Zbigniew Kiliński – born 6 August 1919 in Warsaw, died 13 December 1993. Dancer, choreographer, teacher.
He completed the ballet school affiliated with the Teatr Wielki (Grand Theatre) in Warsaw.
From 1936, he was active as a dancer of Parnell’s Ballet. Between 1937 and 1939, he was principal dancer at the Polski Balet Reprezentacyjny (Polish Representative Ballet) created by Leon Wójcikowski. In 1937, he cooperated with the Wielka Rewia theatre in Warsaw, where he performed as a dancer in revues alongside such artists as Feliks Parnell, Zizi Halama, Mira Zimińska and Jan Kapliński. During World War II, he worked as a dancer and choreographer in Warsaw’s officially active theatres, such as Teatr Rozmaitości Jar, Teatr m.st. Warszawy and Teatr Popularny. He also cooperated with the Opera Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Opery in Kraków on the production of Stanisław Moniuszko’s opera Hrabina. In 1951, he began working as a soloist and ballet manager at the Philharmonic and Opera in Warsaw (currently: Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa [Grand Theatre – National Opera]), where he was employed until 1985, also in the capacity of assistant choreographer and choreographer. Between 1960 and 1968, he was artistic director of the State Secondary Ballet School (Państwowa Średnia Szkoła Baletowa).
He was also choreographer of the Tadeusz Sygietyński State Folk Song and Dance Ensemble (Państwowy Zespół Ludowy Pieśni i Tańca im. Tadeusza Sygietyńskiego) ‘Mazowsze’.
His most notable roles include: Devil and Mr Twardowski in the ballet Pan Twardowski (choreographed by S. Miszczyk), Harnaś in the ballet Harnasie (choreographed by S. Miszczyk), Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (choreographed by J. Gogół), Hilarion in Giselle (choreographed by J. Coralli and M. Petipa), Severyan in The Tale of the Stone Flower (choreographed by A. Tomski), The Moor in Petrushka (choreographed by L. Wójcikowski), Torreador in Spanish Suite (choreographed by L. Wójcikowski), Hercules in Hrabina (choreographed by F. Parnell and S. Miszczyk), Mephistopheles in Faust (choreographed by S. Stanisławska), Don Quixote in Don Quixote (choreographed by A. Cziczinadze) plus many more. He also appeared as a dancer in a short film titled Epizod (directed by B. Brok).
Zbigniew Kiliński made choreographies for such productions as Little Red Riding Hood (Teatr Popularny in Warsaw), Hansel and Gretel (Teatr Popularny in Warsaw), The Haunted Manor (Teatr Wielki in Warsaw), Miho nagato (Tokyo Opera, Theater der Stadt in Bonn), Na szkle malowane (Teatr Polski in Warsaw), Pani Gabriela (Teatr Polski in Bydgoszcz), La fille de Madame Angot (Operetka Śląska in Gliwice), Wszystko do Desy (Teatr Polski in Bydgoszcz), Wieczór baletów polskich (Teatr Wielki [Grand Theatre] in Łódź) and Pinocchio (Teatr im. S. Żeromskiego in Kielce). In 1958, he choreographed a television production titled Opowieść o żołnierzu (directed by J. Kulma) and in 1966 a feature film, Marysia i Napoleon (directed by L. Buczkowski).
He was a member of the Union of Polish Stage Artists (Związek Artystów Scen Polskich).
In 1967, he was awarded the Distinguished Cultural Activist medal.
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Zofia Wójcikowska and Zbigniew Kiliński in Harnasie (1938). National Digital Archive, Koncern Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny – Illustration Archive, file number 1-K-12111.
Dancers Olga Glinkówna and Zbigniew Kiliński in Wesele w Ojcowie. Situational photograph taken in an atelier, 1937-1939. National Digital Archive, Koncern Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny – Illustration Archive, file number 1-K-12112.
