Revolutionary festival

Zawirowania ("Whirls") Dance Theater's third annual Central European Dance Theater Festival will soon be whirling its way into both the Stara Prochownia theater in Warsaw's Old Town and the Włochy Cultural Center. Along with dancers from the host country Poland, the festival will feature contemporary performances by dance troupes from as nearby as Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and as far afield as Spain, Switzerland, Russia and Canada.

"This year, we're focusing on diversity, expanding our horizons geographically and artistically," says Barbara Czajkowska, a dancer affiliated with Zawirowania, as well as an organizer of and participant in the festival. "This is a young discipline and it's constantly changing shape, shifting according to the ideas of all the performers and enthusiasts involved. We want to reflect this diversity through the festival's program, inviting companies from different countries and traditions which present their own individual takes on technique, style, form and convention," she says. Czajkowska will perform a solo piece called Salida Basica on June 26.

The festival will also offer discussions with the performers after each show as well as over a dozen workshops held daily at a local school in Włochy. Experienced dancers and choreographers such as Michał Piróg and Elwira Piorun will lead workshops in contemporary dance, jazz and creative improvisation, exploring new directions in movement and artistic expression.

The Central European Dance Theater Festival runs from June 24 - July 1 in  Stara Prochownia theater and the Włochy Cultural Center. More information on the festival's performances and workshops can be found on www.zawirowania.pl