This connection is reflected in the festival's engagement with the pressing issues of today, shaping perspectives on the future. A key example is Wielki Theatre's premiere of Ślub  (The Marriage) by Zygmunt Krauze, based on Witold Gombrowicz's play. One of the opera's central themes is the fear of war and the associated trauma. This theme continues with a guest performance of Every Minute Motherland by the Maciej Kuźmiński Company. Created in response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Kuźmiński's choreography confronts the realities of armed conflict and the refugee experience. Its authors describe Every Minute Motherland as a documentary dance piece. The production has been highly acclaimed for its sensitivity and emotional impact.

The uncertainty surrounding the future is also tied to the climate crisis. A unique artistic take on this issue is Jungle Book Reimagined by Akram Khan-a dance reinterpretation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. The creative team behind this production includes Akram Khan, Tariq Jordan (script), Sharon Clark  (dramaturgy), Jocelyn Pook and Gareth Fry  (sound), and Michael Hulls and Miriam Buether, responsible for lighting and set design. The result is a performance that blends dance with animations and visual effects, transporting Mowgli's story into the context of displacement and forced migration. In this version, Mowgli is driven from his home not by wild animals but by climate change-induced destruction, with the jungle replaced by a cold, unfeeling modern metropolis. In interviews, Khan emphasises the urgent need for respect towards the planet, which humanity exploits for its own convenience. By reimagining a classic story through the language of dance, the production serves as a powerful reminder of our connection to Earth and its essential role in our survival.

Looking towards the future, the festival also features Spectrum 3, a project infused with greater optimism. It suggests that our fate remains in our hands-provided we turn our thoughts towards the future in time. Created entirely by Wielki Theatre's dancers, Spectrum-now in its third edition-awakens the creative potential within the ensemble. In the context of future planning, it offers dancers an opportunity to explore choreography, which could become a career path after their much shorter-than-average performing careers. Yet the forward-thinking nature of Spectrum extends beyond dance. The artists take full responsibility for the production, including marketing, set design, and communication strategy, developing skills that could shape their post-performance careers.

The Prelude to Spring Ballet Festival will also feature previous productions from Wielki Theatre's repertoire. Returning to the stage is 4: Pastor / León & Lightfoot / Bondara, which premiered in June last year to critical acclaim. Reviewers praised not only its high artistic standard but also its intriguing selection of choreography. The production consists of three distinct pieces. It opens with Moving Rooms, an early yet highly significant work by Krzysztof Pastor, set to music by Alfred Schnittke and Henryk Górecki. The programme continues with Shutters Shut and Subject to Change by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, choreographers associated with Nederlands Dans Theatre. Particularly striking is Shutters Shut, a piece choreographed to the rhythm of Gertrude Stein's recitation of her poem If I Told Him: A Completed Portrait of Picasso. The evening concludes with Bolero, a choreography by Robert Bondara, set to Maurice Ravel's score.

Although Prelude to Spring Ballet Festival is just around the corner, its thematic reach extends far beyond the festival's dates. This is what makes this year's edition so compelling: the timeliness of the issues explored by choreographers and dancers ensures that the festival will leave no dance enthusiast indifferent.

author: Paweł Binek

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

• Przedwiośnie Baletowe (Prelude to Spring Ballet Festival)
• Wielki Theatre, 20-29 March

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2025