Jiří Kylián (Czechoslovakia, 1947) started his dance career at the age of nine, at the School of the National Ballet in Prague. He left Prague when he received a scholarship for the Royal Ballet School in London in 1967. After this, he left to join the Stuttgart Ballett led by John Cranko. Kylián made his debut as a choreographer here with Paradox for the Noverre Gesellschaft. After having made three ballets for Nederlands Dans Theater (Viewers, Stoolgame and La Cathédrale Engloutie), he became artistic director of the company in 1975. In 1978 he put Nederlands Dans Theater on the international map with Sinfonietta. That same year, together with Carel Birnie, he founded Nederlands Dans Theater II, which was meant to function as a breeding ground for young talent. He also initiated Nederlands Dans Theater III in 1991, the company for older dancers, above forty years of age. This three dimensional structure was unique in the world of dance. After an extraordinary record of service, Kylián handed over the artistic leadership in 1999, but remained associated to the dance company as house choreographer until December 2009.
Jiří Kylián has created nearly 100 works of which many are performed by ballet companies and schools all over the world.
Throughout his career he has received many awards among which the ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur’ (Paris, 2004) and the Highest cultural award for ‘Art and Science’ of the order of ‘Oranje Nassau’ by Queen Beatrix (2008).
At the 2013 Aichi Triennale his new work "East Shadow" will be premiered.
"East Shadow" is inspired by the world of Samuel Beckett and dedicated to the victims of the Tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.
Performed by Sabine Kupferberg and Gary Chryst and pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama, video by Jason Akira Somma.