Islands (Short Stories)

The 2025 Crossroads International Festival of Performing Arts will open with the dance performance Islands (Short Stories) by the Carolyn Carlson Company from Paris, making their Polish debut on the stage of the Polish National Opera. Islands (Short Stories) consists of five short pieces choreographed by Carolyn Carlson, exploring the human condition at the time of uncertain identities and dramatic events. 

The festival's curator will host a meeting with the artists after the performance.  

Programme:

1. Solo Carolyn Carlson – 5 min 
2. Wind Woman – solo by France's Celine Maufroid – 7 min
3. Rage - duet by Italy's Sara Orselli and Finland's Juha Marsalo (premiere: 28 June 2025, Paris) – 12 min 
4. A Deal with Instinct – solo by Japan's Yutaka Nakata – 14 min
5. Mandala – solo by Italy's Sara Orselli – 22 min

Carolyn Carlson is one of the most distinguished dancers and choreographers at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Born in California, where she studied dance, she has been active in Europe since 1971 and a French citizen since 2019. In the 1960s, she was a soloist with the renowned Alwin Nikolais dance company in New York. In Europe, she directed, among others, the Group de Recherches Théâtrales at the Paris Opera, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm. She was the first choreographer in history to receive the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale. In 2014, she founded the international Carolyn Carlson Company, based in Paris. She has created approximately 100 choreographies that have influenced the development of dance. Her works are distinguished by their spiritual message, dance perfection, and visual qualities. She calls her pieces visual poetry. 

The artist has never visited Poland. Her company’s performance at the 2025 Crossroads festival will be the first in Poland, and one of the last in its history, as the group will disband in December 2025.