The Lion’s Den by Johana Pocková and Sabina Bočková, and Ententiky by Denisa Musilová.
The artistic ensemble Tantehorse presents itself in the role of curator, initiating a critical dialogue between creators of dance theatre and the public through a series of projects presented under the title Emergency Dances. The series consists of original dance works situated on the boundary between dance and activism, performance and experiment, addressing urgent issues of the contemporary world.
The first evening was shaped by the theme Media Pathologies and premiered on September 25 at 8:00 PM at Palác Akropolis. It presented works by choreographers Johana Pocková and Sabina Bočková entitled The Lion’s Den, and a choreography for two dancers by Denisa Musilová entitled Ententiky.
“These are urgent choreographies emerging from a certain borderline state of the individual, from a moment of emergency. Through their form and the intensity of their message, they do not leave the audience indifferent but compel personal engagement. The dancers are in a state of readiness,” says Miřenka Čechová about the first work of the Emergency Dances I series, this time in the role of dance curator.
She invited philosopher Alice Koubová, an expert in the philosophy of performance, to collaborate and lead the subsequent discussion with the artists and the audience. Its aim was to encourage spectators to think independently and to broaden their horizons of understanding dance theatre.
Johana Pocková, Sabina Bočková: The Lion’s Den
A live broadcast for an excess of emotions
The performance addresses the theme of media manipulation from the perspective of the medium itself. Two performers become embodiments of the physical and visual images of the media space and explore its emotional pressure on the observer.
Denisa Musilová: ENTENTIKY
A reality show and an endurance experiment in one
The performance deals with the consequences of psychological and physical strain caused by the extreme flood and consumption of news, a condition known as Headline Stress Disorder. For her performers Anna Benháková and Iveta Krmelová, the choreographer prepared a simulation of a stressful activity that took place as a live broadcast, partly online and partly directly in front of the audience.
The Emergency Dances project was created in co-production with Palác Akropolis and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague, and the Czech State Fund of Culture.
Premiere: 25. 9. 2019 - Palác Akropolis
Part of project: Emergency Dances
