Włodzimierz Traczewski was born on January 7, 1929 in Warsaw. He studied dance at the private school of Zofia Pflanz-Dróbecka, a dancer with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
Traczewski embarked on his dance career in 1947. He worked successively in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Polish Army House, the Wrocław Opera, the Central Artistic Ensemble of the Polish Army and the Łódź Opera (subsequently renamed the Łódź Grand Theater).
He made his first appearance in Łódź in 1957 in the famous Parnell Parade. He quickly became one of the pillars of the ballet company and enjoyed success with the ensemble, performing on the stage of the Łódź Grand Theater.
Some of his major roles include Bolko (Świtezianka, dir. Felix Parnell), Nurali (The Fountain of Bakhchisaray, dir. Felix Parnell), Hilarion (Giselle, dir. Felix Parnell), Francis (Coppelia, dir. Felix Parnell), the Devil (Master Twardowski, dir. Felix Parnell), Rothbart (Swan Lake, dir. Witold Borkowski), Groom (Harnasie, dir. Witold Borkowski), Bryaxis (Daphnis and Chloe, dir. Witold Borkowski), Alain (The Ill-guarded Girl, dir. Eugeniusz Papliński).
From 1994 to 1998, Traczewski served as the ballet director at the Łódź Grand Theater. He worked as a choreographer with several dramatic theater companies in Łódź: Nowy, Powszechny and Jaracz, as well as with theaters in Kalisz, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Częstochowa, Elbląg and Wałbrzych. He enjoyed considerable success with a number of music theater companies, including those in Łódź, Szczecin and Warsaw, as well as the Polish Television. He also served as the ballet director at the Music Theater in Łódź.
In recognition of his merits, he was honored with many medals and awards, including the Medal of the 200th Anniversary of the Polish Ballet, the Silver Medal Gloria Artis and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of “Polonia Restituta.”
He passed away on February 2, 2016 in Warsaw.
Photos:
Pictured: Włodzimierz Traczewski, “Swan Lake,” 1968, photo by Franciszek Myszkowski. Photo from the archives of the Łódź Grand Theater.
Pictured: Wlodzimierz Traczewski (to the right), “La fille mal gardee,” 1973, photo by Jerzy Neugebauer. Photo from the archives of the Łódź Grand Theater.
