Anatol Kocyłowski was born in 1935 in Niebieszczany, Podkarpackie Voivodeship. He graduated from the Academy of Economics in Kraków and the quadrennial Choreographic College in Warsaw. He was a choreographer and teacher, a long-time expert of the National Centre for Culture (Narodowe Centrum Kultury), the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Polish Section of the CIOFF in the field of dance. For many years, he was involved in educating the successive generations of dance instructors, and he was a technical manager and teacher at Dance Studies – Qualification Instruction Courses in the field of folk, contemporary and jazz dance and a senior teacher at the Academy of Music and the State Theatre College in Kraków, and at the quadrennial Choreographic College for Polish expatriates. He was an unquestionable expert on Polish national dances co-creating their systematisation, thanks to which the successive generations of dancers and choreographers from Poland and abroad have been able to pass on the beauty of this ingredient of Polish culture without a flaw.
Anatol Kocyłowski started his adventure with dance in the 1950s, when he became a member of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Metallurgical Works in Nowa Huta, with which he appeared at a number of concerts and festivals. In the subsequent years, he also cooperated with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the College of Economics in Kraków, the Teatr Muzyczny (Music Theatre) and the Teatr im. J. Słowackiego in Kraków. He choreographed for numerous arts groups, including the Folk Dance Ensemble from Myślenice, the Folk Dance Ensemble ‘Sądeczanie’ from Nowy Sącz and the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Jagiellonian University ‘Słowianki’. He also retained contacts with the Teatr STU from Kraków. Between 1980 and 2017, Anatol Kocyłowski was artistic director and choreographer of the Song and Dance Ensemble ‘Nowa Huta’ from Kraków affiliated with the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre.
As an authority on Polish national dances, he was a regular guest jury member at national and international folklore festivals. He also rose to the challenge of creating scripts, direction and choreography of grand-scale outdoor pageants, such as the 600 Years of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 1000th Anniversary of Polish Knights in Gniezno, Battle of Racławice, Polish Chronicle in celebration of Poland’s accession to the European Union held in Kraków, opera Halka staged in Skałki Twardowskiego in Kraków and Kraków Throughout the Ages in commemoration of the 750th anniversary of Kraków’s foundation. Anatol Kocyłowski also choreographed a number of operas, including Dido and Aeneas, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Krakowiacy i górale and Die Verschworenen. He was the screenwriter, director, choreographer and instructor of films dedicated to Polish dances: Z pamiętnika tamtych dni and Polskie tańce historyczne.
Anatol Kocyłowski also made a name for himself as an advocate and promoter of Polish culture amongst the people of Polish descent. From 1977, he worked with Polish folk ensembles in Scotland (Trojak, Rysy), Brazil (Juventus, Kalina, Polonia), Belgium (Pieniny, Carolo, Sarabanda) and other countries. By drawing up artistic programmes for these groups, he popularised Polish national and regional culture, and became an authority amongst the Poles living abroad. He also co-created – as the scriptwriter, director and choreographer of gala concerts – the organisation of several editions of the World Festival of Polish Folk Ensembles from Abroad (Światowy Festiwal Polonijnych Zespołów Folklorystycznych) held in Rzeszów and the Eighth Festival of Polish Folk Ensembles from the United States and Canada held in Boston.
He died on 23 November 2024.
Awards and medals:
- 2014: Oskar Kolberg Award
- 2013: Medal of the Commission of National Education
- 2010: Silver Medal For Merit to Culture ‘Gloria Artis’
- 2010: Gold Medal from the Association ‘Polish Community’ (Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska) for his achievements in disseminating Polish folklore and culture amongst Poles living abroad
- 2010: Medal from the Senate of the Republic of Poland
- 2003: Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- 2003: Medal for Merit to Polish Culture
- 2000: First Prize for the Dances of the Sącz Lachs at the National Folklore Competition
- 1988: Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- 1976: Silver Cross of Merit
