TODAY 75 YEARS AGO, Jiří Kylián was born in Prague. His first childhood love was the circus, before he began ballet lessons at the age of nine. He initially received his professional dance education in his hometown before a scholarship took him to the Royal Ballet School in London. There he met John Cranko, who offered him a contract with the Stuttgart Ballet. In the midst of the unrest of the Prague Spring in 1968, Kylián moved to Stuttgart, where he became not only a dancer but also a choreographer. He created his first piece for the Noverre Society before Cranko commissioned him to create more. These early pieces brought him to the attention of the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in The Hague. In 1975 he was invited to take part in the directorship of the contemporary company; two years later he was appointed sole director of NDT. In the 20 years of his leadership, his works contributed significantly to NDT becoming a world-renowned company. In addition, Kylián founded the junior company NDT II and in 1991 founded a third company - NDT III - for selected dancers "between the age of 40 and death". This small company existed until 2006, opening the eyes of the dance world to the potential of older dancers. Since 1999 Kylián has worked as a freelance choreographer for renowned companies worldwide and has increasingly devoted himself to photo and video works. In all his works - no matter how abstract they may be - there is an exploration of humanity. Their poetry and beauty has touched countless viewers and had a profound influence on the dance world in the last 40 years. Thank you for all these works; thank you for being you, dear Jiří Kylián!

Photo: © Anton Corbijn