YOUTH SPIRIT OF DANCE 2023

created & produced by Wiesław Dudek’s Spirit of Dance Foundation

Polish-Japanese dance project

The Young Spirit of had its premiere in 2017 and has repeatedly visited Polish and Japanese leading musical and opera theater stages, always collecting excellent reviews. The performers are young artists from ballet schools in Poland and Japan. The play History of Siberian Children presented during the 4th and 5th editions referred to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Polish Siberian children to Japan. The Japanese helped almost 800 children of Polish exiles in Siberia. The performance was presented in both countries and was an expression of gratitude for this gesture on the part of Japan. In previous years, we also created a great show to celebrate the 100th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and Japan.

The theme of this year’s edition will be a performance about Nicolaus Copernicus entitled COPERNIC 550, created especially for the 550th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Polish astronomer. It will be an interdisciplinary show. Various styles of contemporary dance techniques presented by each of the creators and the music of many outstanding and well-known Polish and foreign composers will make up this extraordinary spectacle. Six Polish choreographers were invited to this year’s event, both young ones: Bartłomiej Malarz, Emilia Sambor, and those who already have excellent creations in the country and abroad: Katarzyna Kozielska, Aleksandra Dziurosz, Przemysław Grządziela, Małgorzata Borowiec. Multimedia projections by Daniel Stryjecki, one of the best directors of mega artistic shows, lighting design, necessary props, decorations, innovative costumes and the narrator’s voice introducing the viewer into the mood of traveling into space will be an added value of the performance.

The project serves the purpose of educating children and youth, building their empathy in the context of difficult social interactions and developing cultural exchange between Poland and Japan.

About 65 people take part in the project, including 45 performers – the most talented students from the Ballet Schools in Warsaw, Poznań and Bytom, and 20 co-creators – choreographers, teachers, supervisors, lighting director, film crew, photographer and technical staff. Performances are scheduled from August 27 to September 9 on stages in Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Pabianice, Bytom, Kraków and Warsaw at the Grand Theater of the National Opera

Photos by Damian Gajewski, Janusz Marchewa, Dariusz Mikulski