“I do not think we all understand what is happening now with cultural dance and performances,” Brankiewicz said on the phone. It is early afternoon, and the former ballet dancer is far from his base in Prague, visiting friends at his old home in Düsseldorf.
Brankiewicz, 45, has spent most of his career in Germany as a soloist at the Stuttgart Ballet, and returning to visit is a great pleasure. “I can not express how wonderful it is that you in Israel are fighting for us to come, and how important it is that the world opens up on stage and that companies abroad take the stage again. It is a great privilege to be invited and to see theaters reopen. “
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“We will perform 6 Tanzas, Gods and Dogs, Bella Figora and Petit Mort,” Brankiewicz said. “I feel very connected to Killian’s work because I was a dancer in Stuttgart for my entire career. I was there from 1996 to 2014, and we had sections of Killian in the repertoire. Some people would say Killian’s work is abstract and has no story, but I find it expresses life and death. .
The Czech flag is seen waving. (Credit: PIXABAY)
In 2014, when Brankiewicz stopped dancing, he turned his attention to the needs of the wider dance community. Since capturing the reins of the Czech National Ballet in 2017, he has done so on a mission to ensure that the band’s repertoire is relevant, enriching, fascinating and challenging for both dancers and audience members.
“I’m not a choreographer myself so I can choose a repertoire that is not mine,” he says. “The company is now in its 139th season and we are playing on three stages in Prague alone. I see my artistic vision and my goal is to promote the company with the heritage. Our base is a classical repertoire and has expanded our repertoire everywhere.”
Along with works examined in time by world-renowned choreographers like Killian, Brankiewicz incorporates new and more contemporary voices into the repertoire, even when it means slightly fewer full houses. An up-to-date program featuring works by William Forsyth Wayne McGregor has garnered less enthusiasm than the Nutcracker performance, however Brankiewicz understands that these ups and downs are part of the company’s audience’s interest package.
In the coming season, he will host a new work by Sharon Eyal and Guy Behar. “I’m very happy about this program,” Brankiewicz says. “These are two voices that have not been heard in Prague, and this will be a wonderful opportunity for us.”
