“… On the aspen, leaves grow dim,
and when they fade, they drop from limb.
So too shall I grow pale and thin;
when I fade, shall I fall in?”
—Czech folk song
Are we at the beginning or the end? The last tremors, the dwindling fire… a disaster of the elements or an ecstatic state? Total happiness, or immeasurable suffering? Or just the everyday fatigue of ordinary days? One must take pause. Stand still for a moment. Where a fire burned moments ago, there is now tranquility. Bodies are exhausted, time has slowed down. Finally, some rest. But how long can it last? The perception of time differs among living beings. Humans strive to be the fastest and most productive, yet they place value on constancy and endurance. The root system from which we grow forms the foundation of our existence. We support one another and form communities. From pliable bodies that gain strength in their search for a path, stable supports emerge.
“Tremula” refers to trembling or quivering, and it is also the Latin name for aspen. For the artist Eliška Brtnická, dancer Markéta Vacková, and director Jana Stárková, the quality of delicate quivering became a starting point for exploring movement material. They further developed their artistic approaches, rooted in pure bodily physicality, in collaboration with composer Ian Mikyska and visual artist Pavel Havrda.
Eliška Brtnická is an artist, performer, choreographer, dramaturge, and director. She studied nonverbal theater at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU), where she also completed doctoral studies focused on contemporary circus. In 2010, she founded the ensemble Cirkus Mlejn, under which she creates her projects. In 2017, she completed a year-long course in circus dramaturgy at the prestigious French circus school CNAC in Châlons-en-Champagne. She also works as a dramaturge for the international festival Fun Fatale. Her solo piece Enola was included in the Top 50 Czech Performance Collection.
Markéta Vacovská is a choreographer, dancer, and performer based in Prague and Pilsen. She studied nonverbal theater at HAMU in Prague. Since 2009, she has been a member of the internationally acclaimed ensemble Spitfire Company, with which she has created over a dozen productions as a performer and/or choreographer. For the production One Step Before the Fall, created in her choreography together with director Petr Boháč and musician Lenka Dusilová, she received numerous national and international awards, including Dancer of the Year at the Czech Dance Platform festival, The Herald Angel Award (Edinburgh Fringe), the Divadelní noviny award, the Next Wave choreography award, recognition as an Aerowaves Priority Company in 2014, and a broader nomination for the Thalia Award. For her original project Odloučení, developed out of her need to address the taboo subject of a child’s death, she received the Czech Dance Platform award for exceptional achievement and performance, in collaboration with musician Sára Vondrášková (aka Never Sol), as well as a broader nomination for the Thalia Award 2022.
As a performer and choreographer, she has collaborated with many other Czech ensembles, including Divadlo Kolonie, Studio Hrdinů, Tantehorse, Cirkus Mlejn, Cirkus TeTy, and the Plilsen-based Tuto Cirk. She is currently co-developing the dance community DanceWell, where she works as one of the instructors for dance classes for people living with Parkinson’s disease (and others). She actively contributes to the creation of performative projects under the Tantehorse ensemble in collaboration with Miřenka Čechová. Additionally, she works as a field worker for the Early Care Program at the organization TADY A TEĎ, o.p.s.
Jana Stárková is a director, dramaturge, performer, educator, and co-founder of the artistic group Špatné divadlo. She collaborates on the European project Unlock the City!, which focuses on dramaturgy in public spaces. She has contributed to projects such as Kulturunezastavis, Televize Naživo, and productions including Lavabo, Ó, Effugio, Euchrid, and others. Previously, she served as dramaturge for the ensemble Cirk La Putyka and was the location manager for the performance program PQ2023. Her work primarily focuses on movement and dance circus, and she is a proud member of the choir Veselé chvíle.
“From a skillfully polished, systematically and functionally layered work, with an ornate and living integration of movement, sound, and image, a gradual convergence of performance and installation naturally emerges, their ultimate fusion readily apparent.” — Marie Kobrlová, Opera Plus
Duration: 50 min
No language barrier
Concept and production: Martina Hajdyla, Eliška Brtnická, Jana Stárková
Performance: Martina Hajdyla / Markéta Vacovská, Eliška Brtnická
Music: Ian Mikyska
Scenography and lighting design: Pavel Havrda
Costumes: Petra Vlachynská
Movement support: Kristián Mensa
Music interpretation: Ian Mikyska, Jakub Švejnar / Jaroslav Čermín Noga
Technical support: Sebastián Vích
Photography: Alex Chudá
Graphic design: Jozef Ondrík
Social media: Alice Krajčířová
Production: Eva Roškaňuková, Jiří Hajdyla / ME-SA
Co-production: Studio ALTA
Project partners: Cirqueon, REZI.dance, SE.S.TA
The project at Kulturní stanice Galaxie is being created in collaboration with: Studio ALTA, 4 + 4 Days in Motion and Danceconnected
The project is supported from public funding by: Prague City Hall, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Culture Fund of the Czech Republic
