2VA - současný tanec

A work that blurs the boundaries between labor and creation, between function and inspiration. The stage is built before our eyes and, in doing so, becomes a narrative in itself. The technicians, like sailors aboard the Pequod, give life to a ship that—without them—would be nothing more than wood, ropes, cables, and darkness. The journey begins from a safe harbor—the empty stage—with a destination in mind, but without knowing what storms, surprises, or revelations lie ahead.

A performance that pays tribute to those who work behind the scenes, while playing with roles, power structures, and the hidden dynamics of stage creation—through a language that is contemporary, physical, and political. The very title, “Let Be the Light”, evokes both a way out of darkness and an invitation to lightness—now more than ever essential to resist rigidity, ideology, and fanaticism.

Text, choreography, direction: Simone Sandroni /Italy/

Idea, artistic cooperation: Honza Malík

Creation and performance: The Performing Tribe comp. & Eliška Hulínská a Paulína Šmatláková

Lighting design: František Fabián, Matouš Ondra, Robert Štěpánek

Sound design: Václav Moule

Costumes: Mariana Novotná

Production: Veronika Vavroňová, Honza Malík & 2WO association

Reviews:

„… The production as a whole worked well, and above all brought much-needed light relief, which is truly rare in a field where difficult psychological and social themes usually take center stage. (…)It is a humorous probe into theater operations, revealing…“ L. Kocourková, 14. 6. 2025, Opera +

 „… It is clear that the main stars of the evening will be the men in T-shirts, who did not ask for attention to be focused on them, as their role is traditionally different. (…) It allows us to see the preparation of a performance from a perspective that is usually shrouded in secrecy. It sheds light (both literally and figuratively) on the cooperation between the artistic and technical components of a performance, and although it also offers poetic moments, it does not take itself too seriously.“ K. Soukupová, 17. 6. 2025, Dance Context

Co-producers: TANEC PRAHA Festival, Johan z.ú./Moving Station Plzeň

Supported by: State Culture Fund, Italian Cultural Institut in Prague, MO Plzeň 3, City of Pilsen

Media partner: Divadelní.net

Thanks to: team of festival TANEC PRAHA, Marcela Mašínová and Roman Černík, Marialuisa Pappalardo and Letizia Kostner, Václav Hruška & Studio Hrdinů, Petra Kubíčková, Jana Baladová, Anna Benháková, Michaela Cajthamlová, Lenka Kniha Bartůňková, Andrew Farrow, Anežka Pondělíčková, A.I.

The first version of the performance with a Slovak cast was produced by and for the Nu Dance Fest in Bratislava in April 2024. 

a world first night: 3. 6. 2025, Moving Station, Pilsen (festival TANEC PRAHA 2025)

Prague´s premiere: 5. 6. 2025, PONEC-the dance venue, Prague (festival TANEC PRAHA 2025)

Achieving something that transcends us. Something that hangs far above us, something we cannot touch, something that does not belong to us. We feel it, and that is why we exist. We strive. We care and we are grateful. That is all we need.

Ode to Faith

Look into my eyes, and you will know who I am.

Touch me, and you will know what I feel.

Talk to me, and you will know what I am going through.

Be part of my space.

Fill it when I lose myself, hold me when I fall.

I will give you my love and compassion. I will guide you through my garden.

A dance cantata for the living—an original performance where the impulse for dance comes from the musical cantata genre, combining ode, aria, lamentation, and chorale. 

Choreography: Kateřina Stupecká

Music: Jakub Rataj

Co-author and performer of organ composition: Vojtěch Frei

Costumes: Mariana Novotná

Lighting design: František Fabián

Creation and dance: Kateřina Bártů, Nela Bednářová, Rozálie Červová, Viktorie Froňková, Jan Dvořáček, Ester Kroutilová, Olívie Skaunicová, Miroslava Sýkorová, Ollie Zabystrzan

Idea, dance curator and project production: Honza Malík & 2WO association

Reviews:

"...The premiere of the production lit up the Evangelical Church. Artists served up a performance on a golden platter with spiritual significance. All elements, from the music to the costumes, were a sparkling ode not only to dance, but also to art and faith..." A. Krejčík Plšková, 18. 11. 2024, Dance Context 

"The spirit of Duncan is evident in Stupecká's choreographic style, permeating her choreography and the central idea of the production, the idea of acceptance or separation based on sincere self-knowledge: no one is more suited to portraying the central character and her story than Ollie Zabystrzan. (...) In his captivating, golden-hued solo, amplitudes are repeated, to which the members of the "tribe" begin to respond, and above all they respond to Zabystrzan: Now, as spectators, we know that his costume deliberately reveals scars, which he displays like a modern-day Christ. (...) And such is Zabystrzan, who stands like a fiery cherub among the "tribes" and brings a whole new gospel of fluid beauty." T.  Kubart, 12. 11. 2024, Opera +

Co-producer: Comunity Space of Smíchov

Supported by: PULSAR association, City of Prague, Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic, ALT@ART, Atelier Antonie, TE-MA Atelier, Studio Dance Perfect, Nová síť association, Balada SITE

Thanks to: Tereza Krčálová, Jakub Šandera, Karolína Kuklová, Duncan Centre Conservatory, Terezie Dvořáková, Antonie Svobodová, Romana Maliti Štorková, Šárka Zahálková, Michal Nikodem, Stupecká and Vrbík families, Michaela Cajthamlová, Jiří Jiráček, Jakub Urban, Vojtěch Brtnický

a world first night: 8. 11. 2024, as part of the Year of Czech Music, Comunity Space of Smíchov – temple, Prague

A dance for one man, one table, one chair, one light and one sound.

A half-naked body and its groping way across the table top, illuminated by a single light bulb, surrounded by an "unknown universe" that speaks to us with the urgency and urgency of a Francis Bacon painting about man's fundamental position in the world: the fragility, transience and unpredictability of his existence...

Direction, set design, sound: Jan Komárek

Creation and performance: Honza Malík

Costumes: Mariana Novotná

Technical support: Lukáš Benda

Production: Honza Malík & 2WO association

Reviews:

“…We don’t see Honza Malík on stage very often anymore, but here he puts his experience, maturity of expression, and ability to focus on detail to good use in portraying a character who is an intersection of several different identities. Perhaps we see the embodiment of Franz Kafka, constrained by his living conditions and trapped in the pigeonhole of a clerk. Perhaps we are watching Řehoř Samsa transforming right here and now into another form of life (...) INSECTUM K. fits perfectly into a non-theatrical space; thanks to its simple setup, it is mobile and at the same time easily absorbs the atmosphere of the genius loci. Which is doubly true in the case of the ancient house on Old Town Square. December 1, 2025, L. Kocourková, Tanecniaktuality.cz (full article https://www.tanecniaktuality.cz/recenze/miniatura-insectum-k-vytezila-kafkovskou-atmosferu-z-domu-u-minuty-pusobiva-je-vsak-i-sama-o-sobe)

Supported by: PULSAR association, Czech Centres, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Emabassy of the Czech Republic in Yerevan, PerformCzech

Thanks to: Adriana Krásová, Anna Hrabáčková, Marine Karoyan, Antonín Brinda, Petr Pirunčík, Ivana Bursíková, Robert Mikoláš, Martina Kubešková, Lucie Kuligová, Tereza Svášková, Adéla Gálová, Renata Clark, Ondřej Černý, Ed Tadevosian, Jana Baladová

a world first night: 11. 5. 2024, ARé Fest - State Filharmony of Armenia, Arne Babajanyan Concert Hall, Yerevan /am/

Czech premiere: 30. 8. 2024, Gallery of Františke Drtikol, Příbram /cz/

Prague´s premiere: 19. 11. 2025, Scouting Institute at Oldtown Square, Prague /cz/

A self-development art evening by relationship therapist Michal Nikodem with elements of therapy and dance. 
FOR THE BRAVE WITH AN OPEN MIND

An encounter that is an opportunity to provoke our own resources, to provoke a greater sensitivity that makes us more receptive, open and authentic. It doesn't matter if we want to improve the environment we surround ourselves with or better understand the arts, if we want to develop our careers in a more sophisticated way or embark on a creative pursuit ourselves. The impulse at the beginning of each of our desires transitions to the need to take new steps. Of course, our wishes don't just come true! Anything new is subject to inner doubts and harsh tests. Our own resources are a deeply buried treasure, but they are the only ones that help us to pass these tests. 

Art itself can trigger healing processes that we all have within us. Come and meet us. Come to be inspired. Come to discover your treasure!

Idea and guide of the performance: Michal Nikodem

Creative co-operation: Tereza Krčálová

Music: Václav Chalupský

Choreography: Jitka Sara Páníková, Yuri Korec

Interpretation: Jitka Sara Páníková, Daniel Raček

Artistic supervision, production: Honza Malík & 2WO association

An evening where you don't dance – but you can be moved.

What awaits you:

• A space to pause, become present, and become more sensitive

• A dance performance – an impulse for inner movement

• An inspiring atmosphere supported by an experienced guide

Review:

"...art helps solve problems. Whether you think about bedbugs or the current dramatic situation in the world and your own position in relation to it. This performance may not have solved the problem, but it may have encouraged us to look deeper into it. (...) One thing the evening did bring: people were able to talk easily and casually amongst themselves after the performance. But the question remains in the air: Was it art or therapy, or a bit of both?" Peter Kees, Münchner Merkur/Ebersberger Zeitung, Nov 17th 2023 (article "Art as a kind of therapy - An exciting experiment with movement at the Meta-Theater")

Thanks: public collection on Donio.cz, Helena and Jakub Urbanovi (TEP39), Berrak Yedek (Limpid Works), Jana Dolejšová, Štěpán Zahálka, Anna Línová, Jana Baladová.

a world first night: 19. 8. 2021, Přibyslav /cz/

international premiere: 2. 9. 2021, A4 Bratislava, Nu Dance Fest /sk/

Prague´s premiere: 7. 9. 2021, Limpid Works Studio, Prague

German´s premiere: 9. 10. 2022, Room Hip-hop Spot, Chemnitz /de/, I. Liberal Arts Festival

Выйду з лесу, выцягну хрыбет i ён будзе мне замест мяча. /

I will emerge from the forest, straighten my backbone, and it shall become my sword. 

DANCE against TOTALITY

The Belarusian state. A system that depresses and deadens. It promotes uniformity, monotony and obedience. Crowds of individuals understand that they want to live differently. To speak differently. To breathe different air. Their stories have become individualized. This story is about discovering and awakening our own resources. The moment a person realizes how vulnerable they are. How traumatized they are. How much his whole world has collapsed. But the world is still standing and has many layers. Variants. Variations. It's not over yet. It doesn't look like it's going to let up yet. But the transformation has already begun...  

The dance-theatre event is the result of cooperation between Czech and Belarusian artists. It is based on a dramatic text by a Belarusian playwright. The production is based on the text and on the direct personal experience of Belarusian artists with the suppressed protests and the subsequent liquidation of cultural life in Belarus.

Original text: no name67 /by/

Translation, dance dramaturgy, direction: Tereza Krčálová

Choreography: Kateřina Stupecká, Helena Ratajová

Expert supervision: Romana Štorková Maliti

Music: Yegor Zabelov /by/

Artistic cooperation and stage design: Tomáš Žižka

Costumes: Mariana Novotná

Light design: František Fabián

Creation, interpretation: Tereza Krejčová, Jolana Šturmová, Helena Ratajová, Anna Wollemannová

Project curator, realization, production: Honza Malík a 2VA association

Reviews:

"...The production activates with uncanny ease personal experiences of the tricky boundaries between care and violence, freedom and restriction, safety and threat..." M. Martinová, A2, #20/2023

"...Company grasps the theme of serious human rights violations, the use of systematic torture and the suppression of personal freedom as a stage poem. The weight of it falls on the viewer with a kind of literary delicacy. It gives him space. It is not impotent. It shows the way to solidarity and the courage of the individual. And above all, it opens up a societal issue that, in times of actual wars, we should know and think about." M.Faustová, October 14th 2023, Opera+

"...The stagers led us into an imaginary forest of bridal-white outfits and filled it with mysterious and all kinds of dislocated images. A quartet of dancers (....) awakened and explored the archetype of the psychic, accentuating both life-giving and lethal abilities. (...) It was akin to walking through an art gallery, with Picasso's Guernica, Max Ernst and Dali's anti-war paintings and Munch's The Scream hanging side by side, which are unfortunately again topical appeals..." V. Boušová, Tsunami 2, September 22nd 2023

„…Based on the specific political situation of a European country, creators has managed to realise a performative event in which the spectator is confronted with his own life situations, such as monotony, fear, frustration or trauma. The Belarusian undercurrent is surprisingly absent from the production; what remains are the generally load-bearing and powerful messages, which stand out most strongly in the dance parts. (…)The company team worked with the text not as inspiration or a literal script, but interpreted it through dance and performative means based on the physical experience of the text. (…)That forest is experiences, past events and emotions, and our spine, our axis, according to creators, will no longer bend, but will resolutely face what is to come.“ K. Šalounová, 21. 9. 2023, Taneční aktuality

under the auspices of: Ivan Vyrypajev & Embassy of Independent Belarusian Culture

Co-producers: X10 Festival Kutná Hora, GASK Kutná Hora, CED – Centre for Experimental Theatre in Brno, Next Wave Festival

Supported by: PULSAR association, "Nulová pozice" association, Theatre X10, Theatre of the National Theatre, Studio TEP39, TANEC Praha/Studio Krenovka, Studio Dance Perfect, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, City of Prague, EU4Culture Mobility

a world first night: 8. 9. 2023, GASK, 9th Theater festival in Kutná Hora /cz/

Prague´s premiere: 21. 9. 2023, X10 Theatre, Prague, …příští vlna/next wave…festival