Heroes in Antwerps

The production Heroes was created by the choreographer Dora Sulženko Hoštová together with Duncan Centre third-year students; Jan Čtvrtník was responsible for the music. The performance raises questions about who is a role model and what is a heroic act when you are seventeen. Tomáš Kubart wrote about the performance in the magazine Taneční zóna: “The characters switch between comic-book heroes and real young people who are learning to stand on their own two feet. Gestures of self-confidence and stylization intertwine with moments of shyness—with kisses, falls, and wonder at their own bodies.”

Since its premiere in December 2024, Heroes has received an unprecedented audience response—the performance has already been staged thirteen times, often at prestigious venues such as the National Gallery in Prague, the ARCHA+ Theater, and the Komedie Theater, or at events like the Bread & Dance Prague and Smetana’s Litomyšl festivals. In total, over 1,500 audience members have seen the performance.

The conservatory Director Petr Tyc comments on the success of Heroes: “In her work with the students, Dora Sulženko Hoštová showed great sensitivity to their experience of the world, which was reflected in the work’s successful dramaturgy. She chose a movement language that resonates with them. Thanks to this, they are believable on stage and succeed in connecting with the audience. I am very pleased that the production managed to impress the program curators of such a wide-ranging festival. I sincerely congratulate Dora on this success.”

The festival Louder Together takes place August 21–30, 2026, and brings together the World Festival of Live Arts for Children and Youth with the International Conference of Artist-Teachers (ITAC8). The festival’s motto is: “We want to give children and young people a voice. Let’s hear yours!” The organizers’ goal is to ensure that “every child and young person has access to the transformative power of the arts, which helps shape a more creative, empathetic, and culturally aware society.” The organizers’ aim to bring together young people from around the world is also reflected in the requirement that performers participate in the festival from the first day to the last.

The Duncan Center Conservatory focuses on contemporary dance. Great attention is paid to developing students’ creative potential. Students create their own works and collaborate with renowned Czech and international choreographers. The performance Heroes was created during one of these collaborations as part of a third-year educational project when conservatory students collaborate with a choreographer—an alumnus of the school—and actively contribute to the production of the performance through their own movement material and original ideas. In the past, this has led to works such as Jiří Bartovanec’s The Rite of Spring, with which the conservatory and its students represented Prague at the Czech Dance Platform and also presented it at the Czech Center in New York; Helena Ratajová’s From the Life of Insects; and Tereza Lenerová’s Hi Mom!. This autumn, another graduate of the school and successful choreographer, Johana Pocková, will be working with the students on a new project.

The students' participation in the festival is financially support by the Prague City Hall.