PREMIERES
The arrival of the Peer Gynt to our stage was long due, given the fact that choreographic takes on Henrik Ibsen's poem set Edvard Grieg's famed incidental music were staged around the world before. It was finally the production by Edward Clug, a Slovak choreographer of Romanian origin, created for his Maribor-based company and then mounted on a few European theatres that attracted the attention of Krzysztof Pastor, who invited the artist to stage the piece with the Polish National ballet. The work premieres on 25 October 2024. Alexei Baklan conducts the Orchestra of the Polish National Opera.
The world premiere of the other new production will be shown twards the end of the season on 18 June 2025. Krzysztof Pastor's Prometheus, inspired by the Greek myth, yet imparting a powerful message to our contemporaries. The choreographer decided to set the ballet to music by two composers: Philip Glass (Symphony No. 9 and Mad Rush) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Requiem in D minor), enlisting the help of renowned German dramaturge Klaus Bertisch. Patrick Fournillier conducts the Orchestra of the Polish National Opera.
REVIVALS
As befits the Polish National Ballet, we are starting the 2024/25 season with a piece by Polish artits: Krzysztof Pastor's Dracula set to music by Wojciech Kilar. At the same time, the company is busy rehearsing our production of Giselle, which we will perform five times at the Dubain Opera in September. The piece returns to our stage in Warsaw in April 2025. Following the premiere of Peer Gynt, we will focus our energies on the revival of a Fredriana, the throughly Polish double bill that includes two ballets inspired by Aleksander Fredro's comedies: Conrad Drzewiecki's The Sarmatian Parable after Fredro's The Revange and Anna Hop's contemporary take on Husband and Wife. Both ballets are danced to Stanisław Moniuszko's music.
Polish music also has pride of place in John Neumeier's iconic The Lady of the Camellias, whose score combines Fryderyk Chopin's piano concertos and other pieces. The production returns after a longer hiatus caused by the aftermath of the recent pandemic. This uniquely beautiful and deeply moving piece makes a short comeback in December 2024 just before Christmas, before disappearing from our stage for good. If you have not yet seen the famed balletic masterpiece, consider yourself warned!
The Polish National Ballet will also treat its audience to another ballet classic: the fabulous Don Quixote. Young ballet lovers will have aother chance to experience our recent production of Pinocchio. The Polish National Ballet's choreographic workshop Creations returns with more choreographic debuts, while another edition of Juvenalia will bring you two new programmes by our junior company, PNB Junior.
CHANGES TO THE COMPANY
The Polish National Ballet has undergone a host of personnel changes resulting from the dancers' individual decisions and circumstances. The previous season saw the retirement of principal Dawid Trzensimiech, who was forced to bow out due to health issues. For the second year running, Dawid works as the coach and coordinator of PNB Junior.
We bid farewell to principal Evelina Godunova, Latvian ballerina formerly associated with the Staatsballett Berlin, who danced a few head roles on our stage last season: Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle and Mytha in Giselle, Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Lucy in Dracula , and two leading fairies in Pinocchio. Eventually, the artist decided to accept an offer from the Boston Ballet and settle in the United States. Corps dancers Łukasz Bałoniak and Riccardo Rodighiero have also moved abroad.
The company was reinforced with new arrivals and a few well deserved promotions. Three talented coryphées Laurence Elliott, Marko Juusela, and Diogo de Oliveira were promoted to soloists. All three have performed significant solo parts in the previous seasons. Corps dancers Paulina Magier, Yana Shtanhei, Kasper Górczak, and Adam Huczka were made coryphées. The corps de ballet welcomed the arrival of Julia Álvarez (Spain), Carolina Ribaldone (Italy), and Jaime Bustamante (Spain), as well as six former dancers of PNB Junior: Weronika Gałązka, Maria Grzymała, Kamila Lechowska, Paweł Dobrzyński, Roberto Olivieri, and Cezary Szlachta.
PNB JUNIOR
Following the transition of its six members to the senior company, PNB Junior becan the season with a new roster. Joining Łucja Ulbrych, Maciej Duda, and Mikołaj Spiżewski are Zuzanna Korytkowska, Aleksandra Pastuszka, Jagoda Świderska, and Kajetan Stabeusz, all four graduates of the Warsaw Ballet School, Maja Augustyniak (Gdańsk Ballet School, John Cranko Schule, Stuttgart), Antonio Casti (Ballettschule des Hamburg Ballett), Antonino Modica (Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Milan), as well as an eleventh member, Kyle Lippoth of the Ballett-Akademie der Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, whose participation in BNB Junior is sponsored by Fundacja Przyjaciół Baletu.
As mentioned, Dawid Trzensimiech remains the coach and coordinator of PNB Junior. In his work, he is supported on a daily basis by Irina Wasilewska, as well as guest teachers, including Richard d’Alton, Yannick Boquin, Katarzyna Kozielska, Alan Land, and Aurelien Scannella. (pch)
1. The Lady of the Camellias, dancers: Yuka Ebihara and Patryk Walczak, photo: Ewa Krasucka
2. The Lady of the Camellias, dancers: Chinara Alizade and Vladimir Yaroshenko, photo: Ewa Krasucka
