Dance Performances in Poland

[Paul Parish]

Joanna, Nie mowie dobje populsku, but your English is not bad at all.

I'd like to add a welcome to BAllet ALert, Joanna, and to say I hope you WILL post news from Poland, even if you don't feel you've expressed yourself at your best, we would still be so grateful for news from Poland. I have been to the Silesian Dance Festival a few times in June, and found it a fascinating experience. The situation in Poland is very exciting, as free expression becomes again a possibility -- what wonderful challenges you face. And there is a LOT of talent that we would like to hear about. I myself would love to hear about Jacek Luminski's company in Bytom, and also about dance in Lublin, Wroclaw, and Warsaw -- and perhaps othe places that you will know about.

[Joanna]

Joanna, Nie mowie dobje populsku, but your English is not bad at all.

I'd like to add a welcome to BAllet ALert, Joanna, and to say I hope you WILL post news from Poland, even if you don't feel you've expressed yourself at your best, we would still be so grateful for news from Poland. I have been to the Silesian Dance Festival a few times in June, and found it a fascinating experience. The situation in Poland is very exciting, as free expression becomes again a possibility -- what wonderful challenges you face. And there is a LOT of talent that we would like to hear about. I myself would love to hear about Jacek Luminski's company in Bytom, and also about dance in Lublin, Wroclaw, and Warsaw -- and perhaps othe places that you will know about.

Well, I hope it won't be so difficult to understand me B)

On 8-11 November here, in Lublin, was Dance Theatres Festival, and also workshops. Also there was a performance of Silesian Dance Theatre, and Jacek Łumiński was one of the teachers on the workshops (but unfortunately I didn't have any lessons with him).

The special guest of the festival was... Conrad Drzewiecki.

Hmm, dance in Lublin? You mean Contemporary Dance Group of Lublin University of Technology, with choreographer Hanna Strzemiecka?

[Paul Parish]

Hi Joanna--

THat's very clear-- no problem.

I just wrote a long reply but my computer crashed just as I was about to post it, and it's GONE....

SO I'll just ask, was the festival interesting? What did you like about it?

I met Conrad Drewiecki in Bytom, but I have never seen any of his dances. Have you? What are they like? I gathered he had to leave Poland and work in Paris but was allowed to work under the Soviets when he came back, though under many restrictions, and that all the young people looked up to him -- a little like the way the young dancers here all look up to Anna Halprin. (Have you heard of Ms Halprin?) She is in her 80's, a great figure in free expression here in the SF Bay Area, indeed in the whole USA, the "mother" of post-modern dance.

Were there classes as well as performances? WHat kind? What did you like? Why?

My experience of festivals is that there's so much going on, you can't see everything, and you don't even have time to "revcover" from one performance or class before another comes along.

Hav you seen any of Ms Strzemiecka's work? (ARe you her student? -- then you mustn't say anything, otherwise, what do you think?)

Oh well, I'm sorry, if I'm too pushy.... I just loved being in Poland and want t ore-connect.

By the way, did you notice the other thread on hte board about Ballet in Warsaw?

[Joanna]

Hi Joanna--

THat's very clear-- no problem.

I just wrote a long reply but my computer crashed just as I was about to post it, and it's GONE....

SO I'll just ask, was the festival interesting? What did you like about it?

I met  Conrad Drewiecki in Bytom, but I have never seen any of his dances. Have you? What are they like? I gathered he had to leave Poland and work in Paris but was allowed to work under the Soviets when he came back, though under many restrictions, and that all the young people looked up to him -- a little like the way the young dancers here all look up to Anna Halprin. (Have you heard of Ms Halprin?) She is in her 80's, a great figure in free expression here in the SF Bay Area, indeed in the whole USA,  the "mother" of post-modern dance.

Were there classes as well as performances? WHat kind? What did you like? Why?

My experience of festivals is that there's so much going on, you can't see everything, and you don't even have time to "revcover" from one performance or class before another comes along.

Hav you seen any of Ms Strzemiecka's work? (ARe you her student? -- then you mustn't say anything, otherwise, what do you think?)

Oh well, I'm sorry, if I'm too pushy.... I just loved being in Poland and want t ore-connect.

By the  way, did you notice the other thread on hte board about Ballet in Warsaw?

I haven't seen any dance of Conrad Drzewiecki. He was an artistic director of Polish Dance Theatre - Poznań Ballet until 1987, since 1988 the director is Ewa Wycichowska.

I found the festival very interesting, there very many good companies from Europe (Kekalainen & Company, Jo Stromgren Kompani, Feher Ferenc, Galerija Theatre). The performance I liked the most was of Feher Ferenc. He is a freestyle dancer, and on workshops we did things like freestyle with him, but on a stage he presented not just street dance, but a professional theatre, with strong body awareness.

The classes I had with dancers of Stanisław Wiśniewski Compaigne (France), Victoria Baltser (Byelorussia), Feher Ferenc (Hungary). V. Baltser comes form classical, so her contemporary is so clear and perfect. With the dancers of S. Wiśniewski we did some things from their performance choreography.

But the most I liked the classes with Feher, what he did was very dynamic and energetic.

You know, that festival is not so big, that you can't see all performances. Befere midday you are on workshops, and in the evening you go to see the performances.

I've seen some performances of H. Strzemiecka, also with choreography by Ryszard Kalinowski. I am not her student, but I know some people form the company, I'm doing contemporary techniques with them (I'm just learning dance, but for a quite long time I'm doing a pantomime, and I thought that dance would help me in that). Well, it's hard to say what I think of H. Strzemiecka work, because I'm not objective (is this a right word?).

I've just noticed a board about Ballet in Warsaw, I haven't read it already.

Edited November 21, 2003 by Joanna