PERFORMANCE

NATIONAL BALLET OF KOSOVA

5 November, 18:00 h,
Place: National Theatre of Kosova 

Choreographer & director: Gjergj Prevazi / Ass choreographer: Fatjon Sulstarova / Music composed by: Valton Beqiri & Lhasa, Celentano and Norah Jones / Ballet dancers: Behije Murtezi, Labinot Rexhepi, Sinan Kajtazi, Vjollca Llugiqi, Jeta Musolli, Bardha Neziri, Driton Saqipi, Luljeta Ademi, Drilon Podrimçaku, Leonora Rexhepi, Albulena Shala, Fatlum Zeka / Light: Asslan Hyseni & Sherif Sahiti / Sound: Enver Maxhuni.

PERFORMANCE

Performance, not the essence; appearance, not the content; cover, not the spirit; play, not the reality; theater, not the routine; unnatural not natural… are these phenomena that we face everyday together with poorness and corruption, governance and violence, love and hatred, truth and lies, victory and failure, beauty and ugliness…?

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL BALLET OF KOSOVA

The History of Kosovo Ballet dates from 1972, which was when the first Kosovo Ballet Troupe was established within the National Theater of Kosovo in Prishtina. At that time the Troupe contained 19 dancers, who graduated from the Ballet School in Skopje. Despite all the difficulties that we faced, we managed to hold many performances – on average two premiers per year. At that time the Kosovo Ballet Troupe participated in all festivals organized all over ex-Yugoslavia. Male dancers from the Ballet Troupe were eminent. During these years, the Kosovo Ballet Troupe also employed a few women dancers from different countries such as: Albania, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Poland and Romania. The Troupe worked with different choreographers from Albania and ex-Yugoslavia. The success of this troupe continued until 1989, when the political situation in Kosovo started to deteriorate. As repression included all cultural activities and everything that was Albanian, all the dancers were forced to leave their work place and thus the Kosovo Ballet Troupe ceased to exist on 01.10.1991. Therefore from this date we were not able to function or hold any ballet performances.

Even in the difficult conditions after the war, we began to organize lessons and hold Ballet classes. In 2000, we created the first ballet class within the Musical School in Prishtina where the immediate requirement to renew the ballet troupe with young dancers was achieved. During their studies, this class participated in four Ballet Troupe projects. Thus these were the first steps toward renewing the Kosovo Ballet Troupe. In 2005 the first generation of ballet class graduated from the Musical School, and they are considered to be the foundation of the National Ballet of Kosovo troupe that is growing continuously by recruiting new members (dancers).
Since 2005, the Kosovo Ballet Troupe has held 5 premiers of contemporary ballet and three classic ballets.

The Troupe participated in five International festivals, where it was highly evaluated by public, art and ballet scene critics.