About the Beginnings of Ballet Prague for the Theatre Society

On 27 February, our coordinator Lucie Kocourková participated as the first lecturer at this year’s new series of lectures organised by the Theatrical Society. Her introductory paper focused on the beginnings of the Czechoslovak new wave in choreography and the environment in which the Ballet Prague was established. Given its topic, the lecture also fits in the celebrations commemorating te 60th anniversary of Ballet Prague. The attendants learned about the complex background that gave rise to the phenomenon of theatres of minor forms, among which Ballet Prague surely ranks. Kocourková also explained the distinctive features of Pavel Šmok’s and Luboš Ogoun’s style, as well as their outstanding choreographic milestones, such as The Miraculous Mandarin and Intimate Letters, choreographed by Ogoun and Šmok, respectively. We hope that this was not the last discussion and that we will have the opportunity to participate at the subsequent series.

(photo from the Theatrical Society archive)