Through stimulating movement and humanizing themes, Jiří Kylián continues to inspire dancers and audiences
Touching the hearts of artists and audiences around the world, Czech choreographer, and former Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater, Jiří Kylián, has made a significant impact in the world of dance. “He was one of the first people to successfully take classical technique and make it contemporary to make a wonderful and new vocabulary,” Welch recalls. “His ballets always felt profound to dance.”
With an extensive repertoire of full-length and one-act pieces, Kylián’s work delves into the depths of the human condition. In a film interview with Hans Hulscher, Kylián says that his primary goal as a choreographer is to explore “what it is to be human – our mixture of spirituality and physicality, truth and masquerade, our dazzling existence as a combination of strength, power, emotion and transience – as well as part of society, the cosmos and the circle of life.”
It’s clear that Kylián does not shy away from deep conversations, which is also reflected in his work; his 1980 creation Overgrown Path is a shining example. Premiering on the Wortham stage for the first time this March thanks to generous underwriting from Mrs. Norah Orphanides, Overgrown Path is “deeply rooted in the psyche of the country of which I was born,” as Kylián describes. The dancers seemingly glide through each step to piano melodies by Czech composer and music theorist, Leoš Janáček. On an Overgrown Path by Janáček was written in part to commemorate his daughter, Olga, who prematurely died from typhus in 1903. This work is also dedicated to Antony Tudor, an English ballet choreographer who profoundly impacted Kylián.
Aside from illustrating complex themes, Kylián’s work is also renowned for demanding a high level of physical endurance from the dancers. “Though at times it may not seem like it, Kylián’s choreography is exhausting to perform,” Welch says. And Welch is an expert in the field of Kylián ballets. In 1992, after awarded the Best New Choreographer in British Magazine, Welch received a Churchill Fellowship to study choreography with Kylián. During their time spent together, Kylián influenced Welch in more ways than one. Welch reminisces on a documentary he watched on the making of Overgrown Path and shares a moment that left an indelible mark: “Kylián talked about how the stage is not an entire universe and the audience is seeing a film director’s camera and all of his ballets have outside of that stage space, other things.”
Despite the sweat and great deal of tenacity it takes to perform his work, the opportunity to share Kylián’s brilliance with the world is unmatched. Joining Petite Mort, Sinfonietta, Dream Time and more, Overgrown Path is the 12th addition to the legacy of Kylián’s works in Houston Ballet’s repertoire. With Overgrown Path being one of Kylián’s first choreographic works, Welch says, “I want the audience to meet him when I did and follow him all the way to now so that they can understand his journey. Overgrown Path is great for our audiences to see the lineage and the history of the choreographers who were influenced by these same things.”
By Kharma Grimes
En Pointe with Houston Ballet 