A Little Extreme

• Choreography: Petr Zuska
• Music: American rap, hip hop a R&B (2 Pac, 50Cent, Nelly, Eminem, Shaggy, Cypress hill, Akon) and relaxing esoteric fairy tale for children
• Sets: Petr Zuska, Jan Dušek
• Costumes: Roman Šolc
• Light design: Petr Zuska, Pavel Kremlík
• Duration: 30 min.
• Number of dancers: 8
• World premiere: 21. 5. 2006 - Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf (Ballett Düsseldorf)
• Czech premiere: 17. 6. 2009 - Czech National Ballet

First and foremost, A Little Extreme accentuates the bizarre contrast between two diametrically opposed musical styles (Rap, Hip Hop, R&B – an relaxation esoteric fairy tale for children), as well as different poetics – quotations from hip hop and classical dance, inosculation of kindness and violence. With regard to the theme, Zuska particularly drew upon the lyrics of the selected songs, mainly relating to social and existential issues, sex, criminality, racial problems, that is, the current Euro-American “plight”, whose origins date back deep into the past. That which comes across as kind, is actually cruel, and vice versa. A play swaying on the edge between the two extremes, it features absurdity, humour and hyperbole.

In a specific way, Petr Zuska cultivates the form of collage, which itself is a principle of a seeming confrontation. He joins together a one-dimensional parable of human aggression with almost clip-like contemporary images. Adoration of a teddy bear, playing with handguns – these are merely substitutive symbols for a stage metaphor of the irrevocably vanishing childhood, the age of certainty, innocence and purity. To a certain degree, in this work Zuska faces up to pop culture, sometimes with aloofness, now and then with a wry grin and understanding.

Foto: Pavel Hejný, Hana Smejkalová