Jan Klár, Former Soloist of the Prague Chamber Ballet, Has Died

On Saturday 28th December, Jan Klár, dancer and one of the first members of the Prague Chamber Ballet, died at the age of almost 80 years.
He was born in Prague on 18 January 1945. He graduated from the Prague Dance Conservatory in 1965 and later studied choreography at the Dance Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (1985). Klár started his dancing career in the Czechoslovak Song and Dance Ensemble (1965-67) and completed his compulsory military service at the Vít Nejedlý Army Art Ensemble (1967-69).
He joined Ballet Prague in 1969, when Pavel Šmok was about to leave for Basel with part of the ensemble to take on the position of the director of Ballett Basel ballet. Jan Klár spent one season in Basel. Afterwards, he returned to the Vít Nejedlý Army Art Ensemble (for the season1971/1972), briefly performed at the National Theatre Ballet (1972-76) and then became a member of Šmok’s Prague Chamber Ballet (PKB) in 1976-87. His work dancing art is thus relevant for the second era of Pavel Šmok’s career after his return from Basel.
Klár was a popular dancer featuring a natural expression; solo parts awaited him especially at the Prague Chamber Orchestra, in choreographies by P. Šmok and others. He danced the parts of Ostap in Taras Bulba (1972), The Man in Intimate Letters (renewed premiere in 1976, PKB), The Novice in The Stand-in (PKB 1977), The Pilot in Hiroshima (PKB 1978), Silly Jack in the TV adaptation of The Silly Jack Stories (1979), Jester in The Puppeteer (Magdeburg 1980) and, most notably, as the main character in the choreography From My Life (PKB 1983). Klár also choreographed two short pieces at PKB: Toro (PKB 1981) and Swimming Girl (PKB 1986). He collaborated on drama productions at the National Theatre, e.g. W. Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, A. Strindberg’s Miss Julie, V. K. Klicpera’s Mean Deer, or G. Verdi’s The Force of Destiny. Later he was involved as a choreographer in a number of drama productions in regional theatres (Kladno, Most, Jihlava, Pardubice, Cheb, etc.)

We greatly appreciate his artistic and human contribution to the history of dance and the Prague Chamber Ballet.
May his memory be held in honour.