A Music and Dance Faculty (HAMU) Festival organised in cooperation with the Environmental Panel of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Ticket reservations for selected shows with limited seating capacity:
https://bit.ly/45b4zgI
The world is changing, and so are the modes of our creative existence in it. The pandemic, the geopolitical situation, and the rise of artificial intelligence are all radically shifting life stances and habits for us all. The perception of time is changing, as is the way we handle it. Maybe it is the heightened sensitivity of artists who are trying to respond to the current changes in an exceptional manner.
(H)AMUFEST is creating a new continuum in this sense, bringing the youngest generation of artists across performing arts to a shared stage. Over the course of one Sunday afternoon, it will present the latest results of its creative work while offering much more. It will also try to collectively seek answers to the question of how to avoid losing room for concentration and creative forethought in an accelerated world, which is full of often chaotic and unorganised data noise. The above two qualities can provide a unique tool for revealing the nature of the changes we are experiencing.
The immediate connection between (H)AMUFESTu and the Environmental Panel of AMU seeks to accentuate the environmental topic, one of the most visible reflections of the far-reaching socio-cultural changes driven by the massive development of technology.
Programme:
Contemporary music, jazz, drums and percussion, improvisation, piano, singing, non-verbal theatre, dancing, electronica, DJs, sonic installation, performance, site specific
Detail programme:
| 14:00-14:25 | Partita for 8+ voices |
“The detail of the pattern is movement.” “Point 41 is situated between Point 40 and the centre point of the bottom part.”An amateur choir of students from HAMU, DAMU, and other universities has prepared the Partita for Eight Voices written by young composer Caroline Shaw, which merges contemporary composition with elements of ethnic music of the Innuits, Mongolians, and other nations. Shaw says she was inspired by Sol LeWitt’s work, Wall Drawing 305, and our natural desire for connecting the dots.
"Far and near are all around"... |
| 14:30-15:00 | H2ospodář |
H2ospodář: Interactive lecture on the topic of Water Footprint
The lecturers will guide you along the way of water from treatment to drinking quality, consumption and sustainable management in households to wastewater treatment, and help you understand the coexistence of water and landscape |
| 15:00-15:05 | opening word of the AMU´s rector and HAMU´s dean | |
| 15:05-15:55 |
Lecture Managing Less – Lecture by PhDr. Adam Suchý, psychologist
EVERYTHING WILL TURN OUT WELL |
We are living in a narcissistic civilisation based on unrest and performance, on evaluation and rapid rewards. Is this the best world we can live in? Why do instructions and advice fail? Is our brain sophisticated and smart, or can it be that everything is completely different? Let us think about ourselves for a moment as the creators of our own lives in a singular and almost optimistic mix of Gestalt psychotherapy and wellbeing. We will also touch on other topics that can leave unpleasant stains on the works of art that are our lives, or bring in out-of-tune tones.
PhDr. Adam Suchý is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and forensic expert. He worked at the Olomouc University Hospital, and has been running a private practice in Prostějov since 2008. He works as an assistant professor at the Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine in Brno and a coach and supervisor at the Dialog institute (Gestalt therapy training). Has published articles in both popular and science press, and authored the monograph Mediální zlo: mýty a realita (Media Evil: Myths and Reality, Triton, 2007) and the satirical novel Všechno se v dobré obrátí (Everything Will Turn Out Well, Albatros média, 2022). He is the Czech Republic’s representative in the Global Psychology Alliance and a member of other scholarly societies. Literary work is the parallel storyline of his life (poem collections and almanacs, song lyrics for Czech popular music artists, short stories). He likes photographing, pursues martial arts and yachting, and strives to learn how not to take himself and the world around so seriously. |
| 15:05-19:00 | Workshop with Liška mazaná A course in making natural cosmetics | Introduction to making cosmetics at home, suitable for both beginning and advanced makers. We will give you hints, tips and tricks, and you will also walk away with excellent products. |
| 16:00-17:00 | Eli a kol.: Paper World |
Paper appears inconspicuous and even banal, yet it is very interesting how much imagination and room for fantasy and movement it offers. A simple sheet of paper provokes one to play, create, yet also destruct. It can intrigue the senses and inspire fantasy to play.
Intended for children, the show works so well because children are open, have no prejudices with regard to theatre customs, and are willing to communicate with the dancers, play with them and create the different situations. It also offers room for children’s fantasy. |
| 16:00-17:30 | Language Barrier Equal |
When a Czech is speaking to a Ukrainian in English one of them cannot find a word, they will often say it in their native language and their counterpart will understand. How big or permeable is this barrier? How can people understand each other to share? Basic words, simple recipes, the story of a girl who got lost and cannot find her mum…
A collaboration between existing DAMU and FAMU students with students coming from theatre schools in Kharkiv, Kiev, and Lviv. |
| 17:00-18:00 | The Conference of the Birds |
A table, clothespins, three voices, wood, and metal.
An ordinary game at an oak table turns into a long journey, as clothespins and fragments and clusters of words turn into a heroic story. Three girls, voices, wood, and metal. Inspired by a poem written by Persian mystic and pharmacist Farid ud-Din Attar of Nishapur, the creative team reworked an old fable into a minimalist theatre piece that does not depend on a specific theatrical venue (35 min). Creative team: Daniela Grohová, Anežka Matoušková, Markéta Labusová, Simona Suchanová, Jana Nunčič, Kristýna Kužvartová DĚDA productions is a new art ensemble. The declension of its name in Czech is DĚDA/DĚDY (žena/ženy). Its purports to return to the roots of words’ meanings, engage in truthful human encounters, and rediscover the anthropological aspect of theatre. The ensemble also suggests changing the masculine declension model in Czech from ‘předseda’ to ‘artista’. |
| 17:00-17:50 | Veronika Knytlová et al.: Kaleidoscope | Kaleidoscope is an experimental project that straddles the line between being a workshop and a performance. Come and play: try out being a choreographer, arranging and watching motion patterns like the colourful facets that you can see through the cut glass in a kaleidoscope. This abstract work is an invitation ‘card’ from HAMU students to witness the show on the scene as well as in the young authors’ studio at the same time. Come and take part in this remarkable art experience, and if you have children around, make sure to bring them along. Keep your mobile handsets on – you will need them. |
| 18:00 - 18:10 | Věra Ondrašíková & Kolektiv |
We have no idea who planted them, or what they have been through…
Hana Strejčková (OPERA PLUS) When asked what best-known, iconic stage stet of the 20th century is, the lonely dry tree in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot will spring to mind for many of us. It is the witness to the times and their fateful turns and defeats. In this show, choreographer and dancer Věra Ondrašíková has cast a tree in a number of dancing roles, in which its functions and meanings change along with its miraculous transformations in time. It is a witness to emotional dance in honour of nature’s miracles. Of trees and men from a different angle… An adaptation of the Witness theatre play for non-theatre venues. Stories is an audiovisual motion show choreographed by Věra Ondrašíková with live music courtesy of Filip Míšek (Khoiba). Working with the lighting design is an important part of the show. The choreography is based in part on the original show, yet much more so on the layout of each venue (whether interior or exterior), responding to its architectural design and to a shift in the role of the tree as a ‘partner’. Since this involves working with genuine living matter, new planes of meaning open up: a tree as an entity with its own memory, as a witness of the times; it bears the traces of events and can speak without words. The Stories adaptation of Witness was motivated, among other things, by the ensemble’s need for a piece in repertoire that is easy to transfer into different venues and not confined by overly complex requirements for technology or space. The ensemble needed a work that could take root anywhere. The creative team is using its experience with a modified version of their successful piece, GUIDE, which was featured at the LIGHT NIGHT LEEDS and CULTURE NIGHT (Lithuania) festivals and seen by more than 1,500 viewers within a single day. |
| 18:15-18:30 | Michaela Dzurovčínová Out of Comfort |
Fear of difference triggers an automatic protective system in us. Different behaviour, different views, different needs erode our assurance regarding the world order. They question our ideals and change meanings.
What would happen if we tried to not identify with this fear, and instead of an instant judgement that fills our mind and affects or decisions, started to observe, seek ways to understand, and work on our capability of tolerance? What if we tried to perceive flaws and imperfections as an act of creativity? This improvised dance and music performance is about the complete connection and acceptance of imperfection as the new ideal. Musicians and dancers work as a single integral unit, an ensemble that creates a unique, unrepeatable moment together. This is a work-in-progress in master’s degree choreography. The premiere is slated for May 2024. This project was produced at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague as part of a project supported by funds for specific university research. |
| 18:30-18:40 | The Clash (Střet) |
Cast: Adéla Vávrová Eliška Švecová Jana Štofaniková Coaching & Supervize: Jan Jirák |
| 18:45-19:45 | Concert Block of the Keyboard Instruments Department |
Miloslav Kabeláč: Suita op. 5, č. 1
Milena Kharaneka Fryderyk Chopin: Balada g moll, op. 23 Vojtěch Trubač Alexandr Nikolajevič Skrjabin: Dvě poemy op. 32 Eliška Tkadlčíková György Ligeti: Arc en ciel Nina Honová Fryderyk Chopin: Barcarola Fis dur, op. 60 Marie Šumníková Maurice Ravel: Bárka na oceánu (z cyklu Zrcadla) Jana Otáhalová Toru Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch I. Claude Debussy: Ohňostroj (z cyklu Preludia) Matouš Zukal |
| 19:00-20:30 | Slavnost kynutí (The Feast of Proofing) | Slavnost kynutí (The Feast of Proofing) is a performative musical event for the Prague Quiet Music Collective including bass clarinet, viola da gamba, violin, and upright bass. Our principal theme is the life of sourdough bread, from dough to the oven. The texture of the dough is in visual juxtaposition to the body, skin, Earth surface, wood, and other raw materials and structures. The four musicians’ sonic material is based on the spectral analysis of the recordings of dough proofing and also defined by the way the present dough acts. In the project, we pursue sustainability and avoiding material waste. Markéta Labusová from the Composition Department along with Pietro Nacca collaborate on the sonic and image processing of the material. This will be the programme’s premiere. |
| 19:50-20:30 | ACOUSMONIUM: COMPOSITIONS IN SPACE |
An evening of acousmatic compositions with a spatial sound system at Galerie HAMU. The pieces are the result of student work in the Compositional Practice in Electroacoustic Music [KPEA] and Advanced Methods of Music Programming [PMHP] workshops.
The final piece, okno, okno, okno was provided by Gilberto Agostinho, a former graduate of the Composition Department who is now active in London. |
| 20:35-21:15 | IMPE Ensemble |
IMPE Ensemble has been performing with a varying line-up for about nine months, focusing on the interpretation of graphic and open scores. Ensemble members have experience with various types of music involving variable ratios of improvisation – and structured improvisation (usually defined by periods of time, tonal choice, or articulation) is the space in which we musicians meet.
Today evening, we will play selections that we believe are good sub specie aeternitatis (from the viewpoint of eternity. Structures, Pages (… and Improvisations) by Daniel Matej offer musicians a guide on how to grasp someone else’s material (preferably atonal) in a structured manner while not losing the context or fantasy. Elliott Sharp’s music is just as unpredictable as its author. Feedback 21 oscillates between the heterophony of rhythmical patterns and microtonally detuned drones whose energy is hypnotic rather than meditative. Michal Nejtek Playlist: 1. Daniel Matej: Structures, Pages (… and Improvisations) (2010/2013) 2. Elliott Sharp: Feedback 21 (2021) Ensemble: Michal Prokop – flute, Markéta Labusová – violin, Jana Havláková – violin, Martin Debřička – tenor saxophone, Juraj Gažmerčík – acoustic guitar, percussion, Jan Bára – electric guitar, Filip Tománek – percussion, Chao Tzu Han – melodica, Yelyzaveta Liakh – keyboards, Matyáš Meinczinger – keyboards, Klára Pudláková – upright bass |
| 21:20-22:00 | HEJNO |
Hejno (Flock) is a beast of an avant-garde five-piece. It produces aggressive music, which can also be touching and gentle at times, and these moods and colours constantly morph within the flow of songs and improvisation.
Nela Dusová, Martin Debřička, Honza Michálek – saxophones Klára Pudláková – upright bass Petr Balhar – drums |
| 21:30-22:00 | Left Out |
Authorial performance by the 3rd year students of the Nonverbal Theatre Department / A. Bočková, M. Habartová, D. Kolková, K. Paličková, A. Tomsová, A. Vávrová
Dramaturgical and directorial supervision / J. Šiktancová and E. Vavříková Do you prefer being for or against? Is it an argument or your opinion? Which of your convictions is incompatible with social conventions? When did you feel powerful for the first time? When did you feel especially powerless? “In certain countries of the world, women are left out of public life through government ordinances. These ordinances include the ban on education and employment for women and on travelling over long distances without male accompaniment, and restrictive rules for clothing.” The audience meets at 21:30 in front of the GAMU Gallery. The performance will begin in the Tržiště street – in front of the US Embassy. Duration: approximately 30 minutes |
| 22:00-23:00 | Concert of the HAMU Percussion Instruments Department | Drummers will take (H)AMUFEST visitors on a trip – into the depths of the soul as well as across continents. Wadaiko yosa-yosa is an ensemble that specialises in traditional Japanese style of drumming, using authentic musical instruments. It presents its respect and admiration for ancient traditions with fiery energy. The students of HAMU’s Percussion Instruments Department will draw the audience into a peaceful and even meditative soundscape using both commonly available instruments and evocative implements made specifically for this occasion. The drumming and percussion performance will include a composition inspired by the famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s. |
| 23:00-00:00 | Predskokan Otrok – Stavoprojekt | Predskokan otrok is an experimental electronic music project by composer and saxophone player Miroslav Tóth. It is a live performance created by mixing different forms of IDM, techno, glitch, drone ambient, and generative music. The project is the result of a social experiment that originated from Tóth’s performances for younger audiences at techno parties. He examined the question of the difference between being a support act and a slave in the audience. Tóth is currently working on his third album, Stavoprojekt, in collaboration with graphic designer and architecture theoretician Lucia Mlynčeková. The album is inspired by Lucia’s research into archive documents on Czechoslovak architecture. The drawings and designs will become the models for video mapping in concert venues as well as for the music itself. The audio-visual composition is their first collective art performance. |
| Egg God + Glass Concrete = Formačka | Slam poetry, deconstructing Slovak small town brass music, and techno: these are the cornerstones of musical performances courtesy of Richard Grimm and František Pisarovič. Their tempo is murderous, their sets are short, their birthplace is Senica. |
