“Imagine yourself breathing.”

Three performers undergo a procedure Treatment of Remembering together with the audience in a time when nature, consumed by humanity, no longer exists. In poetic dance paintings, they fall into a state of remembering nature in an emptied space-time. Through the artificial imitation of the world, which has pushed out the real world, they point to the ever-increasing replacement of the natural environment with the artificial products of human activity. By awakening memories of long forgotten experiences, the treatment of remembering procedure draws attention to the uniqueness of physical and emotional experiences connected with nature. The sensitivity of sound design and original music, together with extreme light atmospheres, enhance the intensity of sensory perception and thus complement a work filled with a constant vibration of origin and extinction. Yet from the artificially created atmospheres of calm emerge strong concerns, encouraging the viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the environment.

POCKETART is a team of creative artists in the field of contemporary dance and physical theatre, who work under the direction of choreographers Johana Pocková and Sabina Bočková. As part of their projects, the team brings together artists from the fields of dance, music, set design, fine arts, and lighting design.

The creative art of the team is epitomised by addressing topics that go beyond personal experience of an individual and touch upon societal issues such as media manipulation, global environmental threats, stress in the competitive context, and the position of man within the system of corporate work. The authors try to approach these topics comprehensively through detailed work with all theatre components. For each work, they look for a new, topic-specific stylisation of physical expression, to create dance images from specific body references. Through its distinctive poetics, visual purity and powerful original music, the collective performance aims to convey a spiritual experience and lead the spectators to reflect on our society.

Sabina Bočková (* 1995) is a Prague-based choreographer and dancer ue. After studying classical ballet and modern dance and a three-year engagement in ballet ensembles (Ballet of the South Bohemian Theatre, Prague Chamber Ballet), she decided to continue working as an independent artist. In 2019, together with Johanna Pocková, she created the duet Lion’s Den [Jáma lvová], nominated for the 26th edition of the Czech Dance Platform. It became part of the prestigious Aerowaves21 selection. The performance is inspired by media manipulation and political populism. In the same year, in collaboration with the Slovak performer Tomáš Janypka, she created another duet of songlines: Expedition 97/18 [songlines: expedice 97/18], which deals with the loss of a loved one. In 2020, together with Johanna Pocková and Inga Zotová-Mikshina, she created another feature-length performance, Treatment of Remembering that touches upon the topic of nature threats. The performance won the International Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 27th Czech Dance Platform. It is part of the European Aerowaves platform22. Her work was supported by the Big Pulse Dance Alliance. In 2022, with Lion’s Den she participates in the European project ShapeIt! for young viewers. She is a member of the POCKETART group where she creates her own works. In addition to her own work, she has long collaborated as a performer with the Tantehorse groups, with the group tYhle and the choreographer Marie Gourdian, Milan Tomášik and, more recently, with Cirk La Putyka. Fascinated by the simple to everyday body language, she transforms movement through choreographic structures and meanwhile comments on topics that resonate through social and cultural issues.

Johana Pocková (* 1992) graduated from the Duncan Centre Dance Conservatory in Prague, completed a six-month internship at the Peridance Capezio Centre in New York and two years at the SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance). She currently focuses on author's choreography. In 2017, she won the Jarmila Jeřábková Award for her choreography MURDER! Small Cartoon History [VRAŽDA! Malá komiksová historie]. In recent years, she has also presented the production Why Not Now? [Proč ne teď?], On the Váh! [Na Váhu!], Full Warehouses of Emotions [Plné sklady citů] and the dance film Folds of Touch. Together with Sabina Bočková, she is the author of the performance Lion’s Den [Jáma lvová] selected for the Czech Dance Platform 2020, in a selection of the top 20 productions on the European platform Aerowaves21. Her work was supported by the Big Pulse Dance Alliance. In 2022 she is part of the European project ShapeIt! for young viewers. Her latest work, together with Sabina Bočková and Inga Zotová-Mikshina, Treatment of Remembering, won the International Jury Prize and the Audience Award on the Czech Dance Platform 2021. It became part of Aerowaves Twenty22. In 2019, she founded the dance association POCKETART and, in 2020, she won the 1st prize of the Taneční aktuality for her contribution to the dance scene. As a performer, she collaborates with the groups Tantehorse and tYhle.

Inga Zotova-Mikshina (* 1988) comes from Siberia, Russia. She studied dance at the dance school in St. Petersburg and at the Duncan Centre Conservatory in Prague. She is interested in performance, dance improvisation, physical theatre, visual arts, and Western and Eastern philosophy. As a performer, she collaborates, inter alia, with the Spitfire Company, Tantehorse and the Archa theatre. In 2015, she won the 1st prize of Jarmila Jeřábková at the New Europe festival. She is the founder of the art group Ferst Dadler, the POCKETART group and the Guides collective that annually participates as a special guest at the KIOSK festival in Žilina. She is currently part of the projects Treatment of Remembering (POCKETART), A Flat for Limbová [Byt pre Limbovú] (Guides team), performance PRIMA (collaboration with Viktor Černický). She studies aesthetics at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague, and practices and teaches yoga. She teaches Yoga and Creation at the Duncan Centre Conservatory.

Lukáš Palán (* 1992) is musician, composer and sound performer. He studied at The Otakar Pinkner private school with focus on electric guitar, and completed 4 semesters of music studies at The Masaryk University. He is interested in modulating and effecting the sound signal, and has participated in several Noise Kitchen workshops. With its two music bands – the alternative rock band Role and the electronic project 1flfsoap, ´he actively plays in the Czech Republic and Europe (England, France, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia). He accompanied Petr Nikl at the Moravian Gallery, made music for the production of the HaDivadlo Laser Romance [Laserová romance] experimental stage, and accompanied live the Berlin performer Alice Minar in her performance Saudade. He regularly performs at leading European music festivals (Ozora, Colours of Ostrava, Beseda u Bigbítu, Rock for Churchil, Rock for People) and has participated in several international music conferences (Waves Vienna, BUSH, Ment, Spring Break). With his music bands, the played as forerunner to such musicians as King Krule and John Hopkins with his bands. He is a long-term collaborator of the POCKETART, with which he created music for two feature productions, Lion’s Den [Jáma lvová] and Treatment of Remembering. In 2021 he composed music for the group tYhle and their performance Suitcaseboarding, and collaborated with the Brno BuranTeatr on the project I am not alone. At the 27th Czech Dance Platform, he received a special award from the International Jury for his collaboration with dance authors.

Concept, directed and choreographed by: Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková, Inga Zotova-Mikshina
Performance: Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková, Inga Zotova-Mikshina / Barbora Rokoszová
Music: Lukáš Palán
Sound design: Jakub Štourač                                           
Set design: Denisa Švachová
Light design: Michal Horáček
Dramaturgical consultant: Petra Hauerová
Production: POCKetART z.s.
Co-production: Ponec – divadlo pro tanec – theatre for dance, TANEC PRAHA z.ú. – DANCE PRAGUE
Financial support from: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Cultural Fund CR, City of Prague Municipality
Supported by: BAZAAR festival, REZI.DANCE Komařice, Moving Station Plzeň, Švestkový dvůr Malovice

Photo: Michal Hančovský