Painting Kraków with Dance

The “Cracovia Danza” Courtly Ballet takes us on its annual journey into the past!

Against all odds, the 21st “Cracovia Danza” Court Dance Festival will go ahead this year in a brand-new format combining live and TV performances. Between 19 and 26 July, artists from the “Cracovia Danza” Courtly Ballet, led by Romana Agnel, appear in the city space to take us on a magical journey to Kraków’s past, from the Middle Ages to the Baroque.

“The goal of this year’s festival, ‘Kraków Painted by Dance’, is to introduce audiences to the world of Cracovian, Polish and European dance serving as a starting point of telling stories about our national heritage. We will cast a fresh eye on favourite monuments which have been inspiring us to dance,” promises Romana Agnel, choreographer and director of the “Cracovia Danza” Courtly Dance Festival. “The focus of each performance will be a presentation of authentic choreographies set to period music, as well as magical costumes taking us on a journey to different worlds while recalling specific artworks. It will be a dancing journey through the city of Kraków.”

“As a choreographer and art historian, Romana Agnel is able to bring together that which seems impossible to combine: material and spiritual cultural heritage. This brings to life figures from Veit Stoss’ famous altar and madonnas from the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace; we will also hear stories told by the gargoyles which have been watching the Main Market Square from the Cloth Hall for centuries. Dance will also fill spaces which were once full of life, such as the courtyard of Wawel Castle which hosts Renaissance dance sessions,” says Agnieszka Malatyńska-Stankiewicz, impresario of the “Cracovia Danza” Courtly Ballet.

This year there will be no stage and no auditorium; instead there will be events in streets, squares and courtyards – we’ll be able to catch dancers at the Rynek Główny, at the Barbican and by the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace. There will be six dance programmes from different periods, including a tale about Mr. Twardowski presented at the Barbican and a performance dedicated to 17th-century gowns worn by Polish nobility. All festival performances will be filmed for TVP3 Kraków, and the full film will be screened in the autumn.

This year’s events also include dance workshops (27-31 July) held online and in the public space by internationally acclaimed educators. Between 28 and 30 July, the stadium at the Na Groblach Square hosts workshops for children and young people, introducing them to dances from Greece, France and Spain. The workshops are open to all, but online registration is required. “We will work hard to ensure complete safety of all participants, so the workshops will be held outdoors, there will be no changing rooms and participant numbers will be limited to 50. And of course we will be following all sanitary regulations, such as conducting deep cleans between workshops,” promises Agnieszka Malatyńska.

Let’s dance!

(Justyna Skalska, “Karnet” magazine)