National Moravian-Silesian Theatre: Hora

About

Ohad Naharin, a leading world choreographer and author of the dance production Hora, shakes deep-routed ideas and goes above and beyond the already seen through dance, music, and movement phantasy. Eleven dancers enter a unichromatic space in fluorescent green, traditionally perceived as the symbol of balance. However, underscored with the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack, it can even evoke the images of extraterrestrials. It is precisely the unexpected combinations that make Hora an outstanding work of contemporary dance theatre. Indeed, the very word “hora” has several different meanings: a mountain in Czech; a folk dance in the Balkans, or a unit of time - an hour [ora] - in Spanish. The artists meet the audience at an astounding “playfield” that bursts with energy and quivers in the tiniest details. The dynamic world of amazing opposites that clash and produce marvellous magic is bolstered with Debussy’s and Strauss’ compositions in new arrangements. These unexpected connotations captivate the audience’s attention and instigate their imagination. 

Ohad Naharin is the artistic director and in-house choreographer of the Israeli Batsheva Dance Company, where he has been engaged for over thirty years.

Excerpts from reviews:

“But where lies the haunting beauty of this production? It might indeed stem from the constant balancing between ugliness (or dreadfulness) and beauty, and the challenging of our ideals of beauty. Or maybe it is the contrast between the utmost demands that the choreography places on dancers and the realisation that they spring entirely from the authentic, elemental and unrestrained joy of dancing.”
Tereza Cigánková, Ostravan.cz

“While all the components of the production fit together as ingenious puzzle, the dancers are undoubtedly the focal point of the stage action. Naharin requires absolute commitment and total physical and mental involvement from the dancers. They must show refined technique, plasticity, explosiveness, and absolute concentration. Dancing in Naharin’s choreographies is challenging, touching on the limits of human capabilities.”
Ivana Kloubková, Opera plus

Czech premiere: 16 March 2023 at 6.30 pm, Jiří Myron Theatre
World premiere: 18 May 2009 – Jerusalem Theatre, Israel
Co-production: Montpellier Danse 2010 and Lincoln Center Festival, New York

Cast

Natalia Adamska
Ida Frau
Laura Moreno Gasulla
Yu Matsumoto
Rita Pires
Shino Sakurado

Alessio Corallo
Simone Giroletti
Gene David Goodman
Barnaby James Packham
Patryk Zamojski

Creative team

Choreography: Ohad Naharin
Light design: Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi)
Set design: Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi)
Music arrangement: Isao Tomita
Sound design: Maxim Waratt
Costume design: Eri Nakamura
Bench design: Amir Raveh
Staging: Matan David, Hani Sirkis
Répétiteur: Nataša Novotná