Jiří Kylián is a renowned Czech choreographer. He was born on March 21, 1947, in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). Kylián is known for his innovative and expressive dance works, which have been performed by major ballet companies around the world.
Kylián began his dance career at the Prague National Theatre Ballet School and later joined the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. In 1975, he became the artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in The Hague, Netherlands. Under his leadership, NDT became one of the most influential contemporary dance companies in the world.
Throughout his career, Kylián has created numerous acclaimed ballets, including “Symphony of Psalms,” “Sinfonietta,” “Petite Mort,” and “Sechs Tänze.” His works often blend elements of classical ballet with modern and experimental movement, exploring themes of human emotions, relationships, and the human condition.
Kylián’s choreography is characterized by its musicality, poetic storytelling, and innovative use of space and lighting. His works have received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Lawrence Olivier Award and the Benois de la Danse Lifetime Achievement Award.
Today, Jiří Kylián continues to create new works and collaborate with dance companies and artists around the world. His contributions to the world of dance have had a lasting impact and continue to inspire dancers and choreographers globally.
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Souls made apparent brings some of the most technically challenging and theatrically demanding NDT creators together in one programme: besides a world premiere Big Crying by associate choreographer Marco Goecke, the young dancers of NDT will present 27’52” by maestro Jiří Kylián. This piece takes the viewer along for a game of seeking and being…
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The evening opens with a revival of Kylián’s Falling Angels. Set to Steve Reich’s intense and driving percussion, Falling Angels is a study about discipline and freedom, about belonging and the wish for independence, about performers and the art of performing. Kylián’s Petite Mort is perhaps one of the Czech choreographer’s most sought after and…
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NDT 1 revisits Jiří Kylián‘s Vanishing Twin (2008) and Clowns by Hofesh Shechter (2016). In addition, NDT 1’s dancers present a new work by Christos Papadopoulos. A new voice for NDT, the choreographer favours a minimalist and precise language of movement. Hofesh Shechter – Clowns Clowns (2016), Hofesh Shechter’s first creation for NDT, studies the…
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Nederlands Dans Theater Jiří Kyliáns piece ‘Bella Figura’ for the NDT 1 programme ‘Sometimes, I wonder’. Bella Figura (1995) is considered a Kylián masterpiece. It was one of the first times he deconstructed the stage where theatrical elements acted as a metaphor. A journey in time _ light and space, addressing the ambiguity of aesthetics…
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Birth-day was inspired, in part, by Sabine Kupferberg, who is one of the performers, as well as Kylián’s wife. The music is by Mozart, and the dancers wear period costumes and wigs. The premise is that this is Sabine’s birthday, but for Kylián, there is a dark side to this: another birthday means another year…
