choreographer · director · dancer
Alena Pešková is a choreographer and director who is equally at home working on the scale of a large ballet company as she is in the intimate setting of physical and alternative theatre.
In her work, she combines dance, physical theatre, directing, music and visual theatre. She is particularly interested in people in extreme situations, powerful stories and moments when the body can say more than words.
Her work ranges from major literary and dramatic works, through classical and contemporary ballet, to original documentary, site-specific and immersive projects.
«„He has no trouble telling even the most complexly constructed stories; he is able to draw on the dancers“ individuality; he enjoys combining a wide variety of temporal and stylistic levels; and he makes use of a broad range of theatrical techniques.”»
Roman Vašek, Dance News»
The Main Stage and Physical Theatre
Between 2010 and 2019, she was the choreographer and artistic director of the ballet company at the F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec. There, she created a number of full-length productions and worked with a professional ballet company.
As an independent choreographer and director, she has collaborated with a number of Czech and international theatres and companies. She has created more than twenty full-length dance productions and also works in opera, musicals and other forms of musical and movement theatre.
Her production of *The Taming of the Shrew* for the Pilsen Ballet was hailed as a „dance triumph“ and, according to a review in *ČT art*, was „quite possibly the DJKT’s best ballet performance in recent years“.
«„In my opinion, “(Im)possibility’ is one of her most successful dance productions.”»
Dance News»
From ballet to physical theatre
As well as working with large ensembles, she is the founder and artistic director of the independent company Ultra-minimal-ballet (UMB).
UMB enables her to work with a small number of performers, in unconventional venues, and with a strong emphasis on physical acting.
His most recent original projects are *Vlasta* and *The Cremator*.
Vlasta is a dance-drama inspired by the true story of a woman who survived a concentration camp. It combines physical theatre, dance, documentary footage and video projections.
«„The production *Vlasta* remains true to Alena Pešková’s artistic journey to date… characterised by a desire to take risks, to seek and to discover.“»
Roman Vašek, Dance News»
*The Cremator*, created for the South Bohemian Theatre Ballet, is, by contrast, a large-scale immersive production created specifically for a particular architectural space. Set within the premises of a former brewery in Český Krumlov, it blends dance, physical theatre, music, set design and audience interaction.
The audience become part of a performative walk, during which they move freely through the narrative and repeatedly traverse the entire building.
«„Pešková succeeds in conveying the atmosphere of the original work in all its nuances – the horror elements as well as the absurd, grotesque and mystical aspects.“»
Roman Vašek, Dance News»
And to conclude the review:
«„Alena Pešková did a brilliant job of making the most of the gallery space there and translating all the layers of the original work into a theatrical form.“»
Roman Vašek, Dance News»
It is precisely her engagement with specific spaces and audiences that is becoming increasingly important to her current work.
The body as a narrator
Pešková has long been interested in the possibility of telling a story through the body.
Her work is characterised by its distinctive dramaturgy, the dancers’ acting skills and the interweaving of various theatrical techniques.
«„Alena Pešková is an experienced choreographer and a talented director.“»
Dance News»
«„All of this is the result of the meticulous work and creative talent of the choreographer Alena Pešková.“»
Dance News»
Teaching and lecturing
Alena Pešková runs workshops for dancers, students and other performers. In her teaching, she combines movement technique with acting and emotional work.
Her workshop, ‘Emotions in the Body – The Body in Emotion’, explores how emotions transform dynamics, the quality of movement, the perception of time and the way we work with music.
She also draws on her teaching experience when working with professional companies and when creating roles, in which she considers a dancer’s technical preparation to be just as important as their ability to act, express emotions and tell a story through their body.
Choreography for other formats
As well as theatre productions, she also creates choreography and movement concepts for opera, musicals, concerts, festivals, exhibition openings, audiovisual projects, and social or corporate events.
Choreographies can thus be created not only for the traditional stage, but also specifically for a particular space, exhibition, musical event or social context.
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Selected projects
The Cremator · Vlasta · The Taming of the Shrew · Tristan and Isolde · The Cross by the Stream · The Periphery · Maryša · The Nutcracker · The Farm Girl · The Tempest · The Rite of Spring · Blood Wedding · Café Aussig · Jessie and Morgiana · Snow White · (Cre)ation · (Im)possibility · Gustav Klimt
She has won awards for her work, which has been staged both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The dancers who have performed roles in her projects have repeatedly been recognised with nominations for the Thálie Award, or have won the award itself.
CV
In 1994, she graduated from the Prague Dance Conservatoire. After one season at the Karlín Music Theatre, she joined the ballet company of the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň. Since 1999, she has been working as a freelance dancer, choreographer and director. She has undertaken numerous tours abroad (Europe, Japan, South America). As a choreographer, dancer and director, she collaborates with many theatres in the Czech Republic and abroad. She creates choreography for operas, musicals, festivals and exhibition openings. She creates full-length ballets based on her own librettos (Maryša, Café Aussig, Periferie, Jessie and Morgiana, The Nutcracker, Blood Wedding, Gustav Klimt, Cinderella, The Rite of Spring, The Taming of the Shrew, (S)tvoření, The Tempest…). She directs operas (Carmen, Don Pasquale, Il Trovatore…). She is the founder of an independent association of professional dancers called Ultra-Minimal-Ballet (UMB), with which she has staged dance theatre productions such as: 5 m² – music: P. Wajsar, Jessie and Morgiana – music by G. Vermelho, The Little Match Girl – music by G. Vermelho, and others. From 2010 to 2019, she served as choreographer and head of the ballet at the DFXŠ in Liberec. She was shortlisted twice for the Thálie Award. Her most notable roles include: *The Lady of the Camellias* – the title role, *Coriolanus* – Lisetta, *Carmina Burana* – Rebecca, *Jessie and Morgiana* – Morgiana, *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* – Titania, *The Magic Flute* – Pamina… Her ballet *The Taming of the Shrew* was awarded the prize for best ballet production by the Association of Ballet Artists in 2019. Many dancers have been recognised for their performances in her ballets and dance theatre productions with nominations for the Thalia Award or the award itself, as well as other prizes.
Choreography · direction · dance theatre · physical theatre · site-specific · performance · workshops · events