One of the highlights of this year's program will be the memorial program "Tribute to Jaroslav Jurášek", dedicated to this prominent figure of Czech folklore, musical arranger, composer, dramaturge and long-time artistic director of the Military Art Ensemble Ondráš. Jaroslav Jurášek left an extraordinary mark not only within Ondráš, but also in the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, where he was at the very beginning and became its first dramaturge and musical arranger.
A full-ensemble program consisting of dance, singing and musical numbers will take you from the region of South Bohemian ponds, through Moravia to vibrant Slovakia. You will enjoy both Czech round dances and dances from the Slovak region, admire the variety of costumes from several regions and finally amaze you with almost acrobatic dance creations from the popular Myjava.
Folklore is complex and needs to be sensitively woven / rewoven into the rhythm of today’s “folk” – social life. In contemporary folklore, many narratives and voices (including the LGBTQIA+ community) fail to find appropriate representation. The inclusivity / exclusivity of folklore is our starting point for exploring the ritual performance: Ride of Kings. We focus on the ritual surrounding the Ride of Kings, inspired by an in-depth exploration of one of the key aspects of the ritual: transformation. The performance will be preceded by a workshop that creates a safe space for inclusive discussion on the themes of transformation and LGBTQIA+ representation in folklore. The ritual performance is a collaboration between Sonya Darrow (folk artist & sociologist), David Severa (designer and artist), Jan Bražina (designer and artist), and the Drag Kings collective (Rudy Daddy, Chad Clitt, Tommie Foolerie). The program is part of the folk-art movement: Folklore’s Not Dead. The performance and workshop Ride of Kings will take place in Tyršov Park on July 12th from 2:00 PM.
Folklore is complex and needs to be sensitively woven / rewoven into the rhythm of today’s “folk” – social life. In contemporary folklore, many narratives and voices (including the LGBTQIA+ community) fail to find appropriate representation. The inclusivity / exclusivity of folklore is our starting point for exploring the ritual performance: Ride of Kings. We focus on the ritual surrounding the Ride of Kings, inspired by an in-depth exploration of one of the key aspects of the ritual: transformation. The performance will be preceded by a workshop that creates a safe space for inclusive discussion on the themes of transformation and LGBTQIA+ representation in folklore. The ritual performance is a collaboration between Sonya Darrow (folk artist & sociologist), David Severa (designer and artist), Jan Bražina (designer and artist), and the Drag Kings collective (Rudy Daddy, Chad Clitt, Tommie Foolerie). The program is part of the folk-art movement: Folklore’s Not Dead. The performance and workshop Ride of Kings will take place in Tyršov Park on July 12th from 2:00 PM.
The traditional musical farewell to summer in the Brno Denisovy sady park will be dedicated to the recently deceased master of Moravian folklore and professor of Masaryk University, Mr. Dušan Holý. The open-air concert "Praise God, I was born here", this time in the folklore atmosphere of the Moravian cimbalom, will resound in the park on Thursday, August 28, 2025 from 6 p.m. The Horňácká cimbalom music of Petr Mička will perform, accompanied by soloists from Hrubá Vrbka and other places in the Horňácko region, the singing of the Male Choir from Hrubá Vrbka and personal memories of Prof. Holý. The speech will be given by Prof. Holý's friend — actor, director and writer Břetislav Rychlík.
