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| Who | Junior Ballet Ensemble NdB2 Kristýna Kmentová, Uladzimir Ivanou choreographer |
| Where | Valtice Castle Riding Hall |
| Program | French ballet fairy tale |
As part of traditional educational programmes, elementary school students will be introduced to music in connection with dance for the first time in the history of the LVMF, particularly ballet, which is an integral part of French cultural heritage. The junior ballet ensemble NdB2, led by former soloist Uadzimir Ivanou, will take children in period costumes not only to the music and dance stages of 14th-century France, but will also introduce them to the cultural and historical context of European events at that time through short educational videos. At the same time, they will be presented with a cross-section of various dance styles, from prehistoric rhythms to contemporary social dances, and shown how music and dance are connected to everyday life. At the same time, it will introduce them to a cross-section of different dance styles, from prehistoric rhythms to contemporary social dances, and show them how music and dance are connected to everyday life in society.
At the beginning of the 2022/2023 season, the NdB2 Junior Ballet ensemble was established as a project of the Brno National Theatre Ballet. Its aim is to create a professional platform for talented young dancers from the Czech Republic and abroad and to enable them to make a smooth transition from conservatory education to full-fledged engagement in a professional ballet company.
The project was initiated and promoted by the artistic director of the NdB Ballet, Mário Radačovský, with the support of the general director of the National Theatre Brno, Martin Glaser and South Moravian Region. In the context of Central and Eastern Europe, this is a unique project of its kind, systematically combining education, professional practice, and artistic development.
The ensemble consists of 12 dancers who regularly participate in the main ensemble’s productions, take part in its most important titles, and at the same time develop their own independent artistic activities.
NdB2 functions as an independent artistic unit with its own dramaturgy. Every year, it presents two independent premieres, which are produced exclusively by the company at the Reduta Theatre. These programs provide young dancers with space to develop their interpretive and acting skills while also supporting the creation of original choreography.
During its first three seasons, the ensemble has achieved significant artistic and organizational successes: in addition to six premiere programs on the domestic stage, it completed its first foreign tour in South Korea in March 2024 and was invited to participate in The Next Generation festival organized by the Royal Ballet in London.
She graduated from the dance department at ZUŠ Hodonín and then Dance Conservatory in Brno. During her studies, she participated in a few dance workshops of various styles and choreography-focused projects, and from the age of 13 she regularly performed in productions in the repertoire of the National Theatre in Brno. Since the age of 19, she has continued her professional education through courses and workshops in contemporary dance techniques in Czechia and abroad (Ostrava Dance Meetings, workshop at the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel). From 2016 to 2022, she was a member of the ballet ensemble of the National Theatre Brno, where she performed several roles in ballet and opera productions and devoted herself to choreography for smaller projects at the National Theatre Brno and the independent scene. Since 2019, she has been collaborating with the Orbita z. s. dance association, which focuses on improvisational and inclusive creation, where she works as a performer and author or co-author of concepts and choreographies (Block-IN, Children of Children, Invisible Friend, Metamorphosis, etc.). Since 2022, she has been working as a freelance professional on the independent scene as a performer and choreographer and continues to collaborate with the National Theatre Brno (e.g., the title role in Coco Chanel, choreography for Who’s Gonna Catch Me If I Fall…, choreographer’s assistant for The Marriage of Figaro and Aida). Her practice also includes teaching activities – since 2023, she has been teaching contemporary dance to advanced adults, providing consulting and teaching services, leading workshops for elementary art schools, and working with children’s and inclusive groups on a long-term basis.
Uladzimir Ivanou, Artistic Director of the Junior Ballet NdB 2, graduated from the State Ballet Academy in Minsk (Belarus) in 2004. He began his professional career with the ballet company of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava, where he spent three seasons. Since 2009, he has been a member of the NdB Ballet; from the 2010/2011 season he performed as a demi-soloist and since 2018 as a soloist. In 2022, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Junior Ballet NdB 2. Within the NdB Ballet repertoire, he has performed roles such as Romeo, Armand (The Lady of the Camellias), Adrian (Lucidor and Arabella), Hilarion (Giselle), Raymond Asso (Edith – The Sparrow from the Suburbs), the High Brahmin (La Bayadère), Pas de trois (Swan Lake), Drosselmeyer (The Nutcracker), Carabosse (Sleeping Beauty), among others.
