřej Vinklát was injured. He described rehearsing under Urtzi Aranburu as a powerful artistic experience.

On a personal note, Jakub Rašek described himself in the media as "a big dreamer" with a passion for fast cars and animals. He came to ballet through his sister – while accompanying her to class, he fell in love with dance himself. He describes the ballet profession as demanding but beautiful, and says that "the most beautiful experience is the audience’s applause."

Classical Repertoire

• Ballettissimo – Movement III – Two Boys (Uwe Scholz)

• Dance Gala – Finale

• Dance On... The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol – Russians – open rehearsal (Youri Vámos)

• La Bayadère – Magdavea, Bodhisattva, Man from the Temple of Goddess Kali (Rafael Avnikjan)

• La Fille Mal Gardée – Alain (Frederick Ashton)

• Romeo and Juliet – Mercutio, Benvolio (John Cranko)

• Swan Lake – Companion to the Neapolitan Princess (John Cranko)

• The Little Match Girl – Crabs (Bohemia Ballet)

• The Little Mermaid – Lover (Jan Kodet)

• The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol – Russian Dance, Harlequins (Youri Vámos)

• The Sleeping Beauty – Ali Baba (Márcia Haydée)

Contemporary and Neoclassical Repertoire

• bpm – Artza, Bill, Bohemian Gravity (Eyal Dadon, Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Yemi A.D.)

• Beyond Vibrations – Fly Paper Bird (Marco Goecke)

• Bon Appétit! – Man with the Candlestick (Alexander Ekman)

• Cacti – Solo, Further (Alexander Ekman)

• Carpe diem (Dance Laboratory 2021)

• Cinderella – Prince (Jean-Christophe Maillot)

• Dance On... Fraser Roach Choreographic Laboratory – Boys a Bug (Fraser Roach)

• Dance On... The Second Detail (William Forsythe)

• Dumka – Duet (Ondřej Vinklát)

• Field Mass (Jiří Kylián)

• Forsythe / Clug / McGregor – The Second Detail, Handman (William Forsythe, Edward Clug)

• Gods and Dogs (Jiří Kylián)

• Kafka: The Trial – Josef K. (Mauro Bigonzetti)

• Kylián – Bridges of Time – Petite Mort, Bella Figura, Six Dances, Gods and Dogs (Jiří Kylián)

• Miniatures 2015 – Subway

• Moving Still (Douglas Lee)

• Petite Mort (Jiří Kylián)

• Phoenix – Dos Soles Solos, Prelude und Liebestod (Alejandro Cerrudo, Cayetano Soto)

• Rain – Georgia (Radu Poklitaru)

• Sarcasms – ...And How Is Your Life? – Surprise (Andrey Kaydanovskiy)

• Slavic Temperament – Dumka, Perfect Example (collective authors)

• Solo for the Two of Us (Petr Zuska)

• Spiritual Quintet – Rose (Petr Zuska)

• A Streetcar Named Desire – Allan Gray, Blanche’s Husband, Messenger, Doctor (John Neumeier)

• The Sun, the Moon and the Wind – Prince Jan (Viktor Konvalinka)

• Timeless – Boy Waltz, Boys’ Solo (Glen Tetley, Jiří Kylián, Jerome Robbins)

• Trembling (Petr Zuska)

• Vertigo – Rain, Cacti – solo and company (Ohad Naharin, Alexander Ekman)

• Ways 03 (Petr Zuska)

• We Will Dance Through It

• Woman Behind the Cult (DekkaDancers)