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.
Productions to premiere in the 2024/25 season
- The Sun, the Moon and the Wind – a new ballet by Viktor Konvalinka (world premiere)
- Scheherazade – a new ballet by Mauro Bigonzetti, inspired by the folktales of One Thousand and One Nights, an adaptation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic suite (world premiere)
- Manon – an iconic feature-length story ballet by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, based on Antoine François Prévost’s novel (Czech premiere)
- Sarcasms – a mixed bill comprising three contemporary pieces: Hans van Manen’s Sarcasmen, and new works by Andrey Kaydanovskiy and Eyal Dadon (world premieres)
- More information
The 2024/25 season’s repertoire encompasses the following productions
Swan Lake (choreographed by John Cranko), The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol (choreographed by Youri Vàmos), Cinderella (choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot), Coppélia (choreographed by Ronald Hynd), Romeo and Juliet (choreographed by John Cranko), Beyond Vibrations (choreographed by Krzysztof Pastor, Hans van Manen, Marco Goecke), bpm (choreographed by Eyal Dadon, Yemi A.D., Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar), Kafka: The Trial (choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti), A Streetcar Named Desire (choreographed by John Neumeier) and La Sylphide (choreographed by Johan Kobborg, on tour).