Eva Priečková is an (in)dependent movement artist active in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Croatia. In her research, she challenges the concept of dance virtuosity and the notion of a perfectly controlled and trained body. She focuses on the phenomenon of movement in everyday life and its development within the community. Her starting point is the concept of shared experience, embodied knowledge, and creative observed flow. As a performer and choreographer, she is interested in interdisciplinary and experimental approaches, community projects, and situations beyond traditional dance ballet. She currently works as a doctoral student at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno.
She considers collaborations with artists and theorists across disciplines to be particularly important. She has collaborated and continues to collaborate with individuals such as Zuzana Žabková, Saghar Hosseinpour, Fergus Johnson, Katarína Poliačiková, Jonáš Grusko, Ján Solčáni, Jakub Juhás, András Cséfalvay, Zoltán Czakó, Silvia Sviteková, Maja Štefančíková, Peter Šavel, Yuri Korec, Tomáš Procházka, the mimoOs collective, the Apart collective, the Falošný pohyb collective, and others.
At JAMA 77, she will lead one of the workshops as part of Dielne 77. Students can sign up for it here.
In addition, she invites you to participate in her performance False Movement – Walking Backward, which she describes thus: “When my mom suffered unbearable knee pain while descending from Kľak, she suggested that she would walk backward. Like a crab. I held her hand and watched out for obstacles. She gradually conquered the steep slope downward. It was an hour-long joint effort to deal with discomfort and pain.
Walking backward. Seeing the space I’m leaving behind. Sensing the space I’m entering. Supporting each other’s backs. Experiencing protruding roots on the path and signaling to the group. Stepping first on the toes, then on the heels. Slowing down the pace. Sharpening the senses.
Walking backward can serve as a way to cope with pain or sadness. It can be a walking meditation, where I try to slow down, pay attention, and prevent a fall. It can be a reference to postmodern tendencies in movement art, where any kind of walking was perceived as dance. It can be an attempt to connect with neuroscience and create new neural synapses, as we challenge the brain to engage in a new (unfamiliar or less familiar) activity. It can be a collective search for stability and support.
During JAMA 77, I invite you to join me in a collective walk, backward, which will be part of the traditional hike in the surroundings of Banská Belá. We will try to turn our heads and reach our destination – in reverse, together.
The walk will last approximately half an hour. I recommend wearing comfortable sports attire and sturdy footwear.”
LANGUAGE – WORKSHOP: SLOVAK
LANGUAGE – PERFORMANCE: SLOVAK / ENGLISH
