Teresa Kujawa

Teresa Kujawa (proper name Teresa Kujawa-Knapik) was a Polish ballet dancer, choreographer, educator and director. She graduated from the Technical School of Cinematography in Poznań and the State Ballet School in Warsaw.

She debuted in 1949 at the Dolnośląski Theater in Wroclaw in a production of Eugene Labiche’s Straw Hat, directed by Jerzy Walden.

She worked as a dancer at the Dolnośląska Opera (1947-1949) and Poznań Opera (1949-1958, from 1952 onwards as a soloist), before joining the Théâtre d’Art du Ballet company, with whom she toured Western Europe, among others. She then returned to work at the Poznań Opera (1960-1971). In 1971, she became a ballet dancer at the Wrocław Opera House.

In 1974 she was appointed the choreographer of the Polish Dance Theatre – Poznań Ballet, and subsequently worked in the same capacity at the Łódź Grand Theatre (1975), Wrocław Opera (1976-1982) and the Grand Theatre in Warsaw (1982-1989). She was ballet director at the Wrocław Opera and the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, as well as director of the Szczecin Opera and Operetta.

As an educator, she was actively involved with the State Ballet School in Poznań (1954-1971), State Ballet School in Warsaw, and the Academy of Dance in Moscow (1963; teaching national dances and the Spanish dance technique).

Teresa Kujawa’s choreographic work was of the highest probe. Among the pieces she choreographed were Medea (Polish Dance Theatre), Spartacus (Wrocław Opera), The Magic of Love (Łódź Grand Theatre), Coppélia (Szczecin Opera and Operetta) and Sculptures of Master Peter (Grand Theatre in Warsaw).

Awarded with a number of prizes and accolades, Kujawa was the recepient of the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1986), the “Terpsichore” award of the Dance and Ballet Section of the ZASP Association of Polish Stage Artists for her merits in the fields choreography and pedagogy (1998), the Gold Medal “Meritorious to Culture Gloria Artis,” as well as lifetime achievement awards in choreography (2007) and a special award (2017) granted by the ZAiKS Authors Association.

Teresa Kujawa passed away on April 28, 2020.

***

List of Teresa Kujawa’s major roles in chronological order:

Walpurgisnacht – dancer, 1950, chor. Eugeniusz Papliński
The Peacock and the Girl – dancer, 1950, chor. Eugeniusz Papliński
Le Carnaval – Girl, 1950, chor. Eugeniusz Papliński
Walpurgisnacht – Bacchante, 1952, Nymph ( 1963) chor. Leon Wójcikowski
Swantewit – Rusalka, 1951, chor. Leon Wójcikowski
Night on Bald Mountain – Old Woman, 1952, chor. Leon Wójcikowski
Coppélia – Gypsy Woman, 1952, chor. Leon Wójcikowski
Swan Lake – pas de quatre, Spanish dance, 1953, chor. Stanisław Miszczyk
King of Peasants – Zosia, 1954, chor. Stanisław Miszczyk
Master Twardowski – Medea, She-devil, Gypsy Woman, Highlander Woman, 1955, chor. Feliks Parnell
Sleeping Beauty – Carabosse, 1956, chor. Jerzy Gogół
El amor brujo – Lucia, ca. 1961, premiere 1958 , chor. Stella Pokrzywińska
The Fountain of Bakhchisaray – Zarema, premiere 1958, chor. Zygmunt Patkowski
The Siren – dancer (Mazurka), 1962, chor. Eugeniusz Papliński
Romeo and Juliet – street dancer, 1963, chor. Witold Borkowski
La Valse i Valses Noble et sentimentale – dancer, 1964, chor.Conrad Drzewiecki
The Three-Cornered Hat – Miller, 1965, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
Shakespeare Improvisations – Lady Macbeth, 1966, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
Variations in 4:4 – dancer, 1966, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
Tempus Jazz 67 – dancer 1967, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
Adagio for strings and organ – dancer, 1967, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
L’enfant et les sortilèges – Waiting Maid, Princess’s Rose, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki
Swan Lake – Spanish dance, 1969, chor. Conrad Drzewiecki

Awards and Honors:

1953 – Second prize in the Characteristic Dance category at the International Youth and Student Dance Competition in Bucharest
1955 – Fourth prize in solo Characteristic Dance at the International Youth and Students Dance Festival in Warsaw.
1969 – Silver Cross of Merit
1980 – Gold Cross of Merit
1981 – Meritorious Activist of Culture
1981 – City of Wrocław Award
1982 – Ministry of Culture and Art Award
1985 – Knight’s Cross of the First Degree
1998 – Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
1998 – ZASP Association of Polish Stage Artists Award – Dance and Ballet Section – Terpsichore Statue
2007 – ZAiKS Society of Authors lifetime achievement award
2008 – Award of the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Province for outstanding achievements in culture
2008 – Gold Medal for Meritorious Service to Culture Gloria Artis
2016 – Golden badge of the Society of Lovers of Wrocław
2017 – Special award of the ZAiKS Society of Authors
2017 – Financial Award funded by the Foundation of Polish Stage Veteran Artists.

List of pieces choreographed and directed:

Wrocław Opera

Ballets:

1971 – Scultpures of Master Peter – music by Romuald Twardowski
1972 – Spartacus – music by Aram Khachaturian
1972 – Spanish Night – El amor brujo, Nights in the Gardens of Spain – music by Manuel de Falla
1977 – Coppélia – music by Leo Delibes
1978 – Cinderella – Sergei Prokofiev
1978 – Ballet Night – Polonia – music by Ignacy Jan Paderewski,
Ad Libitum – music by Kazimierz Serocki
1980 – Orpheus’s Love, Medea – music by Juliusz Łuciuk
1980 – King of Peasants – music by Grażyna Bacewicz
1982 – Mandragora, Myths, Harnasie – music by Karol Szymanowski
1983 – Swan Lake – music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
1991 – Diaghilev Night – The Three-Cornered Hat – music by Manuel de Falla
1993 – The Nutcracker – music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
2001 – Ballet Impressions: Returning Waves – music by Mieczysław Karłowicz, Symphony no. 4 (Symphonie Concertante) – music by Karol Szymanowski, Exodus – music by Wojciech Kilar

Ballet cameos:

1968 – Carmen – music by George Bizet
1973 – Porgy and Bess – music by George Gershwin
1973 – Aida – music by Giuseppe Verdi
1977 – Halka – music by Stanisław Moniuszko
1977 – Beelzebub Sonata – music by Edward Bogusławski
1978 – Lo speziale – music by Joseph Haydn
1979 – La verita in cimento – music by Antonio Vivaldi
1981 – A Masked Ball – music by Giuseppe Verdi
1987 – Carmen – music by George Bizet
1990 – Dwarves, dwarves – music by Katarzyna Gaertner
1991 – The Supposed Miracle or Cracovians and Highlanders – music by Jan Stefani
1994 – Samson and Delilah – music by Camille Saint-Saëns
1994 – Oliver! – Lionel Bart

Directed pieces:

2002 – Carmen – music by Georges Bizet

Grand Theatre in Poznań

Ballets:

1985 – Nights in the Gardens of Spain – music by Manuel d Falla
1986 – Symphony no. 4 (Sinfonia Concertante) – music by Karol Szymanowski
1987 – Carmina Burana – music by Carl Orff
1988 – Pelléas and Mélisande – music by Jean Sibelius
2003 – Pavane for Dead Princes – music by Maurice Ravel
2004 – Symphony no. 9 – Ludwig van Beethoven
2005 – Medea – music by Juliusz Łuciuk

Ballet cameos:

1964 – Abduction – music by Tomasz Kiesewetter
1965 – Orpheus in the Underworld – music by Jacques Offenbach
1967 – Queen of Spades – music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
1967 – Fra Diavolo – music by Daniel Auber
1969 – Blood Wedding – music by Sandor Szokolay
1969 – Khovanshchina – music by Modest Mussorgsky
1971 – Merry Wives of Windsor – music by Otto Nicolai
1971 – La Traviata – music by Giuseppe Verdi
1986 – The Haunted Manor – music by Stanisław Moniuszko
1989 – Prince Igor – music by Igor Borodin
1994 – The Countess – music by Stanisław Moniuszko
1995 – Dwarves, dwarves – music by Katarzyna Gaertner
1999 – The Supposed Miracle or Cracovians and Highlanders – music by Jan Stefani

Directed pieces

1985 – Life is Short – music by Manuel de Falla

Polish Dance Theatre

1975 – Medea – music by Juliusz Łuciuk

Łódź Grand Theatre

Ballets:

1976 – Concerto grosso – music by Bolesław Szabelski
1976 – El amor brujo – music by Manuel de Falla
1982 – Medea – music by Juliusz Łuciuk
1983 – Coppélia – music by Leo Delibes

Opera cameos:

1976 – Lord Jim – music by Romuald Twardowski

Directed pieces:

1985 – Halka – music by Stanisław Moniuszko
1989 – Madama Butterfly – music by Giacomo Puccini

Grand Theatre in Warsaw

Ballets:

1974 – Sculptures of Master Peter – music by Romuald Twardowski
1982 – Mandragora, Myths, Harnasie – music by Karol Szymanowski
1982 – Yerma – Manuel de Falla
Goya – Joaquín Rodrigo, Joaquín Turina
1985 – Master Twardowski – music by Ludomir Różycki
1989 – Harlequinade – music by Robert Schumann

Opera cameos:

1983 – King Roger – music by Karol Szymanowski
1983 – The Haunted Mansion – music by Stanisław Moniuszko
1984 – Beelzebub’s Sonata – music by Edward Bogusławski
1984 – The Pearl Fishers – music by Georges Bizet
1993 – Cracovians and Highlanders – music by Wojciech Bogusławski

Szczecin Opera and Operetta/ Opera at the Castle (after 2000)

Ballets:

1998 – Coppélia – music by Leo Delibes

Opera cameos:

1971 – Man of La Mancha – music by Mitchell Leigh
1987 – Die Fledermaus– music by Johann Strauss
1992 – Dwarves, Dwarves– music by Katarzyna Gaertner
1995 – Orpheus in the Underworld – music by Jacques Offenbach

Directed pieces:

1993 – Carmen – music by Georges Bizet
1996 – Ball bei Prince Orlovsky – music by Johann Strauss
1997 – Potulicka – gala concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Szczecin Opera and Operetta
2000 – The Gypsy Baron – music by Johann Strauss

Muzyczny Theatre in Gdynia

Ballets

1978 – El amor brujo – music by Manuel de Falla

Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz

Ballet cameos

1988 – Carmen – music by Georges Bizet
1995 – Die Fledermaus – music by Johann Strauss

Directed pieces

1993 – Life is Short – music by Manuel de Falla

Silesian Opera in Bytom

Ballet cameos

1996 – The Magic Ball, or Dwarves, Dwarves – music by Katarzyna Gaertner

Baltic Opera in Gdańsk

Ballet cameos

1963 – Carmen – music by Georges Bizet

Muzyczny Theatre in Gliwice

Ballet cameos

1998 – Orpheus in the Underworld – music by Jacques Offenbach

Muzyczny Theatre in Poznań

Ballet cameos

1963 – Servus Peterr– music by Gerd Natschinski
1966 – The Opera Ball– music by Richard Heuberger
1968 – The Merry war – music by Johann Strauss
1970 – Lady de Maxim – music by Tadeusz Sygietyński
1970 – Count of Luxembourg – music by Franz Lehar

Muzyczny Theatre, Wrocław Operetta

1976 – Green Bullfinch – music by Andrzej Markowski
1978 – The Tsarevich – music by Franz Lehar
2000 – The Gypsy Princess – music by Imre Kalman

Collaborations with dramatic theatre companies:

1961 – Ondine, dir. Józef Gruda – Polski Theatre in Poznań, character and pantomime setting
1968 – The Coming Spring, dir. Hugon Moryciński – Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, choreographic sets
1972 – The Life of Joseph, dir. Maria Straszewska, Polski Theatre in Wrocław, dance sets and choreographic consultations
1973 – L’Impromptu de Versailles, Le Malade imaginaire, dir. Jerzy Wróblewski, Polski Theatre in Wrocław – choreography
1977 – Brotherhood Symphony – Przedsiębiorstwo Imprez Artystycznych „Impart” in Wrocław – choreography
1979 – Summer Strolls – dir. Maria Straszewska, Leon Kruczkowski Lubuski Theatre in Zielona Góra, choreographic sets
1979 – The Attorney’s Attorneys, dir. Jerzy Wróblewski, Dramatyczny Theatre in Olsztyn, choreography
1979 – Beelzebub’s Sonata, dir. Wróblewski Jerzy, Jan Kochanowski Powszechny Theatre in Radom, stage movement and song choreographies
1980 – Green Bullfinch, dir. Jerzy Wróblewski, Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn, choreography
1991 – The Pulp, dir. Kazimierz Braun, Polski Theatre in Wrocław – choreography