"We would need a bigger stadium", joked authors of Babí léto.

The largest composition of this year is 'Babí Léto.' There was such a high demand for it that the authors, Štěpánka Sadilová and Tereza Kosíková, had to divide it into two 'shifts' of 1,300 women each. The composition is also unique for being the first one using umrellas within performance.

Babí léto will offer a perfect optical illusion – even though there is always one spot free among the performers, thanks to the umbrellas it will look like there isn't a single meter of free space on the surface of Fortuna Arena in Eden. The audience will enjoy this illusion twice, on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon.

What is it like to rehearse with more than two thousand women? Especially when they are divided into two parts?

Štěpánka: It might seem like nothing changes for the two of us, that we are simply rehearsing the same thing. But it's important to realize that we have a completely different set of performers each time, and each group has learned it slightly differently. So, it's double amount of rehearsals and work.

Tereza: The interest was truly enormous, but the stadium's space is too small. We would need a bigger one (laughing).

Did you expect such interest?

Tereza: We were very surprised. Even though mass exercise to music is traditionally a domain of women and we know they enjoy it, we expected about a third of the interest. Moreover, for this year’s gathering, there were two compositions prepared specifically for women. In addition to Indian Summer, which is mainly for older women and seniors, there was also In the Rhythm of the Heart for the younger ones.

Why did you focus on this particular age category?

Štěpánka: At Sokol Horoměřice, where the two of us have been exercising together regularly since childhood, we started with our mothers. As this generation gradually began to "mature," we thought it would be nice to create a composition for them that is not too demanding but still energetic.

And do your mothers really exercise there?

Štěpánka: My mother does, and there are several mother-daughter pairs. In general, our club is very much about intergenerational exercise. We have participants ranging from about 17 to 75 years old. Tereza: And we even have one trainer, Maruška Horká from Sokol Žalkovice, who is about 13 years old and led the others during the rehearsals. Officially, her mother leads the practice, but when they are together in the gym, Maruška leads it. It's amazing how the older women and seniors listen to the thirteen-year-old. They respect her but also joke with each other. It’s a wonderful connection.

How does the process of creating a gathering composition work?

Štěpánka: First, the Czech Sokol Organization announced a call for gathering compositions. Terezka forwarded it to me, and I started thinking in the evenings about what could be done. I realized that umbrellas had never been used as props at a gathering before. We even verified this in the archives. So, we decided that was it. Then we came up with suitable music with a rain theme, submitted our application, and won the contest.

What happened next?

Tereza: In November 2022, there was a demonstration day where all twelve gathering compositions were showed. Videos were recorded and placed on Sokol website. Based on that, participants from all over the country could choose which composition they wanted to practice.

How many gatherings have you participated in?

Tereza: We've participated in quite a few (laughing). This is my fifth gathering and Štěpánka's fourth. We were there already as trainers in 2018 and were in charge of our own groups, but this year is our debut as authors of a composition.