On 16 January 1969, young student Jan Palach set himself on fire on the streets of Prague, the capital of the then Czechoslovakia. His act was an act of protest against the Soviet troops who had crushed the Prague revolution. A young generation saw an atmosphere of lies and terror developing around them, and had to choose how to relate to it. Some staged protests, others shut themselves away in a world of fear. And still others left the country just before that was made impossible. Such was the case with Katja Dreyer’s mother, who ended up in Germany and never wanted to talk about her homeland afterwards. Only the rhetorical phrase: “You don’t know how good you have it!” hinted at the past.

Today Slovakia, independent since 1993, once again faces an atmosphere of terror. So knows Peter Savel, who grew up here and sees his country slipping into a right-wing extremist hotbed. As a queer dancer who fled to Brussels, going back holds increasing danger.

The two makers, Katja and Peter, explore together what it means to be Slovak – from one person who has no idea, and another someone for whom that identity is a form of pain. On stage, conversations with mothers, with locals and historical narratives alternate with song, dance and movement, as well as nods to Slovakian traditions. So what is the story, mum, Katja tries to ask? The question may not get an answer, but for her it is the beginning of a new world.

Katja Dreyer (DE/BE)

Katja Dreyer was born in Berlin in 1974. She studied drama (directing and acting) in the Netherlands and has lived in Brussels since 2004. In her own work she tries to shed light on history and its consequences by zooming in on the personal lives of ordinary people. As a performer, she worked for Mette Ingvartsen, Mette Edvardsen, Miet Warlop, Ivana Müller, David Weber-Krebs and Superamas, among others. She regularly worked at BUDA studios (e.g. with Ingvartsen or Warlop, or for her own show Chronicle). For Ophelia comes to Brooklyn – programmed during Almost Summer festival in June 2018 – Katja collaborated with Davis Freeman and Dolores Hulan.