Ultra-Minimal Ballet (UMB)
Vlasta is an original dance docudrama inspired by the true life story of a woman whose fate served as the starting point for an exploration of human memory, identity and the ability to come to terms with one’s own past. Documentary footage, contemporary dance, physical theatre and projections are woven together here to create a multi-layered theatrical image in which reality is not merely narrated, but relived.
The production was originally conceived as a site-specific project for the raw, unfinished space of Kino 64 U Hradeb in Prague, whose architecture became an integral part of the narrative. Alongside this original version, there is also an adaptation for a conventional theatre (proscenium) stage.
Three dancers, one actor and a video projection bring to life scenes from Vlasta’s extraordinary life. Vlasta, whose mother jumped out of a window; who was raped as a child; who was wrongly accused; who spent her youth in a concentration camp with Jesenská, Jabůrková and Jirsíková; who was rejected by her own father after the war; who fell in love, who went through a divorce, who also jumped out of windows, who guzzled diazepam, who became a terror to her neighbours, who heard ‘Jožin from the Marshes’ everywhere, everywhere…
It uses texts of contemporary official documents, real letters and a recording of an interview with the daughter of the title character. Time does not have to pass linearly here, „high“ and „low“ art are mixed. Situations can be viewed from different perspectives and can appear tragicomic.
For Vlasta, even for the observer, it is often not entirely clear whose mother, daughter, husband, son, father, tormentor... or who she is to herself.
The themes are very contemporary – indeed, timeless – although they are presented to us through the lens of the past, so that we might view things „from a different perspective“. This is the aim and intention – to allow the viewer to look at themselves „from a different perspective“. To offer an outside perspective and the tolerance that stems from it as a solution to one’s own and others’ suffering. And that is why we find no visual attributes of that particular era here. Everything is happening now… in many places in today’s world… still… unfortunately.
Creative team
Script, direction and choreography: Alena Pešková
Music: Michal Vejskal
Scene: Richard Pesek jr.
Costumes: Pavla Michálková
Dramaturgical cooperation: Barbora Truksová
Collaboration on searches: Vlasta Vindušková
Production: Martina Diblíková, David Pešek Dvořák
Cast
Vlasta (the younger): Kateřina Iliina
Vlasta (the elder): Alena Pešková
He (the younger one): Michal Kováč
He (the elder): Martin Němec
About the life of Vlasta
I learned about Vlasta's life from Vlasta. This second Vlasta was the daughter of the first Vlasta and my
assistant at the time when I was „head“ of the ballet in Liberec. The other Vlasta once apologized to me that
she was late because her mom died. „And you know what her last words were?...‘Put that yogurt away.
’Bloody hell“… ‘You know, she had a tough time of it.’ And so I listened…
Vlasta was born in 1925. She grew up as an only child. When Vlasta was a little girl, her
mom committed suicide by jumping out of the window - probably she couldn't handle her addiction to pralines - note
bene on alcohol - she worked in a Prague praline factory. From then on, Vlasta lived alone with her
by her daddy and she was learning to be a seamstress. One day Vlasta was met in the corridor by a neighbour - the owner of the house.
He liked Vlasta, liked her so much that he raped her in the corridor. Vlasta was fifteen and a half at the time.
The neighbor became afraid. He became afraid that Vlasta would talk about him to someone. He was so scared that he
decided to get rid of Vlasta. He put leaflets with communist texts in her briefcase and called the Gestapo. Gestapo
came, saw and took Vlasta away. Vlasta's father distanced himself from Vlasta's actions. Vlasta's daddy is no longer
he wanted nothing to do with Vlasta. Vlasta was taken to Pankrác. There Vlasta waited for her
for at least 16 years so they can take her somewhere else. Actually, Vlasta was looking forward to it. Things were bad at Pankrác - she was often beaten - so she was looking forward to wherever they would take her, it would be better. Vlasta was really taken away. The train
heading for Dresden, but he didn't stop there... he stopped in Ravensbrück. In the concentration camp.Rivers
Ravensbrück was not much better, but Vlasta was lucky, she could sew and so she could repair
the costumes of SS wives and to match the coats of prisoners, which might have hidden jewels or
money. It happened many times that Vlasta was „borrowed“ by an SS man during his work...
he zipped up the fly and sent her back to work. This is also where Vlasta met the famous 3 x J -
Jesenská, Jabůrková and Jirsíková. Two of them died in Ravensbrück, but Jirsíková survived.
When famine struck, relatives were able to send food parcels to the prisoners. And then it happened that a hidden
in bread, Mácha's May also arrived at the stages. So there was reciting, dancing, theatre...
Ravensbrück was liberated by the Russians, Vlasta remained for a long time. She had to take care of those who
couldn't walk or were dying. When Jirsíková said goodbye to her, she told Vlasta that when her daughter was born,
she can call her and she can make her daughter a ballerina. After Vlasta had taken care of the necessities, she set out
to look for Daddy. She found him in a cottage in Litnia. Papa had remarried and had more children. For
There was no room for Vlasta in the cottage... And so Vlasta wandered the countryside, repairing clothes in cottages
for a piece of bread or an egg... until she arrived in Prague. Here Vlasta applied to the committee for former
a prisoner and fell in love with it. He spent the war in Sachsenhausen for wanting to go to fight in Spain.
They got married and took a place in Liberec. They had a daughter together, then they divorced, but Vlasta found out that
is expecting Vlasta... and so the divorce sit worked. They both had tuberculosis, they both had pain, pain... Vlasta heard
Voices. Vlasta did not want to live and so - like her mother - she often jumped out of the window while her small children
crying and screaming behind locked doors. Little Vlasta didn't want the big
Vlasta called Jirsíková, even though she really wanted to be a ballerina. Vlasta had to take diazepam,
a lot of diazepam... and so when her husband died, or later one of her daughters, she just felt a strange
relief. Vlasta frightened the neighbours. Vlasta dismantled the gas stove because she could hear Jožin from the swamp in it.
Vlasta heard Jožin everywhere. Vlasta died when she was ninety years old. Her last words were: „The
Stick the yogurt up your ass already.“
V.V. + A. P.
64 U Hradeb
A unique multicultural venue in the basement in the centre of Prague.
The stage area is still partly undergoing alterations, and this „work in progress“ status is brilliant
It is in keeping with both the theme and the format of the Vlasta project.
The premiere took place on 12 October 2025
THE PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED
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