TANEC PRAHA Festival 2021 | 27 May - 26 September 2021

Within reach of the world’s star!

After two years, the TANEC PRAHA Festival is finally international again in 2021. It was a magnificent comeback, much appreciated by the audience. Three “male graces” full of lightness, self-irony and contrasts of our reality delighted spectators in the performance of GRACES at the very beginning of the festival in Prague and three other Czech cities. HARLEKING, also an Italian performance, toured as well. Then came the highlight of the June program: an extraordinary new piece by the icon of Greek but also European dance – Dimitris Papaioannou. The imagination of an originally visual artist, combined with the courage to take risks and go his own way gave rise to passionate reactions. The New Stage was “upside down” throughout the whole week. However, Transverse Orientation went down in history.

Though one could say that the “Covid times” have not been kind to participative production, in reality it’s the exact opposite. Both local and international artists have engaged the public into their creative process and performances. There has been a wide range of projects of this kind. Hungarian artists (Nibiru III - LOUD RING) as well as tyhle / Marie Gourdain & coll. (ICARUS) got teenagers involved. Viktor Černický and Tereza Ondrová work with the public, each in their original way, both engaged in activities supported by Creative Europe (Viktor – Be SpectACTive!, Tereza – Dancing Museums).

Also, POCKETART / Johana Pocková & Sabina Bočková, successful in the first round of the Big Pulse Dance Alliance Open Call, responded to open-air and site-specific projects in high demand. Moreover, the open-air version of their performance The Lion’s Den was created both by professionals and amateurs.

Site-specific projects are very popular. For this reason, the last June weekend and the second week in September were devoted to the ŽIŽKOV IN MOTION project, exploring in more depth the roots of Dolní Žižkov’s genius loci at four locations.

Open-air versions of performances of our local artists as well as performances in theatres have been presented in 21 other cities and towns throughout the Czech Republic. Regional demand for dance has not decreased.

The second part of the festival in September culminates in the capital with another world-renowned name – William Forsythe and his A Quiet Evening of Dance, bringing to an end this unusual combination of constantly postponed dates of international artists with big opportunities for Czech creators.

Program of the festival in September in Prague HERE. 
Program of the festival in June in Prague HERE. 
Program of the festival in regions HERE.
Final report HERE.