"Kaspomanija"
is a DVD testament published by the Croatian Institute for Movement and
Dance in 2002 as an homage to Croatian choreographer and contemporary
dance
pioneer Milana Broš (1930- ) through the lens of the history of her
dance
collective KASP (Komorni Ansambl Slobodnog
Plesa - Chamber Ensemble of Free
Dance). This is a historical publication as it is represents the first
publication of its kind and in
electronic format on the topic of contemporary dance.
The DVD features
critical texts published at the time
about the author and the company including press reviews, interviews
with other artists
and the author herself along with photos and a short film; it follows
the development
of this remarkable author who has inspired generations of
dance makers in the
region.
The DVD features the history of one of the most dynamic of dance companies of the times and within the region: internationally acclaimed and relevant KASP (Komorni ansambl slobodnog plesa - Chamber Ensemble of Free Dance). As such the DVD brings to life one of the most prolific times in the context of contemporary dance developments in Croatia and in the region.
Milana
Broš, following a brief stint as dancer with the Croatia National
Ballet,
embarked on her journey as an independent author first through
Pionirsko Kazalište (today Zagrebačko
kazalište mladih) followed in 1962 by the initiation of the
Experimental Group of Free
Dance (Eksperimentalna grupa slobodnog plesa) which later became the
Chamber
Ensemble of Free Dance (Komorni ansambl slobodnog plesa - popularly
known as
KASP). Three generations of dance
artists which followed comprised of numerous individuals who in time
were instrumental to the
development of the more recent and more diverse contemporary dance
community in Croatia and beyond. The role
that
KASP played, which also includes numerous international awards
and presentations at festivals across
Europe, and its impact on the overall dance scene still
resonates on current developments in Croatian
contemporary dance.
The heritage of Milana Broš and KASP is not only important for contemporary dance in Croatia, but is relevant to the development of the avant-garde trends in Croatia contemporary art during the middle part of the past century. For all of these reasons the Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance, as producer of Dance Week Festival commissioned a full evening work by Milana Broš on the occasion of the festival's 20th anniversary "KASP Revival" - a collage and remount of earlier works from the perspective of the author herself reflecting on her own past as author.
Following
this successful remount, the Croatian
Institute for Movement and Dance was encouraged to proceed with the
publication
of the DVD "Kasmpomanija" engaging Slaven Dellale and Maja Đurinović
to process the material collected over the past decades and to present
us with a dynamic glimpse into one of
the most exciting periods in the development of Croatian contemporary
dance. Maja Đurinović
was a dancer in KASP, prior to becoming a recognized and published dance
writer;
Slaven Dellale was involved in the performing arts as light-designer and
was the Technical Director of Dance Week Festival hence familiar with
dance developments, before
he went on to become award winning architect.
The Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance, Mirna Žagar in particular, had spent several decades in collecting and the processing the vast documentation pertaining to the work of Milana Broš. Mirna collaborated for a brief period with Milana Broš during her latter years as Artistic Director for Community Dance and Workshops at the Student Cultural Centre in Zagreb. Materials were collected from several sources which included private collections as well as national and international TV stations, libraries and other institutions and organizations both in Croatia and across Europe (notably Italy, Slovenia, France, Austria, Germany).
In 2007. Milana Broš was awarded by the Croatian Theatre Association (Nagrada hrvatskog glumišta) for her achievements as artist and this was also an acknowledgement of the remarkable dance collective KASP.