Biography - gallery

Has studied choreography at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (VŠMU) in Bratislava under the direction of professor Štefan Nosáľ and at the Institute for Dance and Dance Instruction in Belgian Antwerp. Later on, he acquired job as the solo dancer in the H.F. Dansetheatre Amsterdam and was teaching modern dance at the International Dance Stage Bornem in Belgium.

In 1993, he established the 12-member Balet Torzo, which was the first attempt for a professional theatre of modern dance in Slovakia. He introduced his first full-length performance, Responsio Mortifera. For Balet Torzo, several other choreographies were created: Padajúce dni (Falling Days), UM-BA, To hlasy ľudu slovanského (The Voices Of Slavonic People), Jarný program (Spring Program), Stravinsky Weddings. At the same time, he was working at performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mary Stuart, Little Shop Of Horrors for Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra and Sweet charity, Oliver Twist for the State Theatre in Košice.

In 1994, he was awarded the 1st prize in choreographic contest in Nitra and was the finalist of the Prix Volinine Paris 1994 Contest.

In 1995, he created the first choreography for the Slovak National Theatre (SND) in Bratislava – children’s ballet Z rozprávky do rozprávky (From A Tale To Tale). With a 50-member ensemble, he has done the The Rite Of Spring of Stravinsky.

In 1997, he became the co-founder and artistic director of the Bratislava Dance Theatre (BDT), for this body, he created the first night performance ofWeddings, TheFirebird, children’s musical O Jankovi Hraškovi (Story Of A Boy, Little As A Pea), and a multimedia project, Romeo and Juliet. At the same time, he has done Dances ByThe End of Summer and A Little Night-Music for Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Theatre in Bratislava, Dvořák´s Goblinfor Janáček National Theatre in Brno and Faust and Margareta for State Opera in Prague.

Two years later, he was the director and choreographer of the Musical Grease,which experienced in Prague GOJA MUSICHALL 200 repeated performances, and the author of The Magic Flute for J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň. In 1999, he was awarded the Crystal Wing for the staging The Tree for Slovenský ľudový a umelecký kolektív (SĽUK). In 2000, he has founded the theatre-dance body JAN. The author’s program ... on Your Graves was presented in the World Financial Center in New York (USA).

He cooperated at the choreography of musicals Some Like it Hot, Hamlet, Balada o zlodejovi koní (Ballad of A Horse-Stealer),Gypsies Go To Heaven and Cage of Fools for Nová Scéna Theatre in Bratislava and Greek Zorba for Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra.

He directed and was the author of choreography of the dance mega-project,Circus World for SĽUK. At the turn of years 2002 and 2003, he adapted the original ballet Rasputin for the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. In F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec, he cooperated at the musical Na skle maľované (Painted On The Glass) .

The milestone in his creation was the first night performance of the author’s work, TheFirebird, studied with the Japanese ensemble Tokyo Metropolitan City Ballet, in New National Theatre, Tokyo (2004). With the JAN company, he has created and produced the rhythmical-dance show GASP, which was up to now visited by 120,000 viewers.

In 2004, the Bratislava Dance Theatre produced a multimedia project Romeo and Juliet at the International Arts Festival in Tokyo. In the same year, he created the classic ballet, Spartakus for the Slovak National Theatre and the original Slovak musical, Dirty Dancing, firstly performed in the ARENA Theatre in Bratislava.

Early in 2005, he prepared the musical Full Monty for F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec. In April 2005, he established the Slovak Dance Theatre. First performance of the SDT - Bolero/Mother 's Story – was successfully presented in Circullo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. He adapted the cultish Slovak musical Na skle maľované (Painted On Glass), for Nová Scéna in Bratislava.

Late that year, he studied the work My Country for the State Opera in Prague and again introduced The Firebird in the Japanese Tokyo. Next year, he prepared the adrenaline show, Slovak Street Session for the Arena Theatre and the second run of the performance ... on Your Graves. He studied the musical Don’t Take Our Princess Away for Nová Scéna in Bratislava.

In 2007, he adapted the musical Blood Brothers in F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec, at Nová Scéna in Bratislava has firstly performed the dance show GASP 2 and for the Slovak National Theatre, he studied the original ballet fairy talePopolvár(Ashman). The Slovak Dance Theatre has firstly performed his dance-theatre performance Labuťko (Inspired by Swan Lake), which is currently on a swing around Slovakia.