Smetana was not only the founder of Czech national music, but also a renowned dancer, and many dance elements can be found in his music, too. That is why, in addition to a series of musical performances, the Smetana200 project will also host an extraordinary nationwide dance competition for participants aged from 6 to 26 years.

The competition is open to both ensembles and individuals who will create and stage their own choreographies (4-6 minutes long) to Bedřich Smetana's polkas in their original form (using their own recordings, recordings prepared by the music department of an “elementary art school” (ZUŠ), or recordings taken from the Smetana200 website, where they will be available for download from November 2022) or any other – classical or non-classical – original arrangement. Participation in the competition is free of charge.

The competition aims to promote collaboration between dancers and musicians. Therefore, musical recordings created specifically for the purposes of this competition will be most welcome. The musical aspect, however, is not subject to evaluation: only choreographies and their performances will be assessed. They must not include any projections or lighting, costumes are the only props allowed.

The regional rounds will take place in January and February 2024 in each of the individual regions of the Czech Republic. Their winners will be announced on 2 March 2024 – the day of the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth.

The final round of the competition will take place on 11 May 2024 in Prague. In June, its most successful participants will perform at a gala night taking place at the Smetana Festival in Litomyšl, and later in October also at the “Dance, Dance” festival in Jablonec nad Nisou. The absolute winner of the competition will also gain the opportunity to perform at the national festival ZUŠ OPEN 2024 and at other events organized by ZUŠ.

The jury will consist of leading experts. The patron of the competition is Eva Blažíčková.

Partners of the competition are: ZUŠ Open, UR ZUŠ, MenArt and NIPOS-ARTAMA. Media partnership is provided to the Smetana200 project by Czech Television and Czech Radio.

Polka C major

Arranged and performed by Tomáš Kačo

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Wedding scene from the symphonic poem Vltava, from the cycle My Country

Arranged and performed by Jana Vöröšová

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March of the comedians from the opera The Bartered Bride

Arranged and performed by Petr Wajsar

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Wedding scene from the symphonic poem Vltava, from the cycle My Country

Arranged and performed by Aliaksandr Yasinski 

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