The festival will be opened by the Pulse of Pressburg Performance
Performance of the Pulse of Pressburg to remind the multicultural character of the capital
During the weekend of September 7-8, 2024, visitors of the courtyard of the Primate’s Palace in Bratislava will witness the premiere and three reprises of the multimedia site-specific dance performance the Pulse of Pressburg. In the choreography of the Slovak artist Yuri Korac, nine dancers will perform together to remind the multicultural character of Bratislava, which has developed on multinational dialogue. Admission to the premiere and reruns is free.
On Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 7 p.m. the premiere of the multimedia performance the Pulse of Pressburg will take place. It will revive the historic building of the Primate’s Palace, one of the symbols of Bratislava. In the authentic scenery of the palace, the audience will be introduced to the past and present multicultural character of Bratislava. This will happen not only through dance or the sound and visual design of a pulsating colorful performance, but also through the selection of the dancers themselves.
In addition to five professional Slovak dancers approached in advance (Silvia Bakočková, Lukáš Bobalík, Viktória Malá, Anja Naňová, Lukáš Zahy), there are also four dancers selected based on an open call by the organizers (Nancy Nguyenová, Aron Tesfaye, Miroslava Stašková and Jozef Vaľo). They have been living in Bratislava for a long time, but their roots are Vietnamese, South American, Czech and Roma.
“The Pulse of Pressburg reflects Bratislava’s present with the choice of performers and dreams of a future that celebrates variety and diversity,” said Yuri Korec, author of the concept and choreographer of the performance.
Since it is a site-specific work, i.e. a work presented outside the theater premises, the realization has its own specifics. Although the preparations take place in the ballroom, they are preceded by a conceptual preparation based on the place where the performances will take place – the courtyard of the Primate’s Palace. The architecture itself is an important part of the entire work.
“Choreography changes the way we look at the architecture of the environment, which in turn models the choreography, which then changes the view of the architecture. It is important to say that only during the performance itself the magical connection of the courtyard with dance, music, installation and light will take place, because only at that moment the audience will be there. This will become an integral part of the event and mix the Pulse of Prešporka into a single whole,” explains Yuri Korec .
In addition to the authors of the concept – choreographer Yuri Korac and dramaturg Miroslava Kovářová – scenographer Ondrej Zachar also participated in the performance. Matúš Bolka composed the music especially for the show.
Audiences will see the Pulse of Pressburg in the courtyard of the Primate’s Palace for the first time in the premiere on September 7, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. and in reruns on September 7, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. and September 8, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
“For 28 years, we have been creating opportunities to show contemporary dance even outside the classical spaces of theaters. We are therefore initiating the creation of site-specific projects that give artists the opportunity to create and enliven the streets and squares or other public places of Bratislava. With the Pulse of Pressburg, we continue to fulfill this idea,” said Miroslava Kovářová, the author of the Pulse of Pressburg concept and at the same time the artistic director of our festival Bratislava in motion.
Concept and choreography: Yuri Korec
Concept and dramaturgy: Miroslava Kovářová
Choreography and performed by: Silvia Bakočková, Lukáš Bobalík, Viktória Malá, Anja
Naňová, Lukáš Zahy
Scenography and visuals: Ondrej Zachar
Sound design: Matúš Bolka
Dance and performed by: Nancy Nguyenová, Miroslava Stašková, Aron Tesfaye, Jozef Vaľo
Production: Katarína Figula a Asociácia Bratislava v pohybe/Bratislava in Movement Association