With deep sadness the State Theatre announces that Juraj Goga, dancer and choreographer, died aged 86. The soloist of the Ballet Company, ŠDKE in 1958 - 1962 and 1964 - 1971 and Art Director and Choreographer of the Ballet Company ŠDKE from 1983 up to his retirement in 1996.
Juraj Goga (*3 March 1935 – +13 November 2021) debuts as a dancer in Ukrainian Ensemble of Songs and Dances in his native Medzilaborce in 1953. In 1955, Juraj comes to Bratislava, he joins SĽUK and later Military Art Ensemble. Thanks to his brilliant dance technique, he leaves folk ensemble in 1958 and becomes a member of the Ballet Company ŠDKE. In 1962, he works his way up to the soloist of the Ballet Company of Oldřich Stibor State Theatre in Olomouc. And in 1964 to 1971, he continues as a soloist of the Ballet Company ŠDKE. As an expressive dancer, doing mostly character roles of classic ballet literature, he gradually developed both his expressiveness and technique. In 1971, at the end of his dancing career, he quite naturally started as a pedagogist and choreographer at Poddukliansky ľudovo- umelecký súbor in Prešov.
In 1983, once again he comes back to Košice Ballet and acts as Art Director and Choreographer. In 1996, Juraj Goga retires. Of the dancing roles he did, probably the most remarkable Goga’s interpretations were characters from the classic repertoire such as Buffon in The Swan Lake (1964), Hilarion in Giselle (1965), Prince Ivan in The Firebird (1967) or Danilo in The Stone Flower (1971).
In PUĽS, he choreographically studied and prepared more than twenty music and dance productions that were presented at home and in abroad. He profiled Košice Ballet Ensemble to do classic pieces of ballet literature as well as he participated in creation sf several original ballets such as Slovenské nálady by Cikker and Ej, husári by Stračina (both made in 1984).
Rest in peace, Master!
