Chorzów/Choreographic Commissions 2016: Dominika Knapiks Afternoon of a Faun

The Rozrywki Theatre in Chorzów is pleased to invite everyone to the premiere of Afternoon of a Faun directed and choreographed by Dominika Knapik. The performance will be presented on Monday, 28 November 2016 (7 pm) at the seat of the theatre in ul. Konopnickiej 1. The piece has been produced in collaboration with the Institute of Music and Dance as part of the Zamówienia choreograficzne 2016 programme.

 Afternoon of a Faun is a piece inspired by the eponymous ballet which premiered in 1912. The original libretto and choreography were created by Vaslav Nijinsky, the stage design was contributed by Léon Bakst, and the music written by Claude Debussy. 

Performance presentation:

Approximately 2000 years ago, fauns existed on the verge of the civilised and the wild. They were luminal figures. Brigand outlaws roaming highlands and pastures, in the thin stripe separating the backwoods from the ancient Italian countryside. It was there that nature clashed with culture. It was there that nymph were spotted: human apparitions dissolving into thin air. Today, this border has moved, or rather hidden from us, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag full of fertile soil.

The action of Afternoon of a Faun takes place in a garden centre. Shouldn?t we locate the ancient, mythical border, the primeval clash, in this very location?Our protagonists are fauns-sales assistants at a garden department, who much like ancient gods balance between nature and culture; as well as nymphs-customers lured to the garden centre by the scent of fertilizers and the sound of the pan-pipes. Ready to disappear at any moment without closing the deal.

It is an August afternoon. The heat makes the body slow down, and the garden centre submerges in sticky sultriness, panting and shuddering. There is only one way to release the unbearable tension which vibrates in the air.

Łukasz Wojtysko

directed and choreographed by: Dominika Knapik
text and dramaturgy: Łukasz Wojtysko
music: Łukasz Jędrzejczak, Daniel Szwed
stage design, costumes: Karolina Mazur
multimedia: Dawid Kozłowski
assistant choreographer: Maciej Cierzniak
assistant costume designer: Lidia Kanclerz
stage manager: Beata Jabłońska-Rakoczy

STARRING:
Maciej Cierzniak
Sebastian Chwastecki
Krzysztof Czubaszek
Daniel Dąbrowski
Łukasz Marczyński
Karol Zdańkowski
Łukasz Wojtysko

Produced in collaboration with the Institute of Music and Dance as part of the Choreographic Commissions  2016 programme.