Jiří Kylián facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jiří Kylián
Jiří Kylián (2020)
Born	(1947-03-21) 21 March 1947 (age 78) Prague, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Czech
Occupation	contemporary dance choreographer

Jiří Kylián (born March 21, 1947) is a famous Czech former dancer and contemporary dance choreographer. He is known as one of the greatest contemporary dance choreographers in Czech history.

Life of Jiří Kylián

Jiří Kylián was born in 1947 in Prague, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. His father, Václav, worked as a banker. His mother, Markéta, was a talented young dancer when she was a teenager.

Jiří first became interested in movement by watching acrobats at the Circus Busch [de]. After seeing a ballet show for the first time, he decided to become a professional ballet dancer. At just 9 years old, he began training at the School of the National Ballet Prague.

In 1962, Kylián was accepted into the Prague Conservatory. There, he met Zora Šemberová, a teacher and former dancer who greatly influenced his career. At the conservatory, Jiří started creating his own dances. His first works were Nine Eighth's, set to jazz music, and Quartet, using music by Béla Bartók.

In 1967, Kylián received a special scholarship to study at the Royal Ballet School in London. While there, he met the choreographer John Cranko. Cranko invited him to join the Stuttgart Ballet company.

Jiří Kylián's Dance Work

Jiří Kylián joined the Stuttgart Ballet in 1968. He worked under John Cranko and began to create his own dances there. Some of his early works for Stuttgart Ballet included Paradox (1970) and Kommen und Gehen (1970). He also created Incantations (1971) and Blaue Haut (1974) for the Stuttgart Ballet's Noverre Kompanie.

Three years after Cranko's death in 1973, Kylián became the Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in 1976. This is where he created many of his most famous pieces. These include Symphony of Psalms (1978), Stamping Ground (1983), Dream Time (1983), and Silent Cries (1986).

Kylián's dance style often explored how dancers use space and their bodies. He looked at how they entered and exited the stage, used contrasts, and even added humor.

Inspiration from Aboriginal Culture

Two of Jiří Kylián's works from 1983, Stamping Ground and Dream Time, were inspired by his travels. He visited Aboriginal Australia and was deeply moved by their ceremonial dances. A documentary called Road to the Stamping Ground shows how these experiences influenced his work. Stamping Ground used ideas from Aboriginal dances and featured dancers like Nacho Duato and Jim Vincent.

Creating New Dance Companies

During Kylián's time as director at NDT, he helped create two new dance companies. Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT II) was formed for younger, emerging dancers. In 1992, he started Nederlands Dans Theater 3 (NDT III). This unique company was for dancers over 40 years old, showing that dance careers can continue at all ages.

Famous Ballets by Kylián

Here are some of Jiří Kylián's most well-known dance pieces:

Forgotten Land (1981)

Forgotten Land (1981) explores the idea of memories, events, and people that we lose or forget over time. It shows how people sometimes try hard to get back a sense of what was lost. The ballet was inspired by a painting by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. This painting showed women on a beach.

The dance mainly features duets, where two dancers perform together. They often move their arms in long, stretched positions, as if reaching for something. The dancers arch their backs and move with great feeling. This reflects both the music and the haunting painting that inspired the work. Kylián's ballet speaks about lost homelands, lost loves, and times gone by. Some duets also show strong, even violent, emotions. The piece ends with a large group of dancers, then the women are left on the stage, stretching their arms like birds that cannot fly.

Falling Angels (1989)

Falling Angels is part of Kylián's Black and White ballets. It was created in 1989 and features eight female dancers dressed in black leotards. The music for this ballet is based on drumming and percussion from ceremonial rituals in Ghana, West Africa.

Different musical rhythms are mixed together using a synthesizer. This creates a powerful and layered sound in some parts. The result is an energetic and sometimes wild sound that the dancers match with very physical movements. The ballet explores the challenges and distractions that can pull a dancer away from the pure art of dance. Kylián was influenced by surrealism and minimalism when he created this work. In Falling Angels, you can see a mix of classic ballet lines and sharp, sudden movements. This makes the whole piece exciting and unpredictable.

Petite Mort (1991)

Petite Mort was created for the 1991 Salzburg Festival. This was to celebrate 200 years since the death of the famous composer Mozart. The ballet features six men, six women, and six foils (fencing swords). The costumes were designed by Joke Visser. The music includes two of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano concertos: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major – Adagio, and Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major – Andante.

Other Important Works

Films by Kylián

• Car-Men (2006)
• Between entrance and exit (2013)
• Schwarzfahrer (2014)
• Scalamare (2017)

Awards and Honors

Jiří Kylián has received many important awards for his contributions to dance:

• 1994 Dance Magazine Award in New York
• 1995 Decoration of the Royal Dutch order of Oranje-Nassau
• 1997 Golden Medal for Outstanding Merit from President Václav Havel, Prague
• 2000 Sir Laurence Olivier Award, London
• 2000 Honorary Doctorate from the Music Academy of Prague
• 2000 Three "Nijinsky award", Monte Carlo (as choreographer, for choreography, and for the unique structure of NDT: NDT I, NDT II, NDT III)
• 2001 Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Paris
• 2006 Thalia Award – College Special Award (Czech Republic)
• 2008 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Biennale Venezia
• 2011 Award for exceptional achievement in the field of Dance and Choreography, Czech Ministry of Culture, Prague
• 2018 Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Member of Institute Français, Académie des Beaux Arts, Paris
• 2024 Commanders of the Order of the White Lion

See also

In Spanish: Jiří Kylián para niños

• List of dancers