With its general interest in the art of choreography, favoring choreographic research and creative process over product, aiming to stir a discussion on ever broadening definition of choreography, OLD BREWERY NEW DANCE was creation and reflection space where conscious, open-minded, and adventurous dance audience served as equal partners for artists. The very unique spot on the map of Polish and European dance, a driving force of choreographic development and reflection in Central Eastern Europe that measurably contributed to a permanent change of the dance reality in Poland. And its effects, through the dissemination of knowledge and further creative work of artists supported by the foundation, will still surely contribute to development of next generations of choreography researchers and makers.
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Brazylia/Polska
The research part of the project in 2016 focused on tracing the history and work of Yanka Rudzka in order to reclaim her for the history of Polish dance and choreography. The research found its culmination in a symposium at the Department of Dance of the Federal University of Bahia, which Rudzka created and run at the end of 50s. An equally important part of the project became the practical and creative reflection on Rudzka’s achievements and the search in her work for impulses and inspiration for the original performance (ZACZYN,/ LEAVENING / port. SEMENTE) chor. Joanna Lesnierowska and Janusz Orlik), which brought together Polish and Brasilian dancers allowing the two dance communities to come together (April 2016). The main theme of the work and project became, above all, the moment of meeting in a dance practice based on analysis and inspiration of traditional culture and trance dances – both Brazilian (samba in many varieties) and Polish (unstylized folk dances – whirling obereks and mazurkas). The performance, whose creative principle was an exchange of experience, partnership and dialogue, became in a sense a report on a joint journey to the sources and back – and a repetition of Yanka Rudzka’s grand gesture (her journey to Brazil and sharing her dance knowledge while taking a sincere and respectful interest in the local culture of Bahia). It also allowed for practical reflection on the communal, ecstatic and transformative dimensions of dance.
The project, which took place entirely in Salvador de Bahia, culminated, in addition to the premiere of ZACZYN, with line up of Polish performances at the Vivadanca festival and the e-publication “Between the Traces of History and the Crumbs of Memory”, edited by Maciej Rożalski and Joanna Leśnierowska ( in Polish and Portuguese, 2016).
The Yanka Rudzka 2016 project was part of the celebration of The Year of Polish Culture in Brazil
Polish dance avant-garde artists. Stories and reconstructions
Yanka Rudzka. Gesty i Tropy
YANKA RUDZKA. GESTURES AND TRACES is the Polish edition and continuation of a project dedicated to Yanka Rudzka, launched in 2016 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Unknown in her homeland, Poland, Yanka Rudzka in the 1950s, in Salvador de Bahia, she set up a pioneering dance education and revolutionized the local contemporary dance scene. The project consisted of dance workshops, international symposium and Polish premiere of the performance ZACZYN.
YANKA RUDZKA. GESTURES AND TRACES was part of the Old Brewery New Dance at Malta 2017 festival program.
Gruzja/Armenia/Brazylia/Polska
Following the success of the first years of the project and of LEAVENING, (ZACZYN) the continuation of the project has been commissioned by Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Music and Dance Institute (as part of Choreographic Territories: New Traces of the avant-garde program celebrating 100 anniversary of Polish Independence/ Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual programme NIEPODLEGŁA 2017–2021.). Thus THE YANKA RUDZKA PROJECT: POLIPHONIES has been born to travel to Caucasus and to bring together artists of Armenia, Georgia, Brazil and Poland
THE YANKA RUDZKA PROJECT: POLIPHONIES was further following Yanka Rudzka’s interest and humble investigations of traditional culture. The first step of it (trip to Caucasus in early Spring 2018) was designed as in-depth study (in practice and in theory) of Armenian and Georgian non-stylized authentic dances (respectively – group dances of kochari and perchuli). The main part of the project (August 2018 in Poznan) brought together artists from Armenia, Georgia, Brasil and Poland in the shared choreographic venture into the dance roots of our four cultures. Following the popularity of the techno culture in Georgia, the work also offered a new perspective on techno dance as a new contemporary form of folk.
The final part of the project was a tour of the performance in Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Armenia, accompanied by an open to everybody TECHNO FOLK workshop.
The performance was also presented in 2019 in Lublin (International Meetings of Dance Theaters) and Krakow (Cricoteka).
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