New Europe Festival 2009 and Jarmila Jeřábková Award

From 3 to 7 December 2009 at Duncan Centre Conservatory the 11th year of the international choreographic competition of original dance works Jarmila Jeřábková Award and the New Europe Festival were held.

The pieces by all finalists are accessible to the public. The Award goes to young artists up to the age of thirty-five who come from „New“ i.e. Central and Eastern Europe. It is meant to support the development of modern dance identity. The contestants enter two pieces – a free work and a choreography to the music of a contemporary Czech composer. It is the speciality of the event that it supports Czech contemporary music. The competition was founded by the important figure of Czech dance, Mrs Eva Blažíčková. She is the one to select the composer of the year. In 2009 it was Martin Smolka.

Young artists from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey took part in the finale of this year’s competition. The international jury consisting of Nina Vangeli (chairperson), Eva Blažíčková, John Ashford (GB), Michel Vincenot (F) and Toméo Verges (Sp) did not award the third prize. Both the first and second prize go to Hungary. The first prize was awarded to Zoltán Grecsó, for his duet Conversation Full of Salt to the first movement of Smolka´s Oh, my Admired C Minor and his free solo choreography called Bachelor Day. The jury admired the connection with the music and the ability to transform its dynamic incitements to physical tectonics in a sensitive duo work. It also appreciated the mature and exact dance expression in the solo piece, as well as its humour and communicativeness.

The second prize was awarded to Ágnes Fülöp for Instant to Smolka´s Zvonění and for the free choreography Angelwing…that was. The jury valued the original reaction of the author to music, which she metaphorically expressed by drawing ornaments in sand or threw it in the air, and these movements corresponded with the second dancer on stage. The solo featured a clear and fragile dance movements expressing the nostalgia for the lost angel wings. All four pieces were performed during the closing gala evening. Along with the tradition of the competition, the evening also featured the concert of compositions by Martin Smolka.

At the end of the festival the composer of the following year Jiří Teml was announced. The following year of the New Europe Festival and Jarmila Jeřábková Award will take place from 25 to 29 November 2010.

About The Festival

The competition, founded in 1999 by Eva Blažíčková, is organized by the Jarmila Jeřábková Award Association and Duncan Centre Conservatory, Prague. It is aimed at contemporary dance and dance theatre choreographers up to the age of 35 coming from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The opening year was designed for Czech and Slovak artists with more countries attending every following year. In 2000 Hungary joined in, in 2001 Poland, in 2002 Slovenia, the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) took part in the event in 2003, in 2004 Bulgaria and in 2005 Rumania. In 2005 the sixth year of the competition fulfilled the idea of a competition for the „New“ Europe. Choreographers and dancers from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Armenia, Rumania and Turkey. In 2007 competitors came from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Cyprus, Greece and Rumania.

Since 2007 the Jarmila Jeřábková Award has been extended with the New Europe Festival, which presents performances of the best works from „New Europe“.

By adding the festival to the competition the quality of competing pieces has grown because they are subject to pre-selection. The selected pieces are performed with full lights and stage design. In the 2007 it was one of the most successful years and it fulfilled the founder’s idea of provoking young choreographers from „New Europe“.

The Philosophy And Aim Of The Project

The idea of restricting the compulsory part to Czech contemporary music of the second half of the 20th century is an inspiring impulse for choreographers as well as the composers themselves. This assignment enables the jury to assess the choreographers´ ability to face difficult contemporary music. As an important phenomenon of popularization of contemporary Czech music abroad Jarmila Jeřábková Award is highly valued by specialists. In the past years choreographies made to the music by Bohuslav Martinů, Miloslav Kabeláč, Petr Eben, Otmar Mácha, Marek Kopelent, Jan Hanuš, Sylvie Bodorová, Jan Novák and Luboš Fišer caught the attention of both the international jury and the public with inventiveness and a high level of the choreographers´ musicality. The system of prizes is a good opportunity and impulse for talented young choreographers to work on new projects which are then shown for the first time the following year.

The choreographic competition Jarmila Jeřábková Award has been becoming a natural Central European exchange of artistic experiences and creative ideas of young choreographers and dancers from the field of contemporary dance and dance theatre and is an inspiration not only to them but also to the public.

The New Europe Festival offers the public an opportunity of learning about the artistic trends in Eastern Europe and it offers the artists a possibility of prestigious performance in front of Prague audiences

PROGRAMME OF NEW EUROPE FESTIVAL 2009