KoresponDance 2024

KoresponDance Festival of Contemporary Movement Art will be presented not only in Prague and Žďár nad Sázavou, but also for the first time in Nové Město na Moravě

The international festival of contemporary dance, movement theatre and new circus KoresponDance will take place for the twelfth time. The main festival programme will traditionally take place in the town and castle of Žďár nad Sázavou, from 11 to 14 July 2024. The largest site-specific festival of contemporary movement art will present artists from the Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Austria, Spain, Slovakia and even Canada. Visitors will experience a creative geyser of new circus, dance and movement energy on all festival stages.

This year's festival has invited artists and ensembles who will fully demonstrate the interdisciplinarity of their artistic work. This year, visitors will experience not only theatre, new circus, dance, but also film and visual installations. The KoresponDance festival prides itself on being open to a wide range of audiences. It does not look at different generations, interests or social backgrounds. Families with children, Generation Z, mature 50-somethings and seniors can all enjoy the arts. But even the more experienced audience or the professional theatre and dance community will not be disappointed. In short, it is accessible to all who are open to cultural experiences and learning about specific places where a visitor would not primarily expect performance art. For example, at a cable factory.

"For the second time, we have teamed up with the Prague cable factory PRAKAB and placed the individual perfomances in an industrial setting. Connecting the different environments and the added value of the individual works is the fact that PRAKAB employees are involved. We very much appreciate the cooperation we have managed to create and maintain, after all, artists are not to be seen in the factory every day," says Marie Kinsky, the festival director, describing the Prague day. It will take place at PRAKAB on 20 June in the afternoon and evening. The programme at the Prague cable factory attracts choreographer and performer Katia Marie Germain from Montréal, Canada, and the French group Alta Gama, whose performances address the relationship with one's own body. On this journey of self-discovery, an important tool will be not only man himself, but also the greatest invention of all time - the bicycle. Performers and choreographers Viktor Černický and Agáta Jarošová will prepare a performance tailored to the PRAKAB space. The youngest ones will also present their movement art - children involved in the School of Dance project.

A day earlier, on 19 June, the festival will be presented for the first time in Nové Město na Moravě, where the organisers have established cooperation with the Horácká Gallery. In the afternoon and evening hours, the audience can enjoy performances of Slovak artist, dancer and choreographer Sonia Ferienčíková and Swiss artist and acrobat Stéphanie NDuhirahe, who will adapt their works to the specific space of the gallery. Both shows work with the space quite differently, but they are connected by one common element, which is the rope. Stéphanie, in her performance Srama/La Débattue, explores the history of the site, into which her personal story and that of her family are interwoven. In her project IHOPEIWILL, Soňa Ferienčíková combines physical performance, sound design and visual installation.

Since its beginning, KoresponDance has been connecting artists from all over the world, not only with Prague, but especially with the Vysočina region. On selected projects, it regularly collaborates with local communities, residents of Žďár, but also the entire Vysočina region, young people, schools and children. The development of the region is one of the priorities of the festival. Its core belongs to the castle and the town of Žďár nad Sázavou. This year, visitors can look forward to internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles from all over Europe.

Leading French dancer and choreographer Leïla Ka, Slovakian new circus performer Roman Škadra, and the French multidisciplinary collective Groupe ZUR will bring a captivating audiovisual show to the castle and its surroundings. The beauty of the new circus will be shown by the Portuguese creator and performer Joao Paulo Santos, Spanish temperament will seep into the streets of Žďár thanks to the group HURyCAN. A world and personal premiere will be the multidisciplinary production Panta Rhei directed by Martin Říčan, who has invited young theatre artists, filmmakers and dancers to collaborate with him. The programme will also include the traditional KoresponDance Battle, which will take place in collaboration with the top Czech dancer, artist and actor, Kristián Mensa, also known as Mr. Kriss.

In addition to workshops and discussions between the artists and the audience or music shows, the main programme will also be complemented by traditional children's performances of the School of Dance and Creative Camp projects for children and adults.