BELOW THE SURFACE

ONDŘEJ KYAS / KATEŘINA KŘIVÁNKOVÁ Under the Sea, ballet based on the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by H. Ch. Andersen, commissioned by the festival, in cooperation with ZUŠ Veveří, world premiere music by Ondřej Kyas libretto, dramaturgy by Kateřina Křivánková choreography and direction by Gabriela Hrabalová scene and costumes by Tereza Jančová performed by students of ZUŠ Veveří conductor Jan Bělohlávek “The idea of choreographer Gabriela Hrabalová to translate the story of The Little Mermaid into a ballet form appealed to me very much – also because this Andersen fairy tale is often reduced to just an image of naive love, although in reality it carries deep existential motifs that resonate even today.