Streets of Žďár (working title) will be an international art project with an impact on local communities. Under the leadership of profesional artists – choreographers, dancers and musicians, young people from Czechia (Vysočina Region) and Austria (Niederösterreich) will meet together to create an original work of performing art combining baroque music and choir singing with hip-hop/house dance that will be premiered at the KoresponDance Festival in July 2022 in the city of Žďár nad Sázavou, Czechia. The project connects two Central European regions and their cultures for the benefit of their people, especially children at risk of social exclusion.
Context
- — The project builds on the successful collaboration between the Žďáráček Choir and the Potpourri dance collective (Farah Deen and Olivia Mitterhuemer), which resulted in a 15-minute performance ŽďárUrban presented at the KoresponDance Festival 2021 in the city of Žďár na Sázavou, located in the Vysočina Region in Czechia. Video record. Final report (CZ only): ZdarUrban_zaverecna zprava.pdf
- — The follow-up project will be expanded by a second choir or an orchestra from Austria and young amateur dancers from Austria and Czechia (on the Czech side, children from low-threshold clubs in the Vysočina Region). In addition, Cassiel Glaube (as art director of the project) will be newly involved.
- — In 2020, the project succeeded in applying for the subsidy from the INTERREG EU programme but due to for covid-related reasons, we could not not accept the grant. The project took place in a reduced form thanks to the support of the city of Žďár nad Sázavou.
Project activities
1/ Singing-movement performance
- — The open-air site-specific performance will combine hip-hop and house dance expressive forms with baroque music by selected Czech and Austrian composers.
- — Singers from the Czech and Austrian choirs (Žďáráček and an Austrian choir?) will be directly involved in the stage dance arrangement. The performance will also feature young amateur street dancers from local Czech and Austrian communities, especially those at risk of social exclusion.
- — Professional artists with an international reputation will take over the artistic leadership – Cassiel Gaube, Farah Deen, Olivia Mitterhuemer and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (?) – their involvement ensures a high artistic level of the project.
- — It will be presented as part of the KoresponDance Festival in Žďár nad Sázavou in July 2022.
2/ Rehearsing workshops for children and youngsters
- — The cooperation of professionals with young people (including children from low-threshold clubs in the Vysočina Region and Upper- or Lower- Austria?) will take the form of intensive workshops, which will be conducted with sensitivity to the group. They will focus on a positive perception of one’s own body, on the release of energy through movement and music, on strengthening healthy self-confidence and on the experience of creative cooperation.
- — In later stages, the workshops will be directly focused on rehearsing the final performance.
About us
- — The Žďáráček Children’s Choir (CZ) at the František Drdla Art School has been connecting young singers from Žďár nad Sázavou for almost half a century. Its genre and stylistically varied repertoire is underlined by compositions by Czech and foreign authors from the Baroque and Neoclassicism period (Zelenka, Vivaldi, Michna, Bach, Martinů). In collaboration with Jean Gaudin and Sébastien Fournier, they presented at the KoresponDance 2016 the singing-movement project Flor de les Flors, drawing on Spanish music of the 14th century. Žďáráček regularly performs abroad (DE, IT, FR), performs at festivals (Světlo za Lidice) and is currently preparing its fourth CD. It is conducted by Dana Foralová and Pavel Schmidt with piano accompaniment by Nonna Piňosová.
- — SE.S.TA Centre for Choreographic Development (CZ) was founded as early as 1999: since 2010 it has been operating as the first Centre for Choreographic Development in the Czech Republic. SE.S.TA’s objective is to foster the development of professional contemporary dance in the Czech Republic in an international context. We also organise projects joining professional and amateur artists such as Streets of Žďár, and an international festival KoresponDance in the city of Žďár nad Sázavou annually in July.
Financing
Your financial contribution is not required.
- — INTERREG AT – CZ (deadline for the application – December 2021)
- — The city of Žďár nad Sázavou (deadline for the application – January 2022
- — Further co-participation of the applicant is expected, 15% according to INTERREG
- — The project previously submitted to INTERREG had a budget of about EUR 23,000 EUR, it received a grant of approx. EUR 4,000
- — The reduced project had a budget of approximately CZK 140,000, the grant from the town of Žďár nad Sázavou amounted to approximately CZK 49,000
Project partners
- — SE.S.TA Centre for Choreographic Development – co-production
- — Zámek a klášter Žďár z. s. (Žďár Castle and Monastery) – organiser, leading partner
- — Žďáráček Children’s Choir, Žďár nad Sázavou – project partner
- — Potpourri dance crew
- — Caritas Czech Republic, regional branches in the Vysočina region – representing the low-threshold clubs for children
- — The City of Žďár nad Sázavou
Are you interested? Contacts us
Do you like our project? Let’s go for it together. Please contact Martin, project manager…
Martin Maryška martin.maryska@se-s-ta.cz +420 607 864 191
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