Polish National Ballet Explained

Polish National Ballet
Previous Names:Balet Teatru Wielkiego – Opery Narodowej
Founded:1765
Founders:Stanisław II August
Venue:Grand Theatre, Warsaw
Website:teatrwielki.pl
Artistic Director:Krzysztof Pastor

The Polish National Ballet (Polish: Polski Balet Narodowy, PBN) is the largest and most influential ballet company in Poland. It continues a ballet heritage, dating to the 17th century.

Prior to 2008 it was known as the ballet of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera. In that year the ballet company received artistic autonomy reflected in the theatre's by-laws; it was elevated to the rank of Polish National Ballet. The director since has been Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor.[1]

Ballet events in Polish history

Seventeenth century

In 1628 a traveling Italian opera troupe created the first ballet performances in Poland. Ballet scenes were then often incorporated into operas held at the court theater. For many years it was primarily foreign dancers who performed. They served as exemplars for their Polish counterparts.

Eighteenth century

Eventually in 1765 the first permanent ballet company was formed, on the initiative of the king Stanisław II August. The company functioned with some interruptions in the Saxon’s Opernhaus (opera house), the first Polish public theater. A 1766 book on ballet by the famous ballet master of France Jean-Georges Noverre was dedicated to the Polish king.[2]

Maciej Pręczyński (Prenczyński) was the first well-known Polish dancer. He worked with Gasparo Angiolini in Venice and in Vienna during the 1770s.

In 1785 Stanisław II August established a company of young dancers, taught by a ballet school at an estate in Lithuania. This first professional ballet company of predominantly Polish dancers was known as His Majesty’s National Dancers (1785-1794).[3] Performances were held on stage at the National Theatre building in Krasiński Square, Warsaw. Its royal heritage was continued by subsequent Polish companies.

Nineteenth century

In Warsaw uring the Romantic era the National Ballet School flourished. After 1818 it was guided by two French ballet masters Louis Thierry and Maurice Pion. Under construction from 1825 to 1833, the Teatr Wielki (Grand Theater) then became the artistic center for both opera and ballet in Poland. At mid-century the choreographer and teacher Roman Turczynowicz became the ballet master. Also, several outstanding foreign masters, e.g., Filippo Taglioni, Carlo Blasis, Virgilio Calori, Pasquale Borri, José Mendez, Raffaele Grassi, and Enrico Cecchetti, worked developing Polish dancers.[2]

Mathilde Kschessinska (Matylda Krzesińska), a dancer of Polish extraction, from the 1890s was one of the leading lights of the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg.

Twentieth century

Ballets RussesFrom its early years many Polish dancers had joined the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, which climbed to world renown. These included the ballet master Stanislas Idzikowski,[4] Leon Woizikovsky (orig. Wójcikowski),[5] and Mieczyslaw Pianowski.[6] Polish dancers also distinguished themselves in the various Ballets Russes companies that succeeded Diaghilev's. Among these were Yurek Shabelevski,[7] [8] Roman Jasinski,[9] [10] Marian Ladre,[11] Yurek Lazovski,[12] [13] [14] and Nina Novak.[15]

Siblings Bronislava Nijinska and Vaslav Nijinsky were of Polish heritage,[16] though Vatsa and Broni trained under the patronage of the Tsar at the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg. They danced with Ballets Russes, Nijinsky being celebrated internationally as he reached the pinnacle of the art. Both were choreographers for Diaghilev, the older Nijinsky before the war, Nijinska during the 1920s.[17] [18]

Balet PolskiDuring the Second Polish Republic, Nijinska headed the Balet Polski, aka Les Ballets Polonais, aka The Polish Ballets newly formed in Warsaw in 1937.[19] [20] [21] [22] This company was the brainchild of poet Jan Lechoń, and created with the assistance of M. Waclaw Jedrzejewicz, Minister of Public Education and President of the Organization Committee of the Polish Section to the Art and Technical Exhibition in Paris. The company's general director was Arnold Szyfman.

For the first season, 1937-1938, Nijinska created five new ballets including Baśń krakowska (La Légende de Cracovie), to music by Michal Kondracki; Pieśń o ziemi naszej (Le Chant de la Terre), to music by Roman Palester; Koncert E-moll Chopina (Concerto de Chopin), to Frédéric Chopin's B-minor piano concerto; Apollo i dziewczyna (Apollon et la Belle), to music by Ludomir Rozycki; and Wezwanie (Le Rappel), set to a score by Boleslaw Woytowicz. This repertoire featured scenery and costumes designed by Teresa Roszkowska, Waclaw Borowski, Wladyslaw Daszewski, and Irena Lorentowicz-Karwowska. The souvenir program for this company's Covent Garden appearances states: "Every gesture and every colour, the ebb and flow of the groups, each step of the soloists, the spirit and harmony of the Polish Ballets are imbued with the artistic ideals of Bronislava Nijinska and her ardent desire that the world should see the dances of her country in their noblest and most beautiful form."[23] At the Paris Exposition Internationale of that year, this Polish Ballet won the Grand Prix for performance, Nijinska the Gran Prix for choreography.[24] [25] In 1938 the Ballets Polonais was directed by Leon Wójcikowski. It appeared at the New York World's Fair in 1939, but World War II caused its closure.[26]

Ballet of Teatro WielkiFollowing the traumas of war, the 'Ballet of Teatr Wielki' reemerged in Warsaw. Yet the original Teatr Wielki had been almost completely destroyed during the 1939 siege of Warsaw. Eventually it was rebuilt and enlarged, in a new facility (also called the Opera Narodowa [National Opera]). Continuing a heritage of several centuries, the new theater opened in 1965. It housed the companies and schools for both opera and ballet, its stage being shared.[27] The dance company later became the Polish National Ballet, which continues to rehearse and perform in Teatr Wielki.

Under new name and status

On 18 March 2009 Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor,[28] already engaged with the Dutch National Ballet, became the director of the ballet of Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera. He took over this position with Paweł Chynowski as his proxy only under the condition that the company receive artistic autonomy. Thanks to the efforts of Teatr Wielki’s general director Waldemar Dąbrowski on 29 April 2009 the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski took the decision to separately constitute the ballet in the theater’s by-laws, under the name Polish National Ballet.[2] With the foundation of the Polish National Ballet, the company became autonomous and works as an equal partner to the Polish National Opera.

Polish National Ballet pursues a program of major classic dance formation. It performs an academic choreographic repertoire, but also reaches for 20th-century ballet masterpieces. Invitations are extended to outstanding contemporary choreographers; it also introduces works by young Polish choreographers. With nearly 90 dancers it includes both Polish and foreign dancers and affiliated specialities. The company performs regularly at the Teatr Wielki, when it is not on tour in Poland or performing abroad.

Repertoire, 2009-2025

Ballets staged by the Polish National Ballet from its establishing (year, ballet, choreographer):[29]

On tour

See also

Notes and References

  1. Cf. Polish National Ballet at website Teatr Wielki / Opera Narodowa. Accessed 7 April 2017.
  2. Paweł Chynowski, History of the Polish National Ballet. Accessed 7 April 2017.
  3. Halina Goldberg, The Age of Chopin (Indiana University 2004), p. 110. Accessed 2-17-04-11.
  4. [Cyril W. Beaumont]
  5. Book: Ballet to Poland. Haskell. Arnold. The MacMillan Company. 1940. New York. 29–32.
  6. News: Diaghleff's Ballet Russe. Boston Sunday Post . December 26, 1915. 27 . . February 20, 2021.
  7. Web site: Biography of Yurek Shabelevsky. The Biography.
  8. Book: Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia. A.S.Barnes and Company. 1949. New York. 426.
  9. Book: Koegler, Horst. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet. Oxford University Press. 1977. New York. 280.
  10. Book: Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia. A.S.Barnes and Company. 1949. New York. 265.
  11. Book: Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia. A.S. Barnes and Company. 1949. New York. 280–281.
  12. Book: Ballet--To Poland. Haskell. Arnold L.. The MacMillan Company. 1940. New York. 9.
  13. Book: Koegler, Horst. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet. Oxford University Press. 1977. New York. 318.
  14. Book: Chujoy, Anatole. The Dance Encyclopedia. A.S. Barnes and Company. 1949. New York. 285.
  15. Book: Koegler, Horst. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet. Oxford University Press. 1977. New York. 390.
  16. Bronislava Nijinska, Early Memoirs (New York: Holt Rinehart Winston 1981), pp. 3-13. Both parents (1891-1972) were professional ballet dancers who'd been trained at Teatr Wielki.
  17. [Lynn Garafola]
  18. [Agnes de Mille]
  19. Book: Turska, Irena. Krótki Zarys Historii Tańca i Baletu. Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne. 1983. 268–270.
  20. Book: Mamontowicz-Łojek, Bozena. Terpsychora i lekkie muzy: Taniec widowiskowy w Polsce w okresie międzywojennym (1918-1939). Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne. 59–64.
  21. Book: Wysocka, Tacjanna. Dzieje Baletu. 436–438.
  22. Arkin. Lisa C.. Fall 1992. Bronislava Nijinska and the Polish Ballet, 1937-1938: Missing Chapter of the Legacy. Dance Research Journal. 24/2. 2 . 1–16. 10.2307/1478521 . 1478521 . 191992687 .
  23. Book: The Polish Ballets. Towarzystwo Polskich Widowisk Artystycznych S.A.. 1937. London.
  24. Nijinska, Early Memoirs (1981), pp. 521-522.
  25. Nancy Van Norman Baer, Bronislava Nijinska. A Dancer's Legacy (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco 1986), pp. 65-66.
  26. Nancy Reynolds and Malcolm McCormack, No Fixed Points. Dance in the twentieth century (Yale University 2003), p. 181 (the Polish ballet company).
  27. Paweł Chynowski, History of the Polish National Ballet. Accessed 11 April 2017.
  28. http://culture.pl/en/artist/krzysztof-pastor Krzysztof Paster
  29. http://teatrwielki.pl/en/the-theatre/polish-national-ballet/ Polish National Ballet
  30. Web site: Chinara Alizade . 27 May 2018 . Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa.
  31. Web site: Yuka Ebihara. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  32. Web site: Dawid Trzensimiech. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  33. Web site: Patryk Walczak . 2018-07-06 . Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa . en.
  34. Web site: Maksim Woitiul. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  35. Web site: Vladimir Yaroshenko. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  36. Web site: Melissa Abel . 2022-08-13 . Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa . en.
  37. Web site: Magdalena Ciechowicz. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  38. Web site: Dagmara Dryl. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  39. Web site: Marta Fiedler. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  40. Web site: Jaeeun Jung . 2023-09-07 . Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa . en.
  41. Web site: Karolina Jupowicz. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  42. Web site: Mai Kageyama. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  43. Web site: Dominika Krysztoforska. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  44. Web site: Aleksandra Liashenko. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  45. Web site: Izabela Milewska. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  46. Web site: Maria Żuk. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  47. Web site: taniec POLSKA [pl] - people - Sergey Basalaev]. www.taniecpolska.pl. 27 May 2018.
  48. Web site: Robert Gabdullin - Ballet - Artists - Wiener Staatsoper. Wiener. Staatsoper. www.wiener-staatsoper.at. 27 May 2018.
  49. Web site: Ryota Kitai . 2023-09-07 . Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa . en.
  50. Web site: Paweł Koncewoj. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  51. Web site: Home. www.egormenshikov.com. 27 May 2018.
  52. Web site: Sergey Popov leaves PNB. 27 May 2018.
  53. Web site: Wojciech Ślęzak. Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa. 27 May 2018.
  54. Web site: PBN goes to Montreal. teatrwielki.pl. en. 2019-03-02.

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