Exploring our mortal coil

More than 20 years after his last production in Warsaw, Jizí Kylián, one of the best known Czech choreographers and a former director of the Nederland Dans Theater, is staging his Bridges of Time in four parts: Svadebka, by Igor Stravinsky; No More Play, based on a piece by the dodecaphonic composer Anton Webern; and, by Mozart, Petite mort and Sechs tänze. Both devotees and first-timers will enjoy the one-night performance of Kylián's works at Teatr Wielki, on November 9.

"Dance cannot rely on repeating the same techniques, because it will no longer be interesting for the audience. Here we constantly have to show the unknown abilities of our bodies and ways of expressing our emotions and feelings through our bodies," said Kylián in one of his recent interviews.

Through dance he tries to show emotions because dance always talks about love. For Kylián dance is also a clash of bodies, of sexes, of rhythm and movement, of human physics and metaphysics, of music. Kylián employs classical dance, although he perceives it in a very individual, even revolutionary way. From dancers he demands dynamics, gymnastic fitness, fluidity, and thoroughly contemporary expressiveness. Attempts have been made to lure Kylián back to Warsaw over the last 20 years. Now it has finally come to pass. Unlike his previous visit, however, the choreographer has arrived without his own dance troupe and, instead, prepared the ballet ensemble of the Polish National Opera for the performance. The evening's program features a selection of works from the choreographer's various periods, hence its title. The cast includes Anita Kuskowska, Anna Nowak, Irena Wasilewska, Alicja Złoch, Robert Kędziński, Klaudiusz Paradziński, Remigiusz Smoliński, Jacek Tyski.

Further info: +48 22 826 50 19