Avant-Garde: Cutting Edge

About

The production is made up of three works by contemporary creators, two of which will receive their world premieres. 

The first has been conceived by Robert Bondara, a Polish choreographer, stage director and teacher, formerly a dancer with the Polish National Ballet and since 2018 director of the Poznan Grand Theatre Ballet.

The second is a work by the celebrated choreographer Jiří Kylián, whose ballets have been staged by all prestigious companies worldwide. Dating from 2002, 27’52” is dedicated to Gerald Tibbs, a former renowned Nederlands Dans Theater dancer, to whose date of birth (20 July 1952) the piece’s title and duration refer. Kylián said of the work: “Time, speed, love and constant changes. We may not realise it, but we do not only age on the day of our birth – every fragment of every second of our life is responsible for our getting old, and each and every moment of our life represents a change! I find the idea very comforting and liberating. We need not remain the same from our birth to our death. We are capable of changing ourselves. I know it is an essential part of many Eastern religious teachings, but I deem it truly exciting when we become aware of it.” 

The third work on the triple bill is by Marco Goecke, considered the most significant contemporary German dance creator. He has worked with a number of renowned companies, including as choreographer-in-residence at the Stuttgarter Ballett (2005/06 season) and the Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam (2006-2012), and as director of the Staatsballett Hannover (2019-2023). Since 2013, he has closely collaborated with the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague. In the 2023/24 season, the Czech National Ballet presented Goecke’s Fly Paper Bird within the triple bill Beyond Vibrations. 

Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke and Robert Bondara are among the crème de la crème of modern art, with their creations being extremely challenging in terms of technique and theatre alike.  

World premiere performances: 12 and 13 March 2026 at the National Theatre

Creatives

Robert Bondara: 4 Seasons

Choreography Robert Bondara

Music Max Richter (Nové Čtvero ročních dob přepracování Vivaldiho)

Sets Diana Marszałek

Costume design Martyna Kander

Light design Daniel Tesař

Projection and animation Jagoda Chalcińska

Ballet master Tereza Podařilová, Jiří Kodym

Music preparation, conductor Jaroslav Kyzlink

Jiří Kylián: 27’52”

Choreography Jiří Kylián

Assistant choreographer Urtzi Aranburu

Music Dirk Haubrich (skladba inspirovaná původní verzí Symfonie č. 10 Gustava Mahlera, 1910)

Sets Jiří Kylián

Costume design Joke Visser

Light design Kees Tjebbes

Technical supervisor (lights/set) Joost Biegelaar

Ballet master Alexey Afanasiev, Radek Vrátil

Marco Goecke: Lovebirds

Choreography Marco Goecke

Dramaturgy Nadja Kadel

Music Bohuslav Martinů: Dvojkoncert pro dva smyčcové orchestry, klavír a tympány, B. 271, James Brown: It´s A Man's Man's Man's World, Lost Someone

Sets and Costume design Michaela Springer

Light design Udo Haberland

Ballet master Miho Ogimoto

Music preparation, conductor Jaroslav Kyzlink

Cast

Robert Bondara: 4 Seasons

Danilo Lo Monaco, Natsuki Nishiyama, Giovanni Rotolo, Nana Nakagawa, Erivan Garioli, Nina Fernandes, Nelly Danko, Michaela Černá

Jiří Kylián: 27’52”

Red: Aya Watanabe, Giovanni Rotolo, Kristýna Němečková, Patrik Holeček

Purple: Nina Fernandes, Jonáš Dolník, Kazane Takaki, Matěj Šust

Yellow: Chihiro Sudo, Francesco Scarpato, Anna Novotná, Jakub Rašek

Marco Goecke: Lovebirds

Mathias Deneux, Elena Dombrowski, Erivan Garioli, Sami Gossart, Ryo Hinoue, Patrik Holeček, Federico Ievoli, Anna Inchausti, Paul Irmatov, Danilo Lo Monaco, Nana Nakagawa, Kristýna Němečková, Natsuki Nishiyama, Anna Novotná, Aya Okumura, Marco Piraino, Jakub Rašek, Ole Johannes Slåttebrekk

Voice: Veaceslav Burlac