You give us compliments
that we look young.
Why should we look young when we’re old?
You’re afraid of getting old,
You’re more and more ashamed of it every day,
but in the meantime…
you persist, you talk, you wither – just like everyone else
Exactly like us.
(Esther Vilar, Old Age is Beautiful. A manifesto against the cult of youth)

In the village of Zakrzewo, in the local house of culture “Dom Polski”, the seniors’ movement is very active. The elderly have their own choir there – the “Wrzos” Singing Group – which was established not only out of a need for musical expression, but above all to create a community which breaks the stereotype of “old age is no joy”.

One of the most interesting Polish dance artists Mikołaj Mikołajczyk prepared with seniors from Zakrzewo a performance. Mikolajczyk’s meeting with “Wrzos” stems from curiosity. On both sides. Curiosity of the artist intrigued by the community of elderly people, where “everyone knows each other, and even forms family”, and above all do not accept the autumn of life devoid of humor and challenges (because now is their time). On the other hand, the curiosity of seniors from a village in the Wielkopolska region, watching the artist offering them unknown forms of dance expression and experimentation.

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