Ballet has been an integral part of the cultural scene of Brno for the past 100 years. Photo credit: Filmondo / Courtesy of NdB.
Brno, Jan 10 (BD) – A century ago, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure on earth, movies were silent, women couldn’t vote and Model T cars were the hot consumer items. The center of Europe was still recovering from the horrors of World War I.
Yet, 1919 was also the year that our city was graced by an element of culture that has proven to have a lot of staying power: Brno officially entered the world of ballet.
This year, Ballet of the National Theater Brno will celebrate its centennial this year. The big birthday celebration will be in Janáček Theater on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Big-name dancers from the most important European ballet ensembles will add an extraordinary amount of star power to the program.
Click here to see for yourself.
The local stars will have pride of place for the centennial celebration, including:
The celebration will pay tribute to the generations of artists and creators who were associated with the Brno ensemble and who created the rich and glorious tradition that continues today, despite all of the other changes in the world. In only the past few years, Brno has staged famous ballets like La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and, of course and the eternal Nutcracker. Importantly, it was the ensemble that premiered Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet in 1938.
- Ivona Jeličová, the first soloist of the Ballet of the National Theater Brno;
- Klaudia Radačovská, the first soloist of the Ballet of the National Theater Brno;
- Emilia Vuorio, a soloist of the Ballet of the National Theater Brno;
- Arthur Abram, a soloist of the Ballet of the National Theater Brno; and
- The entire Ballet NdB Company.
The list of confirmed participants includes many international stars from influential ballet companies, including:
- Oxana Skorik, the principal dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre Saint Petersburg;
- Philipp Stepin, the first soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Saint Petersburg;
- Diana Kosyreva, the soloist of the Hungarian National Ballet Budapest;
- Igor Tsvirko, the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow;
- Natascha Mair, the first soloist of the Vienna State Ballet;
- Davide Dato, the first soloist of the Vienna State Ballet;
- Anna Tsygankova, a principal dancer of the Dutch National Ballet Amsterodam;
- Constantine Allen, a principal dancer of the Dutch National Ballet Amsterodam;
- Lucia Lacarra, a former principal dancer Bayerisches Staatsballett Munich;
- Matthew Golding, a former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet London;
- Sarah Lamb, a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet London;
- Cesar Corrales, the first soloist of the Royal Ballet London;
- Alina Nanu, the first soloist of the Czech National Ballet;
- Adam Zvonař, the first soloist of the Czech National Ballet; and
- Several soloists of the Slovak National Theater in Bratislava will also perform.
* * *
One hundred years is a long time and a lot has changed. The Burj Khaifa (828 meters tall) in Dubai is more than two and a half times taller than the Eiffel Tower (300 m), movies are streamed through mobile phones, Slovakia has a female president and cars are now electric cars and self-driving. Maybe most surprising of all, there has not been a major war in Europe for more than 75 years.
Yet, through it all, ballet has survived and thrived in Brno.
Scattered tickets are still available for the gala celebration. Click here for more information.
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