Interview with… Lenka Vagnerova - Northern School of Contemporary Dance
 

First thing’s first, how are you?

Thank you for asking. I have just started a new creation in Prague. It is a very exciting process with fantastic dancers, actors and a live band.

When did you first become interested in Contemporary Dance?

I have a very intensive ballet, modern, jazz/ folk dance background. When I studied at the Academy of Performing Arts (Prague) I started to search much deeper for new movement qualities, I searched for my way of moving, what dance and its amazing possibilities means to me, how we can “talk” through our bodies.

How would you describe your work?

Dance has an incredible ability to create any kind of illusion or situation.  I perceive dance as a complex theatrical form. I always search for the movement material based on the situation, character, conflict, relation, emotion … etc. All this guides me to create new specific movement qualities and dynamics. I believe in unrestrained, sincere, imaginative, real, emotional, poetic…dance.

Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for GOSSIP?

I had this performance in my head for a long time and was waiting for the right moment to create it. Gossip has always been around but at the moment we live in- the world of social media and the internet- misinformation spreads with extreme speed every minute. The power and punch of the word uttered in the form of slander is often more powerful than the gun. Gossip can sometimes look like innocent fun, but often it tends to increase to enormous size. It can break the couple, destroy relationships, destroy your work and in the worst case can cause suicide. I have collected plenty of material from different places. I wanted to look at Gossip from different angles.

Do you have any pre-performance rituals?

When I was performing I had many and I loved them. I could not imagine just coming and playing the show. Now as a choreographer I need a precise schedule on the day of performance: proper warm-up for the dancers, rehearsal, time for preparation, light and sound check, time for siesta and coffee as well of course

We hear you are bringing some interesting props to the stage on Wednesday- can you tell us anymore?

We have several props in Gossip that is true. One is a popcorn machine. We need to feed our dancers sometimes hahahahahhaha

How does contemporary dance in the Czech Republic compare to dance in the UK?

I think we have a very strong contemporary dance field. Lots of progressive performances and strong performers are growing.