Symphony of Dance

Ballet triple bill
Premiere: 13 November 2025, Polish National Ballet

SYMPHONY NO. 7
(revival)
Choreography: Toer van Schayk
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven (Symphony No. 7 in A major)
World premiere: 15 March 1986, Dutch National Ballet
Polish premiere: 18 May 2023, Polish National Ballet

SSSS…
(Polish premiere)
Choreography: Edward Clug
Music: Fryderyk Chopin (5 nocturnes)
World premiere: 23 March 2012, Stuttgart Ballet
Polish premiere: 13 November 2025, Polish National Ballet

SYMPHONY IN C
(Polish premiere)
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Georges Bizet (Symphony in C major)
World premiere: 28 July 1947, Paris Opera Ballet
Polish premiere: 13 November 2025, Polish National Ballet

Symphony of Dance is a triple bill of ballets inspired by the music of three 19th-century composers: Ludwig van Beethoven, Fryderyk Chopin, and Georges Bizet. The choreographies offer an insight into how dance and romantic music can interact.

Symphony No. 7 is a revival of Toer van Schayk’s piece shown earlier as part of the the Polish National Ballet’s programme Beethoven And the Dutch School. In 1986 the choreographer and set designer turned to one of Beethoven’s greatest symphonic achievements. His Symphony No. 7 in A major Op. 92 has been called ‘the apotheosis of the dance’ and often used as ballet music. Van Schayk’s piece is distinguished by minimalist setting which places the focus on the interplay of dance and music. The ballet is marked by absolute choreographic precision, dynamism, and vitality. It perfectly reflects the expressive rhythms that form the basis of the different movements of the Beethoven work, captivating the viewer with sculptural dance sequences.

Edward Clug returns to Warsaw following the staging of his internationally renowned adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt in the 2024/2025 season. This time the Polish National Ballet presents his Ssss…, a work set to Chopin’s music, which premiered in Stuttgart in 2012. The score, however, is not inspired by the composer’s dance pieces but his nocturnes. As the title suggests, the ballet invites quiet contemplation, and experience the world in a more focused way, while pondering the complex emotional landscapes painted by Chopin’s music. Ssss… is a choreography for six dancers and positioned with his back to them, which underscores the autonomy of movement and music – two arts that do not illustrate each other but are in constant dialogue.

Last but not least, the triple bill includes one of George Balanchine’s most famous choreographies, Symphony in C, which will also be shown in Poland for the first time. The choreographer used Georges Bizet’s youthful symphony. Written by a 17-year-old, Symphony in C major is a proof of the composer’s formidable talent as regards melodic inventiveness, thematic transformation, and orchestration. The choreography dazzles with its richness of the dance idiom and offers the whole company to showcase their craft. The stage is flooded in a sea of ballerinas dressed in white tutus and male dancers in black leotards. The composition culminates in a vigorous finale that has the whole 48-strong cast move in perfect sync.

Polish National Ballet
Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera