The beginning of March will bring the premiere of a new ballet production titled " Courage Every Day " at the National Theatre Košice, which, after 22 years, is the third continuation of the successful project "Strange pleasure of Living" by the creative duo of director and choreographer Ondrej Šoth and librettist and dramaturge Zuzana Mistríková. The production, featuring a selection of contemporary music, will premiere on Friday, March 1st, at the Historic Building of the National Theatre Košice.
„Manipulation in general is characterized by a strategy in which someone tries to impose an opinion or even an attitude on us without us noticing. Their goal is to influence us to comply with their wishes. People manipulate others because they know that a direct, open request would likely receive a negative reaction or rejection. “(Elena Moravčíková: Manipulation and the Inferiority Complex or the Path to Building Self-Confidence)
In 1990, choreographer and director Ondrej Šoth staged a production “The Strange Pleasure of Living” at the Ballet of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. Music for the performance was composed by a member of the legendary Czech rockband Pražský výběr and one of the most significant figures in contemporary Czech music, Michal Pavlíček. The theme of the production was demagogy and manipulation in all forms of society, but also the ability of individuals to remain true to themselves in a twisted society, thanks to the strength provided by faith, hope and love. The creative team returned to this theme after 12 years. During that time, the most significant figures -composer M. Pavlíček and choreographer O. Šoth- matured creatively, and they developed a new perspective on the subject in a production of the Ballet of the State Theatre Košice, titled “The Strange Pleasure of Living II”.
„We live life utilitarianly and mostly evaluate it pragmatically. Nobody is so well that they do not need something, and nobody is so unfortunate that they do not fear losing something. And when a person rebels against something, friends, parents and others admonish them. There are enough reasons for a person to eventually feel abandoned and cowardly. We will be torn from life because we were afraid, disregarded our dignity, and did not care about the dignity of others in work and in life, and because we lacked the courage to question and rediscover. Because we did not value truth, freedom and justice enough, ” says Ondrej Šoth.
The central motif of the new adaptation is faith, hope and love. „However, the current environment has changed. Today's world is a world of information and media. The boundaries between "good" and "evil", "manipulators" and "manipulated", have become very thin and hard to distinguish, especially for inexperienced viewers drowning in a flood of new forms of information and genres, citizens who are still learning to use their "citizenship" and understand it in the sense of freedom. Freedom does not just mean liberty in all possible interpretations of this word (we could justify any individual´s action regardless of their consequences). Freedom primarily means responsibility - for ourselves and for the environment in which we exist. It involves the ability to perceive the consequences of our actions. True freedom is not possible without moral criteria. These criteria are not easily sought today. The world seems to increasingly appreciate lies and superficiality. Values seem to lose meaning. The outcome is a loss of illusions, nihilism and helplessness. In spite of that, the only way out for us, just as for the characters in the new production is probably not to give up the search for moral criteria of freedom,” Ondrej Šoth adds.
In the creative team of the new ballet production, scenographer Juraj Fábry returns once again, and the costumes are designed by Andrii Sukhanov. In addition to the traditional premieres, the dancers of the NDKE Ballet also invite audiences to a preview, which will take place on the last day of February, Thursday, February 29th.
Tickets:
- 29th February– PREVIEW:
- 1. March – 1st PREMIER:
- 2nd March – 2nd PREMIER:
- 27th March – 1st REPRISAL:
