Ballet History
Beginnings (1919-1939)
The history of the Poznań Opera House ballet ensemble began in 1919 with the initiation of Polish activities at the Poznań Opera House. At that time, the company comprised 13 people, including the director. The ensemble included: Helena Sławińska, Władysława Kuleszyna, Leokadia Kacperska, Janina Cieślak, Wacław Wierzbicki, Marian Winter, Roman Morawski, and Lucjan Chrzanowski. The first ballet evening in Poznań after regaining independence, titled Polish Fields, was prepared by dancer, choreographer, and the first director of the Poznań Ballet company, Michał Kulesza. In the 1920/1921 artistic season, the following ballets were staged: Cupid’s Joke, Caucasian Episode, The Doll Fairy, Serenade and Divertissement III.
After two seasons, Roman Morawski took over the ensemble, preparing: Cavalry Halt, Ukrainian Dances, Coppélia, Oh, Uhlans, Uhlans, Divertissement IV, as well as With Spring and Song of Life. In the 1923/1924 season, Jan Ciepliński, a graduate of the Warsaw Ballet School, created choreographies for the Poznań ballet. Although Ciepliński spent only one season in Poznań, he produced as many as nine titles: Fairy Tale, Lithuanian Rhapsody, Divertissement V, Carnival, Afternoon of a Faun, The Steppes, Divertissement VII, The Doll Prophetess and Zephyr and Flora.
In the following season, after Ciepliński's departure, the ballet was taken over by Maksymilian Statkiewicz, known for his performances with the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. Statkiewicz returned to Poland in 1924 and became associated with the Poznań Opera House, where he not only created a very good ballet ensemble but also gained a reputation as one of the best ballet masters of interwar Poland. From 1924 to 1930 and from 1933 to 1939, he created choreography for 19 ballet performances in Poznań. In February 1925, he staged Szopenian and completed a new ballet evening by combining The Doll Prophetess with Borodin's Polovtsian Dances. In 1928, both the Poznań audience and critics highly praised Scheherazade. In December of the same year, a Wedding in the Countryside was also performed. Encouraged by the success of Scheherezade, Statkiewicz staged two new premieres in 1929: The Tatras by Nowowiejski and Mr. Twardowski by Różycki.
In 1930, Maksymilian Statkiewicz left Poznań for three years. During this time, the direction of the Poznań Ballet was taken over successively by Józef Ciesielski, who staged two performances: Harlequin's Millions and Hungarian Rhapsody; Konrad Ostrowski; and Helena Grossówna-Cieślińska. In 1934, after returning to Poznań, Statkiewicz staged Italian Caprice.
In April 1938, the Poznań Ballet was the first in Poland to present Harnasie by Karol Szymanowski and The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky. The Poznań Opera House was the fifth in Europe, after Prague, Paris, Belgrade, and Hamburg, to present Szymanowski's work. Statkiewicz entrusted the title role to Jerzy Kapliński, the Bride to Zofia Grabowska, and the Bridegroom to Mieczysław Sawicki. Statkiewicz himself danced the role of the Father. The ballet caused waves of enthusiasm among the audience and critics. The Poznań performance was attended by the composer's sister, Stanisława Szymanowska-Korwin, who expressed high praise for it, stating that it was the best she had seen so far.
In the last season before the outbreak of World War II, 10 performances of Harnasie were staged, and a new premiere by Statkiewicz was also realized - The Doll Prophetess. After the outbreak of World War II, Maksymilian Statkiewicz, along with his wife and prima ballerina Zofia Grabowska, was expelled from Poznań, and the Poznań Opera House, after being taken over by the Germans, was renamed Grosses Haus.
After the War
In 1945, several members of the pre-war ballet ensemble approached Zygmunt Wojciechowski, who began rebuilding the Company of the Poznań Opera House in February. Zygmunt Wojciechowski asked Bronisław Mikołajczyk to assemble a new ballet company. Still, in 1945, Stanisław Miszczyk appeared under the Pegasus, preparing choreographies and organizing a Ballet School at the Opera. Among the students was, as it would later turn out, the most outstanding Polish prima ballerina, Olga Sawicka. At the end of 1945, Jerzy Kapliński returned to Poznań, along with Barbara Bittnerówna. Kapliński, who was famously known as Harnaś from Szymanowski’s ballet, took over the ballet direction that same year. The first post-war ballet evening took place on April 6, 1946, featuring Fairy Tale, Bagatelle, and Divertissement IX. Over the next four years, Kapliński produced 11 ballets.
From the 1949/1950 season until the 1962/1963 season, the position of ballet director was held by many prominent figures who played key roles in the post-war history of dance in Poland. These included Eugeniusz Papliński, who proposed a new version of the ballet The Peacock and the Girl by Tadeusz Szeligowski; Leon Wójcikowski, who prepared Dyl Sowizdrzał, Spanish Suite, Seasons, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; Stanisław Miszczyk, who returned to Poznań after several years and staged the first performance of Swan Lake in Poland after World War II; Feliks Parnell (Mr. Twardowski by Różycki), Jerzy Gogół (Sleeping Beauty – Polish premiere of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Song of the Earth and Magical Love); Zygmunt Patkowski; and Władysław Milon (Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev).
The Drzewiecki Era
In 1963, Robert Satanowski took over as director of the Poznań Opera House and invited Conrad Drzewiecki to collaborate. The artist's talent and charisma made Poznań the center of Polish ballet life for the next 10 years. Drzewiecki created 25 choreographies at the Poznań Opera House, constantly experimenting and surprising audiences.
After Drzewiecki, the Directors of the Poznań Opera Ballet were Barbara Kasprowicz (Giselle, The Nutcracker, and Don Quixote) and Henryk Konwiński (Romeo and Juliet, the compilation La Peri, Epitaph, and Carmen). Emil Wesołowski led the ensemble for one season, during which he staged Serenade and The Countess. Ewa Pawlak took on the role of the Countess and, a few months later, became the ballet director herself. In 1988, after leaving the Polish Dance Theatre, Mirosław Różalski, Drzewiecki's longtime assistant, became the head of the ballet company. Under the Pegasus, he staged The House of Bernarda Alba, Quasimodo, Curtain Up, Amadeus, Eden Cafe, and Viva Strauss. In later years, productions were created by guest choreographers: Zofia Rudnicka with Peter and the Wolf, Ewa Wycichowska with The Rite of Spring, Conrad Drzewiecki with Etude in B Minor by K. Szymanowski, Songs by M. Karłowicz, and The Miraculous Mandarin by B. Bartók.
Between Tradition and Modernity
The longest-serving director of the Poznań Opera House Ballet was Liliana Kowalska, who broke Maksymilian Statkiewicz's record by leading the ballet for 15 years, from 1995 to 2009. She shaped the repertoire together with Sławomir Pietras, the general director at the time. She produced 27 premiere evenings, consisting of 60 ballets. Among these were classic works: Swan Lake, Giselle, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Coppelia. A second line featured 20th-century ballets such as Afternoon of a Faun, The Three-Cornered Hat, The Firebird, Mr. Twardowski, and Harnasie. A third direction was marked by world premiere ballets: Ballet Triptych to the music of Krzysztof Penderecki, Chopin Danced at Night, Lie to Me, Kiss Me Too, and ballets by Marek Różycki. Productions also included Zorba the Greek, Stanisław and Anna Oświęcim, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Esteemed choreographers were invited to collaborate, while opportunities were also provided for young talent.
New Times
Jacek Przybyłowicz succeeded Liliana Kowalska (2009-2014), inviting artists who represented various styles and directions. During this period, audiences could see ballets such as The Creation of the World by Uwe Scholz, La Sylphide by August Bournonville, and Dangerous Liaisons by Krzysztof Pastor. Przybyłowicz also produced the performance Black & White – Several Short Sequences, which was part of a ballet evening including Black & White Things I Told Nobody by Itzik Galili and Black & White – Butterflies choreographed by Rami Be'er, as well as Infolia, which he presented just after stepping down.
From 2014 to 2018, the ballet was led by Tomasz Kajdański, a dancer and choreographer associated with German theaters. He produced Anna Karenina and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and also staged Kafka / Schulz: Revelations and Heresies.
Since the 2018/2019 season, Robert Bondara, a dancer and a choreographer, has been the director of the Poznań Opera Ballet.