​MÖT GALANS ARTISTER - Ján Špoták

HII JÁN! Tell us about your background.
– I was born in Bratislava, Slovakia in 1984. After the example of my mom (piano teacher) I dedicated most of my childhood learning music - piano and cello. When I was 16 when I got introduced to dance, fell in love and ever since then dance became part of my life. I studied at Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Bratislava, worked with Slovak Dance Theatre for 5 years, moved to Sweden when I was 25 years old to work with Norrdans for 3 years, later Danish Dance Theatre and finally GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, where I have danced since 2013.

WHAT MADE YOU become a dancer?
– I saw Romeo & Juliet with the Slovak Dance Theatre, when I was 16 years old. I was absolutely struck by the performance, the dancers and was overwhelmed by emotions. I was thinking; if a performance of contemporary dance can have such a strong impact on it’s audiences, how could it feel being part of it on stage? Four years later I became a member of Slovak Dance Theatre and worked on my first creation there.

WHAO, WHAT A will and determination. What do you do today?
– A year ago I started to work as a rehearsal director and project coordinator for GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. Although I am not that much present on stage anymore, I do enjoy being close to the art form. It’s great group of inspiring artists and I love to support the company, that I totally believe in – now from a different perspective.

WHAT IS YOUR professional goal?
– To be able to send a message or emotion across to the audiences, and inspire people.

Ján Špoták till höger, tillsammans med Lee Yuan Tu. Foto: Terry Lin

WHAT IS YOUR dream in life?
– To be content with a peaceful, contributive and happy life.

YOUR BEST MOMENTS as a dancer?
– Most of them probably happened in the studio, working, focusing on tasks, reaching further and pushing my own boundaries. That's where the magic happens, when everything else disappears and it's just you and the dance. The best moments were probably during the creation of "If we shadows have offended" by Alan Lucien Oyen and Metamorphosis by Saburo Teshigawara.

PLEASE, REVEAL SOMETHING unknown about you to the readers!
– There was a period when we had a choir consisting of dancers in our company. We rehearsed and had a mini performances every Christmas for three years. I ran the choir as the choirmaster. It was a lovely experience. We should do it again!

Lee Yuan Tu och Ján Špoták trivs ihop även utanför teatern.   Foto: selfie

WHAT MAKES YOU feel good/content?
– A good show, a concert of classical music, a walk in the mountains – and fika.

HOW DO YOU look at the future for classical ballet vs. modern dans?
– I appreciate the history and tradition of the classical ballet and it's form of iconic performances. In the future, I believe different dance techniques (not only classical and modern, but also street dance, hip hop, circus and all other physical art forms) will come closer together and merge into new forms. Even more difficult to distinguish their origin but creating something new, unique, more inclusive and approachable for wider audiences.

THANK YOU Jàn! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT KUNGSBACKA TEATER IN JUNE!

Se en repetition av Jan's koreografi The Grass is greener on the other side, med GöteborgsOperans Danskompani.