He is skilled in dancing and acting, but he can paint pictures just as skillfully. You can currently see him on boards that mean the world in Prague, Brno and Munich. He is the face and soul of our new campaign, New Era, which presents the latest in our offer. Read the interview with the multi-talented Michal Heriban.
You are very talented artistically – dancing, acting, drawing. In which artistic position do you feel best?
I feel best as a freelance artist, I love the freedom of being able to create and work on what interests me at the moment, what fascinates me at the moment, to let myself be carried away by fate. I have periods when I am more dedicated to theater, dance, and for example, during the first lockdown, I started painting and creating more. I like diversity, I try to avoid stereotypes and create a kind of balance every year. This year I was more in the role of a choreographer, whether invited to a project or as part of my own performance. Maybe in a few years I will start creating sculptures. :)
But that wouldn't be completely unfamiliar to you. :) You studied sculpture and scenography, and later fine arts pedagogy. So how did you get into dance?
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by art and theater, I have always been drawn to that direction and I knew that this would be my path. Since elementary school, I attended the Niagara children's dance group, where we studied American country dances, European national dances and tap techniques. So until high school, I went to performances and dance competitions. In such an environment, you learn discipline, reduce stage fright, stress and, most importantly, gain self-confidence. In addition, I began to study fine arts and later, during college, I discovered dance theater and the Elledanse school in Bratislava, where I worked for about seven years. I was part of several full-length performances and fell in love with theater. However, I never thought that dance and theater could be my livelihood in the future.
You currently live in Prague, but you also work in Munich. Where can we see you perform?
I came to Prague through an audition. It was my first dance audition, organized by the Tanec Praha festival, and it was for a project with the renowned German choreographer Micha Purucker. I won the audition, and so began our long-term collaboration. We are currently preparing our seventh premiere in Munich, called "Threads and Knots", with great dancers from Italy, Belgium and Germany. Since 2015, I have also been collaborating with Lenka Vagnerová & Company.
You can currently see me at the National Theatre in Prague (Sternenhoch), at the Minor Theatre (Sněhová královna), at the Bravo Theatre with acrobats from the Losers Cirque Company (Vzduchem) and we are currently premiering a performance with an international cast, "Ostrov" by choreographer Jana Burkiewiczová, who you know in Slovakia as the director of Ball in the Opera. I have also started collaborating with the amazing Jana Drdácká, a leading flamenco dancer, on the project "Sen o Božene". Early next year, I will have the Prague premiere of my authorial project "Reproducer". In collaboration with the Contemporary Theatre in Prague, we are preparing the premiere of the performance "Happines" and from next year I will be a guest at the National Theatre in Brno, where I will be part of the opera "Alcina" directed by Jiří Heřman.
Last year you were nominated for the Thalia Award for your role in Panoptik (a performance by the Lenka Vagnerová & Company Dance Theatre). What did that mean to you?
The Thalia Awards are a prestigious award for artists in the field of theatre. As for the dance category, this award is regularly won by great ballet soloists. Of course, the jury does not forget about other genres, and professionals from the fields of contemporary dance, physical theatre and pantomime also make it to the wider nomination. I managed to do it last year, I got into the narrow nomination among the top three and I was very pleased. It is a beautiful reward for the work I do. Because dance is beautiful, but it is also hard work and long hours spent in training and rehearsals. Sweat, pain, injuries, discipline and we dancers often do not know what a weekend is.
In your professional life, you are surrounded by art on a daily basis. Do you attend cultural events as a spectator? If so, what has caught your attention recently?
I try to go to culture, even though it is time-consuming, but I think it is very important to have an overview and be part of the artistic community, to support colleagues. I definitely recommend the musical "Lazarus", whether the Prague version at the Comedy Theater or the Bratislava version at the Arena Theater. I really don't like musicals, but this is worth it, especially if you like David Bowie's music. I would like to highlight two young theater groups in Bratislava, namely the NUDE theater. Their performances are about life, about us, they are so true and everyone can find something in them. They are funny, up-to-date and open up taboo topics. The second group is the DPM theater. This is a great and young generation of actors who have just gained their own space to play and it is good to know about them. Be sure to visit their social networks and find out more.
You are mainly engaged in contemporary dance. Who or what has influenced your dance style the most?
Contemporary dance is a very broad term and has many forms. Sometimes you can come to a contemporary dance performance and you don't see "dance", just strange movements or static positions, other times it reminds you of martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, tai-chi, hip-hop... I do floorwork, which works with the ground on the ground. imagine break dance, but more dance and less acrobatic. :) Then partnering in contemporary dance, these are pair techniques, the way to lift and be lifted, and how to work with weight, touch and grips... The dancer is most influenced by his teacher, choreographer and then it is a personal interest in what direction he wants to go. I try to take something from everyone, but at the same time remain original and unique.
You mentioned it before, during the first lockdown you started painting. This activity of yours culminated in a vernissage at Bratislava Castle. What is the motif of your works?
When all the theaters were closed and we couldn't train, I suddenly had time for some kind of recovery and rest. Sometimes in our industry we don't know when to stop and we often go beyond our limits. During the first quarantine, my body, my working tool, had time to rest, and I tried to transfer that to the canvas. Silence, rest and stopping. I discovered the Facebook group Coronart and my paintings were a great success. Later, I received an offer to exhibit the entire series at the castle. I continue to paint, but not as intensively as during the first wave.
Even though you probably don't have much free time and from your words it seems that work is also a hobby for you, what do you like to do when you're not working?
I have a great dog, Oskar, who makes me happy, I like spending time with friends, I love food, movies, Playstation, sometimes I go for a run and cool off in the Vltava River. I have a big, amazing family, so if I have a few days off, I spend time with them.
What are your visions for the future, what would you like to do? Do you have a dream that you would like to fulfill?
As I already mentioned, I let my destiny take me and for now I am happy with this strategy. :) But in the future I want more free time to travel and explore the world. I definitely want to return to sculpture and connect everything that I enjoy and has meaning for me.
You have quite a lot going on, you probably spend a lot of time traveling. How do you manage it all?
I admit, my calendar looks crazy, it's often difficult to fit everything in, but I do what I enjoy and it's worth it. But in the future, I definitely need to learn better time management and learn to say no. :) During the corona crisis, we all wrote statuses about how the lockdown taught us to slow down and not chase after something all the time, but now I feel like many of us are working at 120% as if we want to catch up on everything.
Does dance influence your paintings or does your paintings influence your dance?
This year, I led an intensive workshop as part of the ProArt Festival in Brno, where we connected theater, dance, and visual arts.
I created a technique where the visual arts influence what happens on stage, and vice versa, like dance or theater inspires the visual work. It was an amazing experience and I will definitely continue to do it.
MICHAL HERIBAN is a Slovak dancer, choreographer and artist who works in Prague, Brno, Munich and Bratislava. He focuses primarily on contemporary dance and physical theatre. He is a member of the Lenka Vagnerová & Company ensemble and has been collaborating with German choreographer Micha Purucker for several years. He has been a guest in performances at the National Theatre in Prague, the Bravo Theatre, and the Minor Theatre, and you can also see him in other projects. For his main role in the performance Panoptikum, he received a nomination for the Thalia Award in 2020 in the Ballet, Dance and Movement Theatre category.
