Chess

Renaissance play with dance

Wednesday 21 July 2004, 8.30 pm
Nostic Palace, Courtyard, Maltézské nám. 1, Praha 1

Ardente Sole – dance ensemble (Poland)
Pawel Winsczyk – direction
Romana Agnel – choreography

The performance of Chess, a renaissance play by the Polish poet Jan Kochanowski was an intriguing combination of dance, pantomime and the spoken word. A poem about a game of chess became the optimal basis for this original amalgamation of arts. Applying technique of renaissance dance combined with original choreographies of the 16^th century in Italian and French style, the performance comprised scenes in the period convention, revealing the specific character of court ballet. Expressive scenes from a chessboard battle scene accompanied by fanciful costumes and masks enabled the spectators to enter the fairy-tale world of the game.