Wikipedista:Katdiamond2020/Pískoviště

Petr Zuska (* 3. srpna 1968 Frýdek-Místek) is a Czech choreographer, stage director, dancer and lecturer. He was the Czech National Ballet’s Artistic Director in 2002-2017.

Petr Zuska is a European-format creator, an extraordinary choreographer within the context of Czech dance who has worked with world-renowned ballet companies. In his works, he brings to bear a broad scale of creative vocabulary, ranging from the high bel canto of the neo-classical style through an innovative approach to modern creation. His productions are sophisticated, full-blooded, reflecting the world of symbols and archetypes, spiritual questions, as well as moral principles. He is among the precious few choreographers capable of imbuing his works with humor, wit and hyperbole.

Early Life

Zuska was born in Frydek-Mistek, Czechoslovakia into a family of lawyer and former mayor of Prague Zdeněk Zuska (1931–1982) and physician Dana Zuskova (1932 - 1999). He studied choreography and non-verbal theatre direction at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with professor Ctibor Turba, graduating in 1994. He began dancing in Charles University Company of Modern Dance known as VUS UK or the Academic Artistic Ensemble of Charles University.

Personal Life

His wife Pavla Zusková is a teacher at the Czech National Ballet Preparatory School. They have a son Daniel and daughter Anna.

Dance Career

Zuska launched his professional path at the Ladislav Fialka Pantomime at the Theatre on the Balustrade in Prague (1987-89). A significant phase in his career was his engagement at the Prague Chamber Ballet (1989–1992 soloist; from 1994 guest artist).

Between 1992 and 1998, he was a soloist of the Czech National Ballet in Prague. In 1998 he was engaged as a dancer at the Munich Ballet, and in 1999 he joined the ballet company of the Augsburg Theatre. In 2000 he was named a soloist of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. Throughout his career as a dancer, Petr Zuska performed in classical ballets, yet he primarily appeared in works by renowned contemporary Czech creators, including Jiří Kylián, Pavel Šmok and Libor Vaculík, as well as foreign choreographers, such as Alvin Ailey, Gerhard Bohner, Robert North, Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Christopher Bruce, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato and Itzik Galili. As a dancer, Petr Zuska performed in numerous countries all over the world. In the 1990s, he was also a permanent guest of the National Theatre in Brno and the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava.

Choreography Career

Since 1990, Petr Zuska has created choreographies for more than 50 productions for both foreign and Czech companies, including the Hamburg Ballett, Ballett Augsburg, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Latvian National Opera in Riga, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Ballett Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the West Australian Ballet in Perth, the Finnish National Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Boston Ballet, the Czech National Ballet in Prague and the National Theatre Ballet in Brno, Laterna magika, the Prague Chamber Ballet and Bohemia Ballet – the ensemble of the Prague Dance Conservatory, and, of course, the Czech National Ballet. In addition, he has collaborated on directing and choreographing several drama and opera productions.

Czech National Ballet

From 2002 to 2017 Petr Zuska was the Artistic Director of the Czech National Ballet in Prague. During his time as head of the company, he created for the Czech National Theatre six full-length ballets and numerous other, one-act, pieces. Under Zuska’s leadership, the Czech National Ballet performed on 36 prominent stages worldwide, including in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Washington D. C., Houston, Athens, Bonn, Budapest, Tallinn, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris and Tel Aviv.

Awards

1993 Thalia Award 1994 Czech Literary Fund Award for choreography (Adagietto) 1997 Czech Literary Fund Award for choreography (Small Gallows and Seul) 1997 Thalia Award 1999 Prix Dom Perignon 2002 Choreography of the Year Award 2006 Modern Dance Original Choreography Award 2008 Modern Dance Original Choreography Award 2014 Opera Plus Award for Zuska’s achievements as head of the Czech National Ballet and for 25 years of choreographic work 2017 Opera Plus Award (2017) for Zuska’s original dance-theater piece Tremble 2017 Czech Ministry of Culture Award for Zuska’s contribution to the Czech theatre

Choreographed Works

• 1990 The Confession • 1991 Causa Franz Kafka • 1991 Mister Theodor Mundstock • 1992 Tempo XX • 1993 Homage de Joan Miro • 1993 Adagietto • 1993 Out of the Deep • 1994 Small Gallows • 1995 Seul • 1995 I Will Lift Up My Eyes • 1996 In the Mists • 1997 Comboloi • 1998 Beauty and the Beast (choreography for musical) • 1998 What Are You Thinking About? • 1998 Post Scriptum • 1999 Sonata • 1999 Triple Self • 2001 Ways • 2002 Les Bras de Mer • 2002 Maria’s Dream • 2002 Clear Invisible • 2002 Among the Mountains • 2003 Bolero • 2003 Ways 03 • 2004 D.M.J. 1953–77 • 2004 The Last Photo • 2004 The Bartered Bride • 2005 Ballet Mania • 2005 Ibbur, or a Prague Mystery • 2006 Requiem • 2006 A Little Extreme • 2007 BREL-VYSOTSKY-KRYL/ Solo for Three • 2007 Déja vu • 2008 Lyrical • 2008 Oh Love • 2009 A Little Touch of The Last Extreme • 2009 Empty Title • 2010 Le Sacre du Printemps • 2010 Mahler 1st Symphony D Major • 2010 Rose • 2011 Legends of Magic Prague • 2011 Death and the Maiden • 2013 Romeo and Juliet • 2014 Stabat Mater • 2015 The Nutcracker and the Cuddly Mouse • 2016 Tremble • 2016 Route 50 • 2017 Solo for Two of Us • 2018 Keys from Nowhere • 2019 A Bouquet

Dance Roles

Ladislav Fialka’s Pantomime Ensemble of the Theatre on the Balustrade (1987 - 89) • Noss (Bumm), Ladislav Fialka • Funambulles 77 (Servant), L. Fialka • Dreams (Dancer, Ventriloquist, Bottom), L. Fialka

Pavel Šmok’s Prague Chamber Ballet (1989 - 92), (1995 - 97 guest artist) • Sinfonietta, Pavel Šmok • Smokoviny (solo), P. Šmok • Be Fit (solo), B. Polívka • Making Fun (solo), P. Šmok • Transfiguered Night (The Convict), P. Šmok • Anxiety and Geometry (solo), Gerhard Bohner • 3rd Symphony (Kain), P. Šmok • Death and the Maiden (The Death), Robert North • Evening Songs (solo), Jiří Kylián • Trio G-moll (solo), P. Šmok • Stoolgame (solo), J. Kylián • The Diary of One Who Disappeared (Janíček), P. Šmok • Zero Time (solo), Pieter de Ruiter • Songs on the Death of Children (Death), L. Vaculík

Czech National Ballet (1992 - 98) • From Tale to Tale (Male frog, Soldier), Jiří Blažek • Swan Lake (Neapol dance), Jiří Němeček • Don Quijote (Camacho), F. V. Lopuchov • Three Pieces (solo), Hans van Manen • Soldier’s Mass (solo), J. Kylián • Return to a Strange Land (solo), J. Kylián • The Boy and the Death (Boy), L. Vaculík • Concerto de Aranjuez (solo), L. Vaculík • Eyes Full of Tears (solo), L. Vaculík • Psycho (Norman Bates), L. Vaculík, Jozef Bednárik • Little Mr. Friedemann (Dream twin), L. Vaculík, J. Bednárik • Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky), L. Vaculík, J. Bednárik • Some Like It… (Cabaretier Jerry), L. Vaculík, V. Harapes • Cinderella (Cavalier), Vlastimil Jílek, Vlastimil Harapes • Romeo and Juliet (Theobald), L. Vaculík, Petr Weigl • The River (solo), Alvin Ailey • Carmen ou la tragedie de Don José (Don José), Alexander Schneider-Rossmy • Isadora Duncan (Sergei Yesenin), L. Vaculík, J. Bednárik

Ballett Theater München (1998 - 99) • The Last Sleep of the Virgin (solo), Phillip Taylor • Leaving the Tunnel (solo), P. Taylor • Ordinary Events (solo), Rui Horta • Stamping Ground (solo), J. Kylián • The Juliet Letters (solo), P. Taylor

Ballett Augsburg (1999 - 2000) • Little Fields (solo), Jochen Heckmann • Tripping Through the Blue (solo), J. Heckmann • A Paradise Twice (solo), J. Heckmann

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (2000 - 2002) • Carmen (Don José), Didy Veldman • Nutcracker (flower pas de deux, harlequin, Russian dance), Fernand Nault • L’effect Papillon (solo), Shawn Hounsell • Jardi Tancat (solo), Nacho Duato • Perpetuum (solo), Ohad Naharin • Symphony of Psalms (solo), J. Kylián

Czech National Ballet (2002 - 2017) • Stamping Ground (solo), Jiří Kylián • Jardi Tancat (solo), N. Duato • The River (solo), Alvin Ailey • Les Bras de Mer (solo), Petr Zuska • Lucrezia Borgia (Alfonso Aragon), L. Vaculík • Petite Mort (solo), J. Kylián • Psycho (Norman Bates), L. Vaculík, J. Bednárik • Carmen (Gypsy), Mats Ek • Through Nana’s Eyes (Macho), Itzik Gallili • Lyrical (solo), P. Zuska • Faust (Mefisto), L. Vaculík • Moonshine (solo), Christopher Bruce • Krabat (Master), Jan Kodet, SKUTR

External Links

• Seznam děl v Souborném katalogu ČR, jejichž autorem nebo tématem je Katdiamond2020/Pískoviště
• Česká televize: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/artzona/360/kytice-podle-petra-zusky-reinkarnace-prazskeho-komorniho-baletu-zNvov?fbclid=IwAR3eUKt67RuXSgCT5uyzfsE_82XVhRqcKVvlTEPxlyoF53_UErnGUaXYEB8
• Česká televize: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097206490-udalosti-v-kulture/219411000120502/video/692867
• aktuálně.cz: https://magazin.aktualne.cz/kultura/divadlo/zuska-kytice-prazsky-komorni-balet-recenze/r~e6d770da6fe111e9b6a9ac1f6b220ee8/?redirected=1557176979
• Český rozhlas: https://vltava.rozhlas.cz/poslechnete-si-zaznam-mozaiky-7906566