Jana Andrsová

Jana Andrsová (Večtomová; 8 August 1939 – 16 February 2023) was a Czech ballerina and actress. In 1957 she graduated from the Dance Conservatory in Prague and began to work with the Vitus Nejedly Army Art Ensemble.[2]

Jana Andrsová
Andrsová in 2016[n 1]
Born(1939-08-08)8 August 1939
Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now Czech Republic)
Died16 February 2023(2023-02-16) (aged 83)
Prague, Czech Republic
EducationDance Conservatory in Prague
Occupation(s)Actress, ballerina
SpouseSaša Večtomov (m. 1964–1989, his death)
Children3

Laterna Magika

From 1959 to 1978, Andrsová worked with Josef Svoboda's avant-garde multimedia company Laterna Magika, initially as a chorus girl and later (beginning in 1973) as a prima ballerina.[2] In Allen Hughes' review of the company's August 1964 Carnegie Hall debut of a presentation that gave 23 performances at that venue under the direction of Miloš Forman,[3]: 433  they are described as "a Czech theatrical spectacle that first came to international attention at the Brussels World's Fair."[4][n 2] In 1966 Andrsová starred in Alfréd Radok's choreographed multimedia production Laterna Magika: Variation 66, The Opening of the Wells, cowritten by Forman in collaboration with Jan Švankmajer.[5]

Retirement and death

In retirement, Andrsová continued to make stage appearances. In 2014 (also a 2016 reprise) she performed as elderly virtuous heroine Madame de Rosemonde in the National Theatre Ballet world premiere production of Valmont, choreographer Libor Vaculík's adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses.[6]

Andrsová died on 16 February 2023, at the age of 83.[7]

Filmography

Notes
  1. Andrsová makes an appearance in the Sonja Vectomov music video "Two in One," directed by Mika Johnson.[1]
  2. "Laterna Magika is not a simple affair," Hughes continues by way of introduction. "It combines motion pictures, stereophonic sound and live performers in so elaborate a way that a considerable amount of construction has had to be done in Carnegie Hall to make it work. The stage has been extended and built up with a series of platforms and steps shrouded in black velvet hangings, and several boxes in the back of the auditorium have been made into rooms containing projection equipment. At one point, a small instrumental ensemble plays from a side location in one of the seating tiers."

References
  1. Hromádková, Š., "Uneventful Records vydává videoklip ‚Two in One‘ od Sonji Vectomov z jejího nadcházejícího alba Lamprophrenia", Kulturio Magazín, 30 July 2016.
  2. FDb, Jana Andrsová.
  3. Dietz, D., The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), p. 433.
  4. Hughes, A., "Theater: A Musical Spectacle From Czechoslovakia", New York Times, 4 August 1964.
  5. Miloš Forman's Official Website, About Theatre.
  6. National Theatre Ballet (Prague), Valmont, 2014.
  7. "Zemřela tanečnice, herečka a bývalá sólistka Laterny magiky Jana Andrsová". Národní divadlo. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  8. Cheek, T., Rusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009), p. 260.
  9. filmexporthomevideo, "Rusalka Jana Andrsová", YouTube, 30 May 2012.
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