20th anniversary of the Kylian videotheque in Prague

THE KYLIáN VIDEOTHEQUE IN PRAGUE

In 1991 the videotheque of the world-renowned Kylián Foundation was established in Prague, at the initiative of its founder, the internationally esteemed choreographer Jiří Kylián. With this gesture Jiří Kylián made obvious his interest in and efforts to advance dance in the Czech Republic. In its twenty years of existence the Kylián Videotheque has pursued its mission, organised dozens of educational projects and systematically expanded its documentary collection, which contains a unique inventory of work by Jiří Kylián and other world artists
and companies, and it provides ongoing expert consultation and supports the advancement of international cooperation in the field of dance.

The Kylián Videotheque in Prague currently contains 1997 recordings on 538 DVD media. It also possesses 200 books, numerous dance magazines from different countries, and various other kinds of print materials such as theatre programmes, posters, manuscripts, and archive documents
relating to the life and work of Jiří Kylián and the prizes that he has received. In addition, the videotheque is open for use by researchers and it organises lectures and seminars. The Kylián Videotheque in Prague is currently one of the biggest dance-recording collections in Europe and the only one in the world with an almost complete collection of Kylián’s choreographed works.

JIŘí KYLIÁN
Jiří Kylián started his dance career at the age of nine at the National Ballet School in Prague. In 1962 he was accepted as a student at the Prague Conservatory. He left Prague when he received a scholarship for the Royal Ballet School in London in 1967. After that, he joined the Stuttgarter Ballett led by John Cranko. Kylián made his debut as a choreographer there with Paradox for the Noverre Gesellschaft. 
After creating three ballets for Nederlands Dans Theater (Viewers, Stoolgame and La Cathédrale Engloutie), he became artistic director of the company in 1975. In 1978 he put Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) on the international map with Sinfonietta. That same year, together with Carel Birnie, he founded NDT 2, which served as a bridge between the school and professional company life and was meant to give young dancers the opportunity to develop their skills and talents and to function as a breeding ground for young talent. In 1991 he also initiated NDT 3, a company for older dancers over the age of forty. This three-dimensional structure was unique in the world of dance. After an extraordinary record of service, Kylián handed over the artistic leadership in 1999, but remained associated with the dance company as house choreographer until December 2009.

Jiří Kylián has created nearly 100 works, many of which are performed all over the world. Kylián has not only made works for NDT, but also for the Stuttgarter Ballett, Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, Bayerisches Staatsoper Münich, Swedish television and the Tokyo Ballet. Kylián has worked with many creative personalities of international stature – composers: Arne Nordheim (Ariadne, 1997), Toru Takemitsu (Dream Time, 1983) – designers: Walter Nobbe (Sinfonietta, 1978), Bill Katz (Symphony of Psalms, 1978), John Macfarlane (Forgotten Land 1980), Michael Simon (Stepping Stones, 1991), Atsushi Kitagawara (One of a Kind, 1998), Susumu Shingu (Toss of a Dice, 2005), Yoshiki Hishinuma (Zugvögel, 2009). In the summer of 2006, together with Film Art Director, Boris PavalConen, he created the film CAR-MEN. It was choreographed ‘on location’ at the open-face brown-coal mines in the Czech Republic. In the course of his career, Kylián has received many international awards.

photo: Joris Jan Bos