11 June 2026 Luk\u00e1\u0161 Slavick\u00fd \u2013 Head of Ballet at the South Bohemian Theatre<\/p>\n
Dear Alenka, why did you decide to stage *The Cremators* \u2013 something you\u2019d wanted to do for a long time?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I must admit that *The Incinerators* has been on my mind for a very long time. I think it must be at least 15 years. I once met Libor Vacul\u00edk \u2013 a renowned choreographer who, I believe, is also familiar to audiences in \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice \u2013 at the premiere of a ballet in Plze\u0148. I told him about my plan to stage *The Incinerators*, but he wasn\u2019t particularly enthusiastic \u2013 he\u2019d had the same idea. Then, however, he smiled and told me to keep it to myself, saying that he would \u201edo\u201c *The Shop on Main Street*. Nothing happened for a long time after that; whenever I pitched *The Incinerator*, all the artistic directors or programme curators were a bit put off by the subject matter and steered the conversation towards another production. Do you remember? You also suggested *The Nutcracker* to me back then :) That didn\u2019t come to fruition, and so your offer for *South Specific* came along. Now, actually, I\u2019m really glad that *The Incinerator* waited for this format \u2013 that is, an immersive, site-specific, performative walk.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\u00a0The novella was written by Ladislav Fuks in 1967, and Juraj Herz\u2019s cult film was made a year later. To what extent do you draw on both versions, and in what ways does your adaptation differ, if at all?<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nIt is important to point out that our production is not an adaptation of either the novella or the film. It is written and staged based on themes from the novella. This is dance theatre \u2013 a predominantly non-verbal form \u2013 and in this context, simplification is necessary. We reduce both the plot and the characters, but in doing so we strive all the more to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere and emotions. I think that generally speaking \u2013 although exceptions prove the rule \u2013 dance theatre, unlike spoken theatre, which is dominated by the spoken word, is more about impressions than concepts. I would like \u2013 though I suspect this wish is not easy to fulfil \u2013 for the audience to try to switch off their analytical minds, forget about the film and the book, and simply try to experience the moment and the atmosphere. But yes, *The Incinerator* is *The Incinerator*. All the scenes more or less follow the plot of the book.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\u00a0The production is having its world premiere, and it\u2019s also an immersive, site-specific piece. What does that mean to you as a creator, and what was the biggest challenge?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nI must admit that I do have experience with site-specific work, but not with immersion or performative walks. It\u2019s certainly different, but I always try to approach each new premiere with a fresh perspective; I\u2019d hate to ever fall into the trap of thinking I already know how \u201eit\u201c\u2019s done. However, in this case, what\u2019s new is the need to get a detailed sense of the audience member. How will they react? When will they want to get involved in the piece, and when will it feel uncomfortable for them? What will catch their attention? When is it fine for them to miss part of the action, because it\u2019s all about the atmosphere, and when should they really see what happened? How long will the transition from point A to point B take? And how much music do we need in each scene? This was probably the biggest challenge for me.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\u00a0Was the original music for the production composed by the renowned composer Gabriela Vermelho? What was it like working with Gabriela, and what do you find beneficial about having new music composed specifically for a production?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nIf my maths is correct, this is now our ninth collaboration with Gabriela on a full-length dance theatre production. We\u2019ve had a break of about seven years, but I\u2019m glad we\u2019ve come together again on *The Incinerator*. Gabriela is a multi-genre performer and creator. She has no trouble composing and performing anything from a dark contemporary duet incorporating electronic elements to quasi-traditional Jewish liturgical chants, or putting her own unique spin on classic Czech Christmas carols. And that\u2019s what I think is brilliant, and what suits our production perfectly. You certainly can\u2019t expect the orchestral and choral music with post-Romantic and surrealist elements that Zden\u011bk Li\u0161ka composed for the film. Here, a completely different genre is heard in every setting. In the Casino scene, it\u2019s even a thoroughly contemporary \u201etucka\u201c. What links most of the scenes is a certain electronic, ambient haze and Gabriela\u2019s unmistakable voice.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u00a0When you\u2019re creating a new dance piece, how long do you need to prepare, and where do you draw inspiration from when developing the movement vocabulary?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\nI usually tailor my movement vocabulary entirely to the chosen form and theme. I also perceive *Spalova\u010de* as a dark farce, a series of panoptic scenes and a horror film with elements of minimalism. So there are often movements that seem to be frozen in time, getting stuck in certain poses, slow motion \u2013 that is, a slowing down \u2013 and other elements that can help me express the above, but just like the music, the choreography is also very eclectic. When it comes to a specific choreography \u2013 that is, once I know what form and theme I\u2019m working with \u2013 my greatest inspiration is probably the music itself, followed by my own body and how it grapples with the emotion it is meant to express, as well as, increasingly, the dancers I work with and new trends on the contemporary dance scene.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\u00a0What would you like the audience to take away from this performance, and in what way is this story perhaps \u2013 or indeed still \u2013 relevant today?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
\nWell, I actually really enjoy updating older titles. And that\u2019s because I want to highlight, in a way, that not much really changes in the human world \u2013 apart from the external backdrop. Do we think humanity is evolving in some way? That it\u2019s more advanced? Wiser? Do we judge this by the technologies we control? Does that make us better? Do we think certain things can no longer happen, that we\u2019ve learnt our lesson from the past?
\nThey will, because the past is our future. Because, just as the Sages of old did, so too do scientists today confirm that time and space are illusions within which we live. Until we step out of this Matrix, everything will keep repeating itself \u2013 yes, in different settings; yes, with the illusion that humanity is progressing; yes, with the illusion of evolution. It is not evolution; it is merely ups and downs. Jeffrey Epstein \u2013 one might think that affair took place sometime just before the fall of Rome. But no. Apparently, a person has around 60,000 thoughts a day, and about 90% of them are the same as the day before. We\u2019re programmed; nothing new awaits us, everything has already happened. And so \u2013 until we step out of the programme and take responsibility, Mr Kopfrkingl (The Incinerator) will continue to walk amongst us.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"