Portraits of dancers in motion, an unconventional exhibition by Jakub Sobotka

"I tried to create civil portraits of the dancers. That's why they're in ordinary, training clothes, without make-up and any props. I leave them free, and I want them to show what they really are," says Jakub Sobotka about his black-and-white photo cycle PERFORMERS, which you can see until 18 March in Holešovice, Prague.

The photographs are hovering in a thoroughly-balanced equilibrium at the Jatka78 cultural center cafe. "For this space I chose an installation of photographs in the form of kinetic objects hanging from under the ceiling. Dancers float over the heads of the visitors, they are in motion which is inherent to dancing," says Sobotka.

The exhibition was inaugurated on the evening of 6th February. The introductory words were spoken by Nataša Novotná and Václav Kuneš, founders of the Czech team 420PEOPLE. Both of them are among the first dancers Sobotka has portrayed, so their photos cannot be missed at Jatka78. In addition, the 11th annual TANECVALMEZ Dance Festival was solemnly launched - the very festival which motivated the photographer born in Zašová to create the PERFORMERS cycle.

The idea of ​​portraying "civil" portraits of leading Czech and world dancers was born in 2015. The first pieces were created in cooperation with Jo Strømgren Kompani and the Czech dance company 420PEOPLE, who also performed at the Jatka78 Theater after the vernissage. In their choreography called Mirage, the French-Czech actress Chantal Poullain has also showcased her acting talent.

Apart from the portraits of 420PEOPLE dancers, you can see Norwegian artists from Jo Strømgren Kompani, DEKKADANCERS and Burki & Com, Polish company Witamin T and French dancers around choreographers Kadera Attou and Andrew Skeels. All of them have performed in the past at the TANECVALMEZ festival.