Ponec – Theatre for Dance welcomes its 26th season with a celebratory evening dedicated to contemporary dance, movement and coming together.

The programme features SINFONIETTA100, a contemporary music and dance adaptation created to mark the centenary of Leoš Janáček's iconic composition. Choreographer Martin Dvořák and musician Patrik Kee Kedzierski bring Janáček's music into dialogue with the present through movement, live performance and newly composed musical material.

The evening will also include the announcement of Ponec Theatre's Artist-in-Residence for 2027.

More than simply unveiling the new season, this event is an invitation to return to the theatre after the summer – a place for inspiration, dialogue and shared experience. Join us as we open another chapter in Ponec's story and celebrate a season that once again brings contemporary dance in many forms, unexpected encounters and new perspectives on the world around us.

SINFONIETTA100

A contemporary dance and music adaptation of Leoš Janáček's iconic composition, created to mark the centenary of the work.
"Once I saw the city transformed as if by a miracle. Above it shone the light of freedom and rebirth. The triumphant sound of trumpets, the shadows of night, the breath of the green hills, and a vision of growth and greatness all found their way into my Sinfonietta, a work deeply rooted in my beloved city of Brno." These words were written by Leoš Janáček himself. 
Choreographer Martin Dvořák approaches Sinfonietta as a choreographic reflection of the world we live in today. The emotional force of Janáček's music offers a powerful counterpoint to a world marked by chaos, manipulation, hostility and indifference. The work suggests that dialogue, empathy, openness and art itself may offer a way through the fragmentation of contemporary life.
Musician and vocalist Patrik Kee extends Janáček's original five movements with four newly composed sections, creating a musical bridge to the present day. Through movement, six dancers bring this dialogue to life, inviting the audience into an emotionally charged experience.
Sinfonietta was composed in 1926 during preparations for the Seventh Sokol Festival. Originally conceived as a celebration of the first years of the newly established Czechoslovak Republic, the score was ultimately dedicated to the Czechoslovak armed forces. At the same time, it also stands as a tribute to Brno, the composer's beloved city.
The opening fanfares, now among the work's most recognisable passages, were once considered strikingly modern and unconventional. Today, largely because of their ceremonial use at Prague Castle, they have acquired a more official character and, for some listeners, even political connotations. Yet this was never Janáček's intention. He was inspired by the imperfect military fanfares he heard during one of his journeys to Písek while visiting the Stösslová family, especially his muse Kamila. Their raw energy and deliberate roughness remain an essential part of the score.
Sinfonietta is renowned for its extraordinary writing for brass instruments. Few orchestras have enough horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba players to perform the score without bringing in additional musicians, making every performance a significant undertaking. The opening fanfares return in full force at the end of the fifth movement, this time joined by the entire orchestra. Nearly a century later, they still sound remarkably bold, vibrant and unmistakably modern.

MARTIN DVOŘÁK:  graduated from Brno Dance Conservatory in 1997 before joining Laterna Magika and Prague Chamber Ballet (Ballet Prague). Since 2001, he has worked internationally with companies and opera houses including Volksoper Wien / Tanztheater Wien, Ballet Bern, Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Landestheater Linz, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, English National Opera, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Kassel, Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt, Oper Köln, Oper Graz and Teatro Regio Torino, among many others.
In the Czech Republic, he has collaborated as both choreographer and performer with the National Theatre in Prague, the South Bohemian Theatre, Spitfire Company, DFXŠ Ballet Liberec, Brno Philharmonic and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. Throughout his career, he has worked with more than fifty international choreographers.
In 2004, he co-founded ProART Festival and ProART Company. He graduated from Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz, and his choreographic work has been presented internationally in cities including Paris, Rome, Pisa, London, Vienna, Budapest, Bonn, Nairobi, Seoul and Jerusalem.
He is Artistic Director of ProART Company and Director of ProART Festival, while continuing to work as an independent choreographer and performer.

Pro ProART Company

Founded in 2005, ProART Company creates dance and theatre productions rooted in classical music, bringing together different artistic disciplines while developing new interpretations of existing musical and literary works. The company's productions frequently engage with Czech history as well as contemporary social issues.

The company has developed an extensive international network and has toured in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Poland, Israel, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, South Korea, Malta, Kenya and the United Kingdom, with the support of the Czech Centres abroad.

Educational activities and public engagement are central to ProART's mission. Alongside its international touring, the company has presented its work at leading Czech venues including Ponec, Archa Theatre, Alfred ve dvoře, Dejvické Theatre, Rokoko Theatre, Palác Akropolis, the Czech Museum of Music and numerous venues in Brno.

ProART currently collaborates closely with Werich Villa, Kolowrat Theatre, Löw-Beer Villa, Arnold Villa, the former Cejl Prison, the Moravian Gallery and the Water Reservoirs at Žlutý kopec.

proart-festival.cz

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