„Polish Market Online”:
The most important ballet event of the Chopin Year
Polish-born European dancer and choreographer, director of the Polish National Ballet KRZYSZTOF PASTOR talks to Sandra Jacobson about “Chopin”, the most important dance premiere of Chopin Year and about reforming Polish ballet to stimulate artistic independence.
The Polish National Ballet is preparing a premiere for Chopin Year. What is it?
At the initiative of Waldemar Dąbrowski, director of the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera in Warsaw and coordinator of Chopin Year celebrations, a new ballet will be produced, invoking the great Polish Romantic composer’s life and work. The script is the work of writer Antoni Libera, while the music will include not only pieces by Chopin but also composers who were influenced by his work: Berlioz, Lyapunov, Liszt, Schubert, and Schumann. The production will be choreographed by Patrice Bart, the great French ballet master from the Paris Opera, who has done choreography for important European companies like the Berlin Staatsoper and the Royal Swedish Ballet. The inspiration comes from Warsaw, but the ballet will look at the legend of the great Polish composer from the point of view of Paris with which Chopin had such close ties. It will tell the story of Chopin’s life in Warsaw and in Paris. That is why the combination – a Polish company and a French choreographer – is so interesting. Chopin is definitely very Polish but he spent half of his life in France. The rehearsals will start in mid-January. The premiere is scheduled for May 9 2010. The performance will be repeated five times this season and at least six times in the next season. It will probably be the most important Chopin event in the world of dance. I want the performance to be artistically interesting and to bring something new to the way Chopin is perceived.
Your arrival at the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw marks the establishment of the Polish National Ballet. Why is this independence so important?
It is a question of artistic autonomy. The name “Polish National Ballet” underlines the change in the functioning of the company. In state theatres the ballet is often dependent on the opera. In the existing situation we are rather dependent on each other. We work hand in hand discussing matters such as: the number of performances, the availability of the stage, etc. Also, the ballet has more autonomy in terms of repertoire. I believe it should be the director of the ballet who decides these issues.
After just a few months you are already recognized as the reformer of the Polish ballet. What is your vision?
I think this is only the beginning and I am very aware that there is still a long way to go. Our aim is to have a really interesting and active ballet scene, but even then we will need to push further. It is mainly a question of the repertoire. The Polish National Ballet should perform more times on the main stage and also travel in Poland and abroad. This company is already the best classical ballet company in Poland, but classical ballet should only be the base for our repertoire which needs to be varied. At the end of this road the company should also show contemporary and avant-garde pieces, and we should even have the right to experiment. My work is to balance out the repertoire in such a way that we meet the expectations of the audience. On the other hand, we need to develop and push further our artistic form – the art of ballet. For the moment we are trying to catch up with the European dance scene. At one point we should start creating pieces, which could have an impact on Polish culture, and in the future maybe also European culture. The rest of the world is so advanced in “dance art” that it is not easy to be on the same level. It has a lot to do with our political situation from the past. Most other countries have been open and democratic for a long time, so open to liberal thought. Dance is a reflection of this openness, tolerance, liberal thinking and democracy. It is a very expressive art; it leaves a lot of space for our imagination and personal creativity, as opposed to closing us in certain frames. Especially contemporary dance gives much space for the audience to interpret. If people who come to see the performance are able to take part in this aesthetic and intellectual game, it makes them more flexible, tolerant and open minded. At least this is my aim and hope. I see positive energy in Poland but as a society we still need to broaden our horizons and learn to take initiative and risks.
You have danced in Lyons and Amsterdam, you are still a resident choreographer at the Dutch National Ballet. Which of your experiences there would you like to bring to Poland?
A ballet company is in a way a reflection of society. Poland is catching up with Europe in the economic and political sense, and this is also noticeable in the world of dance. Ballet reflects the aspirations and ambitions of society – Poles want to be open, we want to be part of modern Europe, be free and tolerant. The company should be looking for new experiences and continue to evolve. One of the biggest issues I encountered coming to Poland is a social matter concerning the loss of an early pension for the dancers. From an economic point of view, looking thirty years ahead, we need people who work longer not shorter. I think it’s important to create a system that will allow dancers, who are obviously not able to do their profession until sixty five, to re-school and change their job when their dancing career is no longer possible. Dancers can be a positive example of implementing the European Union’s project of re-schooling funds, allowing them to change profession and have other careers for another 25 years or so. It is possible and would not be expensive for the state because it concerns a relatively small group of people. For me personally it is important to know that my dancers can have another career and I am confident of their success in other jobs.
One of your initiatives is a debut platform for choreographers called “Creations”.
Yes. “Creations” is a very important project. It gives a chance for the company’s dancers to create a short ballet piece. Dancers who want to become choreographers are given total freedom; they are also responsible for other jobs such as producers, promotion specialists, stage managers, photographers, costume designers etc. They have a chamber stage at their disposal where they can show their pieces. The dancers work on this project in their free time. This is deliberate because I believe it will give them additional strength. To be a choreographer it is not enough to have talent, a concept, or to put together a few steps; you have to be very determined and able to convince your colleagues to work in their free time and go through many difficulties. This project is also a unique opportunity for dancers to try other jobs connected with the production of the show and it can help them choose what they want to do after they stop dancing. I would like to inspire them to take an initiative regarding their future. Last year we had a very successful “Creations” evening and another one is coming in March.
What are the company’s plans for 2010?
My focus is on expanding the repertoire. After “Chopin” we are planning “Bach Dances”. One of the aims of this project is to show that ballet music does not have to be a Waltz, Polka or even Tchaikovsky. “Bach Dances” comprises of four very different pieces all set to the magnificent music by Bach. The first piece is the neoclassical “Concerto Barocco” by George Balanchine. It is a ballet for ten women and one man set to the Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, B.W.V. 1043. This will be followed by a contrasting contemporary ballet “The Green” by Ed Wubbe for 7 men and the music is the opening chorus of Bach's “St. John Passion”. The third piece is “Concerto for the Harpsichord”, a new ballet by Emil Wesołowski, the resident choreographer and former director of the company. The final piece is my “In Light and Shadow” set to the Aria from Goldberg Variations and the Third Orchestral Suite.
We will open the 2010/2011 season with our ballet festival presenting some of our own productions as well as guest companies. From September 2010 the company will also start working on new productions. One of the company’s biggest premieres in November 2010 will be “Cinderella,” a classic by the late Frederick Ashton. While preparing this big production a group of our dancers will go to perform in Bergen in Norway. There they will dance a ballet by Jacek Przybyłowicz called “Alpha Kryonie Xe”. Jacek Tyski, one of our leading soloists and participant of our first “Creations” will choreograph a new piece especially for this programme as well. One more piece from our last years’ “Creations” called “When You End and I Begin” by Robert Bondara will be added to complete the programme. In March 2011 a premiere of mine is planned, but it is still too early to talk about the details. At present the working title is “Kolumbowie”. At the end of the season in June 2011, we plan a homage for Vaclav Nijinsky, the legendary Polish dancer and choreographer whose career was connected first with Russia and then with the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. My interest and fascination with Nijinsky is such that I decided to make a ballet about him called “Nijinsky – Dancer, Clown, God” which premieres in June 2010 with the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. Nijinsky only choreographed four ballets and only now are we able to recognize his genius and the fact that his choreography was very much ahead of his time. One of the ballets he created is “Rite of Spring” which during its premiere in 1913 in Paris caused a huge scandal and which will be the main theme of the Polish National Ballet performance. By presenting this programme I would like to regain and rediscover Nijinsky in Poland where his work was nearly never performed.
[„Polish Market Online”, 29 December 2009]
