Ball
„(…) wild, untamed, based on emotions, needing no words.”
„(…) beautifully formed choreography, wonderful actor-dancers.”
(…) a magical procession of dances, songs, and musical pieces, six pairs of actors take us on a journey through the past! Not so distant, perhaps, as it’s just a piece of the pre-war era, marked by the dark days of war, and later, days that we know, we remember, especially us, the older ones. Beautifully formed choreography, wonderful actor-dancers, women in pastel hues, somewhat stylized like American films from those years, men cheeky and dashing! And among them, the Master of Ceremonies (Franciszek Muła), announcing the next „pieces” and assigning places—first, second…
Each dance is a separate story, brilliantly conceived with its beginning and end, strung together to create a beautiful, multicolored necklace of our life, full of good moments and some less good ones, filled with love and rivalry.
Andrzej Czapliński
„The applause was endless, and a tear of emotion and remembrance found its way into many eyes.”
The longer you sit in the audience, the more you feel the pull to the dance floor… What will it be like when the performance moves outdoors? After all, Jerzy Zoń must have created it with that very intention in mind, and his artists, accustomed to almost infinite spaces, surely found themselves lacking space for their dance routines – I wanted to say contortions – on the small dance floor of the KTO stage.
The applause seemed endless, and a tear of emotion and remembrance appeared in many eyes. After all, this was the story of our generation, which, through our parents, reached back to the salons of the pre-war era or to rural folk dances. Then, together with them, we lived through the rebellious and bold musical years of the 1950s and 1960s, because the later years, the twisted 1970s and 1980s, belonged to us too! Everyone knows what those times were like because we all went through them… Love, dance, and music remained unchanged, despite all the dramas and dilemmas. And one would want to sing along with Maryla Rodowicz – „Long live the ball! / For life itself, the ball is the greatest of all!”
Janusz M. Paluch, Pisarze
The further we enter the world of dance, the more complex emotions begin to accompany each new dance: nostalgia, longing, love, fear, horror, and hatred. Sometimes the music complements the movement, and at other times it provides a disturbing counterpoint to an outwardly calm scene. And just when it seems like we’ve gone through the entire available repertoire, something unexpected happens: theater within theater, masks, and black cloaks. In the end, everything is theater.
The silhouettes of the dancers are as diverse as the dance styles themselves. On one hand, there is the dignified Franciszek Muła, ceremoniously announcing each new dance, and on the other, Jakub Żółtaszek, utilizing the full potential of his over two-meter tall body. Nina Potapowicz exudes a carefree and light charm, while Marta Zoń brings awareness to every studied movement. Bartek Cieniawa, whose style always carries an almost magnetic darkness, and Karolina Daniec-Franczyk, whose creation is filled with something enigmatic.
Mateusz Leon Rychlak,Teatr Dla Wszystkich
Script, direction, musical arrangement
Jerzy Zoń
Stage movement, choreography
Eryk Makohon
Set design
Marek Braun, Jerzy Zoń
Costumes
Jolanta Łagowska-Braun
Costume collaboration
Elżbieta Kwasek
Arrangement of the song „Bandoska” and vocal preparation
Aleksander Brzeziński
Assistant director
Bartek Cieniawa
Producer
Urszula Swałtek
Performers:
Karolina Daniec-Franczyk,
Małgorzata Hachlowska/Ewa Mitoń,
Aleksandra Konior-Gapys,
Nina Potapowicz,
Grażyna Srebrny-Rosa,
Marta Zoń,
Bartek Cieniawa,
Tomasz Łukawski,
Franciszek Muła,
Mieszko Syc,
Bartłomiej Zdeb,
Jakub Żółtaszek
The partner of the performance is Hotel Garamond.
