The end of March is starting to traditionally belong to the independent scene of progressive artists from Central and Eastern Europe. The ninth year of the dance and theater Bazaar Festival will take place from March 23 to 26 at several locations in Prague. After a long and restrictive covid period and a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bazaar opens the topic of care and urges the audience: Let's take care! But the question is, about whom or what? Can we take enough care of ourselves? Or do we just like to have something in our hands?
As of 2020, there seems to be no time to relax. The company not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout the world solves questions related to our existence, safety, health and the future of us and the planet, more intensively than ever before. The reasons are obvious, after the pandemic, which was apparently punished by nature itself, man himself decided to take the rule of the world into his own hands in the form of an aggressor from Russia. After people had a huge need to take care of their loved ones, now help is being denied especially to Ukraine. But we still need to take care of something else.
Perhaps that is also why there is currently a sharp rise in interest in processing this topic among Central and Eastern European creators, and this year's Bazaar Festival creative team decided to invite creators who look at care from different perspectives. Whether it's caring for others, for yourself, or the feeling that we have something in our hands and we don't want to give up this power. “Each year of our festival takes the audience on a wild ride, but independent dance and theater personalities are also an inquisitive and sensitive group. Entrust yourself to their care, it will freeze a little, but you will definitely be in good hands," says the artistic director and dramaturg of the festival, Ewan McLaren.
Who will take care of the audience?
Bazaar Festival starts in exactly one month and on March 23rd it will start in PONCI where it left off just before the pandemic three years ago. The opening of the festival will belong to the independent Estonian artist Kristina Norman, who was supposed to present her production as part of the 6th year of the festival. Covid decided otherwise, and her work Lighter than Woman is now, paradoxically, more relevant than ever. Kristina represents women, Ukrainian women, who were not afraid to take a big step into the unknown. What is it like to leave your own country and family to take care of someone else in a foreign country? The performative concept of the documentary combined with poetic and dance elements asks questions, what role does work play in achieving a happy life? Care looks completely different for the self-deprecating Estonian trio Epner, Kangra and Ulfsak (ex-legendary Theater NO99), who will present the event of this year's festival, a production called Workshop. Three men on the scene who can do everything, have been everywhere, know everything, have everything in their hands. Or?
But the first weekend of spring will bring much more. Friday evening will belong to two female soloists, the Slovak Eva Urbanová and the Israeli creator Roni Chadash. While Chadash questions how much of her own body belongs to her, Urban definitely shows that she does! Expect precise movement, sensitive choreography and unique performances. During the Sunday afternoon Zden Brungot Svíteková will take the participants on a participatory excursion. a tektoparty that connects geological and artistic disciplines and activates new perspectives on the functioning of our body, the body of society and the body of the Earth. The ninth year of the Bazaar will close with its work-in-progress Ran Jiao & Company with a piece whose germ appeared at last year's Saturday Bazaar, Spider, Turtle, We.
Saturday Bazaar a little different, but still traditional
Visitors will have the opportunity to see examples of currently emerging works by dance and theater artists working in Central Europe. It is a direct and up-to-date dialogue with the emerging art, which in many cases has not yet met the viewer. This year too, there will be a wide range of topics and approaches of two Czech and two foreign creative groups. Spectators can subsequently reflect on provocative, surprising and, above all, unseen demonstrations in stimulating moderated discussions.
Visitors can entrust themselves to the care of the organizers and guests of the Bazaar Festival from March 23 to 26, 2023. The festival program will take place in PONCI - theater for dance, X10 Theater, Alfred in the courtyard or in the Prague Creative Center. In addition to performances and productions, there is also a five-day workshop led by Bush Hartshorn, a specialist in nonviolent communication and receiving and giving feedback. The workshop is intended for professionals in the field of culture, but also for the wider public interested in this topic.
Individual tickets and festival passes can be purchased on the GoOut platform.