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
V roce 1994 absolvovala Taneční konzervatoř v Praze. Po jedné sezóně v Hudebním divadle v Karlíně nastoupila do souboru baletu Divadla J. K. Tyla v Plzni. Od roku 1999 pracuje jako nezávislá tanečnice, choreografka a režisérka. Absolvovala řadu turné v zahraničí (Evropa, Japonsko, Jižní Amerika). Jako choreografka, tanečnice a režisérka spolupracuje s mnoha divadly v Čechách i zahraničí. Připravuje choreografie pro opery, muzikály, festivaly, vernisáže. Vytváří celovečerní balety na vlastní libreta (Maryša, Café Aussig, Periferie, Jessie a Morgiana, Louskáček, Krvavá svatba, Gustav Klimt, Popelka, Svěcení jara, Zkrocení zlé ženy, (S)tvoření, Bouře…). Režíruje opery (Carmen, Don Pasquale, Trubadúr…). Je zakladatelkou nezávislého sdružení profesionálních tanečníků s názvem Ultra-Minimal-Ballet (UMB), se kterým nastudovala například taneční divadla: 5 m² – hudba: P. Wajsar, Jessie a Morgiana – hudba: G. Vermelho, Děvčátko se sirkami – hudba: G. Vermelho a další. V letech 2010 až 2019 působila jako choreografka a šéfka baletu DFXŠ v Liberci. Dvakrát se ocitla v širší nominaci na cenu Thálie. Mezi její nejvýznamnější role patří: Dáma s kaméliemi – titulní role, Marná opatrnost – Lisetta, Carmina Burana – Rebecca, Jessie a Morgiana – Morgiana, Sen noci svatojánské – Titánie, Kouzelná flétna – Pamina… Její balet Zkrocení zlé ženy byl v roce 2019 oceněn Asociací baletních umělců cenou pro nejlepší baletní inscenaci. Za interpretaci rolí v jejích baletech a tanečních divadlech bylo mnoho tanečníků oceněno nominací na cenu Thálie či přímo touto cenou, ale i dalšími cenami.
Choreography · direction · dance theatre · physical theatre · site-specific · performance · workshops · events