Jan Kodet

Biography

Jan Kodet (born in 1968 in Prague) learnt the rudiments of dance in the University Artistic Ensemble of Charles University (later Dance Theatre Prague), a member of which he was for nine years. Here he had the oportunity to work with leading contemporary dancers (I. Kubicová, J. Hartman, M. Benoniová). In 1991 he graduated from the Dance Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied modern dance pedagogy under Prof. Ivanka Kubicová. He was engaged as a dancer with a number of foreign theatres, including Dance Berlin, S.O.A.P. Dance Theatre Frankfurt and Ballet Gulbenkian, where he encountered such renowned choreographers as Naharin, Duato, Ribeiro, Galili, etc. The most significant for him remains, however, the Portuguese choreographer Rui Horta, in whose group he danced for several years and to whom he worked as an assistant with umerous European companies (Cullberg Ballet, Compagnie National de Marseille, Icelandic Ballet, etc.). At the present time, Jan Kodet is one of the most prominent representatives of the contemporary dance scene. He has created numerous acclaimed projects both in the Czech Republic and abroad; for instance, Danse Macabre (Divadlo Archa), 6x Eva, Evička, No End, Adam + Eva – Náhoda neexistuje (Adam + Eve – There Is No Coincidence), Gates (Trans Dance Europe), Cala Estreta, Jade (Gulbenkian Ballet Lisbon), Chrysalis (BDT Bratislava), About Firewomen and Other Stories (Hochschule FFM), Raumtraumen (St. Gallen), Lola & Mr. Talk (Divadlo Archa, Divadelní noviny and Sazka Award for the best choreography of the 2003–04 theatre season), Talking to Frida (Prague Dance Conservatory, National Theatre Ballet in Brno), Argonauts (Laterna magika), Duel (Czech National Ballet, Prague), Goldilocks (Czech National Ballet, Prague), (e)MOTION PURE, Light Symphony and Kevel (Divadlo Ponec, Audience Award at Czech Dance Platform in 2007), Camoufl•AGE (a multiart project – Czech National Ballet,Prague, Divadelní noviny and Sazka Award for the best choreography of the 2008–09 theatre season), choreographies for Dvořák’s opera Rusalka and Martinů’s The Miracles of Mary, the operas Parsifal, Gloriana (for the National Theatre Opera in Prague), Doteky snáře (Prague Chamber Ballet).
He teaches modern dance technique, improvisation and composition at several dance schools abroad (Hochschule für Tanz Frankfurt am Main, Institut del Teatro Barcelona, Ballet Academy Stockholm, Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance Munich, Nordance Dance Company in Sweden, DV8 in London, Carte Blanche in Norway), as well as in dance groups and theatres in Germany, Sweden, France, Portugal and Switzerland. He has taught at a number of international workshops and is co-founder and artistic director of the International Contemporary Dance Workshop Prague (ICDW).
He has collaborated with the Dance Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Prague Dance Conservatory, Dance Centre Prague, and worked as ballet master of the Czech National Ballet in Prague.