Milana Broš: Kaspomanija
The DVD “Kaspomanija” is a publication that the Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance (Hrvatski institut za pokret i ples) published in 2002 as a testament and as an homage to a period in Croatian dance and to one of Croatia’s most outstanding choreographers of all times: Milana Broš (born 1930). This was also the first of attempts in Croatia in the use of digitized media for purposes of publishing in the dance sector. The DVD is a compilation of critical texts, interviews, photos and film and follows the artistic development and choreographic path of this remarkable individual and a pillar in Croatian culture. It does so through documenting the path of one of Croatia’s most vital contemporary dance collectives KASP – (Komorni Ansmabl Slobodnog Plesa – The Chamber Ensemble of Free Dance). In doing so, the DVD brings to life one of the most dynamic periods in the Croatian dance scene.
Soon after being enrolled into the Croatian National Ballet, she started to work also independently in the Pioneer Theatree (today Zagreb Youth Theater/ Zagreba?ko kazalište mladih). This led to the formation of the Experimental Group of Free Dance (Eksperimentalna grupa slobodnog plesa) in 1962, from which later evolved KASP. Through three generations of this company passed many today still active professionals on the Croatian dance scene. The importance of KASP, apart from extensive international touring and receiving a number of awards from festivals and competitions from Ljubljana to Palermo to Paris, is that it is still a priceless contribution and one to be countered in the history of contemporary dance in Croatia.
The legacy of KASP is a fact that cannot be discounted within not only the historical context of contemporary dance in Croatia, but also within the more global avangarde tendencies of the times. It is specifically for these reasons that Dance Week Festival decided to remount some of the pieces on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary “KASP – Revival” – a compilation and recreation of some of the choreographies as determined by still active Milana Broš. Also, to avoid the extreme costs of publishing and to make use of contemporary technology as a way of complimenting the contemporanity of the times echoed by Milana, we decided to publish a DVD naming it Kaspomanija. The authorship of this endeavor belongs to Maja Djurinovi? as writer/researcher (Maja was a long time member of KASP, and has since become one of Croatia’s leading authorities/ writers on dance development). Slaven Dellale as the constructor of the DVD is of equal importance (Slaven was closely related to the performing scene as well as to the Festival in the role of Technical Director; at the time of embarking on the creation of this DVD he started a successful career as architect). The producer, Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance, led by Mirna Žagar collated the materials over a decade long period, sourcing materials and documents from various sources including private collections of dancers, audience members of the time etc).
In 2007, Milana Broš was awarded with the prestigious Croatian Theatre Award (Nagrada Hrvatskog Glumišta) for a life-long achievement and this was also an acknowledgement aimed to the all the artists that were connected to the performances she created.
Note: the DVD is in Croatian only.
