Darkness

Ballet in two parts
Libretto: Izadora Weiss
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Philip Glass, Armand Amar and Old French music
World premiere: 14 June 2017, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera

'We live like we dream – alone,' wrote Joseph Conrad. The talented choreographer Izadora Weiss in her original production Darkness, inspired by Heart of Darkness, looks into the loneliness of women entangled in manifestations of violence. She penetrates deeper and deeper, as if looking for Conrad’s heart of darkness. Strength, power, abuse… where does it all begin, the choreographer seems to be asking. She presents male violence against women as the eponymous darkness, which does not fall suddenly, but has its phases and shades of grey. The moving story about loneliness, the limits of silence and the social acceptance of violence plays out in an ascetic space on stage. Thirteen artists of the Polish National Ballet dance outside the catalogue of classical forms, surprising with unpredictable movement sequences. Part one – the story of Lilli – unfolds to the music of Bach and Vivaldi. The second part – Jasmin’s fate – is told with the music by Glass and Amar. Woman versus man, man versus woman and the darkness no one knows how to escape. Individual episodes, although symbolic and poetic, pierce the imagination like real acts of violence. The imagery is beautiful, yet painful.

• Time is measured by

• 

Polish National Ballet

Music from recordings