Kacper Lipiński is a dancer, designer and photographer. Born in 1979 in Poznań, he is still based in the city. He began his career as martial arts instructor. In 2003 he completed a two-year course becoming instructor of contemporary dance.
In 2004-2008 he collaborated with the Polish Dance Theatre (PTT) in Poznań: first as intern, than as dancer. He performed in Przypadki PanavonK (choreography by Ewa Wycichowska); Carpe Diem (choreography by Ewa Wycichowska); Walk@ karnawału z postem (choreography by Ewa Wycichowska); Apokalypsa (choreography by Karine Saporta); Stop non stop (choreography by Paulina Wycichowska); Gra2 and Gra3 (choreography by Iwona Pasińska); 36/5ºC (choreography by Magdalena Reiter); Beatus vir Qui (choreography by Paulina Wycichowska); and Lato (choreography by Thierry Verger). Lipiński has also designed costumes for two PTT performances: Gra-3andO-zone, as well as a video installation for Wiosna – Effatha.
When studying art history at Poznań’s Adam Mickiewicz University Lipiński was working as a designer (interiors, graphics, stage design, etc.) which led him eventually to switch to graphic design at Paznań’s Academy of Fine Art, where he had obtained BA in 2006, followed by MA in July 2009, an element of his diploma examination being a movement performance A słowo ciałem a z ciała słowo, presented at Stary Browar Nowy Taniec in Poznań in July 2009.
Apart from designs (interiors, posters, illustrations), Lipiński also creates video projects and performances. A list of the latter includes: a piece shown as part of the UNISEX exhibition at the gallery Enter in
Poznań; Różowy performance sylwestrowyat the City Gallery ARSENAŁ in Poznań; performance project Dźwięk nieprzejawiony, which produced a video installation shown for two weeks at a gallery as part of the initiative Kamienice Sztuki – Bydgoszcz 2011;Position of A. Place number 33-CKKK, a performance realised as part of WIDMA MALINGRADUheld by the gallery Malingrad at Kontener Art in Poznań in conjunction with the festival “Mi się tu podoba” (11 August 2012);Position of A. Place nr.: M.1, a performance realised as part of STILLON held by the gallery ON in Poznań (30 November 2012).
As a video artist Lipiński has collaborated with a range of Polish dancers and choreographers, including Rafał Urbacki (Mt 9,7), Mikołaj Mikołajczyk (Z tobą chcę oglądać świat), and Ewa Wycichowska (Wiosna Effatha). He has also created performance art.
Lipiński debuted as choreographer with the soloIME EKTASI, an independent production, which premiered at Poznań’s Stary Browar as part of the series Co z tym tańcem(October 2007). The project fused video and ecstatic dance based on the shape of the circle and repetitions. Next came the choreographic piece Du łe Du(cast: Dorota Wacek, Kacper Lipiński, presented at a showcase held by Dance Theatre Zawirowania in Warsaw, May 2008); solo piece Testament(Mandala Performance Festival in Wrocław, 2011); theatre project for dancer, actress and two musicians Niepamięć (rzeczywistość zakłamana)(Studium Teatralne S/T in Warsaw; cast: Anita Sokołowska, Kacper Lipiński, Krzysztof Kaliski, Cezary Kołodziej, June 2012); solo piece Dziwne zdarzenie mistrza Ło/Strange case of master Ło Łódź (Polish Festival of Contact Improvisation, October 2012). His latest piece wOkOłO was produced as part of the residency programme of Klub Żak in Gdańsk (Rezydencja/Premiera) (artistic consultation: Trajal Harrell), and premiered in June 2013 at the Gdańsk Dance Festival 2013.The piece has a fixed choreographic structure, functioning as a picture frame or a TV screen, inside of which images and sounds are changing. Just as a piece of news presented in the media changes with time, also wOkOłOtakes on new forms depending on the time and place of presentation. The idea is to emphasise concrete problems, issues, existing around us (the title translates as “Around”), but absent from the mainstream media.
In 2011/2012 Lipiński received a scholarship from Alternatiwna Akademia Tańca [Alternativa Dance Academy] of the Art Stations Foundation/Stary Browar Nowy Taniec in Poznań.
Since 2008 he is member of Movements Factory set up in Poznań by Iwona Pasińska, taking part in such productions of the collective as:Pustynia pary(Malta Festival, 2008); Gramy4you in collaboration with Czesław Mozil (CK Zamek Poznań, 2009); Saliga (Malta Festival, 2009; Lipiński also designed costumes for the project); Trop: Dance As Art (Teatr Wielki in Poznań, 2010), Bodyland (part of the project Miasto2, Poznań, 2010).
Currently, Lipiński works as photographer, dancer and performer, trying to fuse movement and visual arts by using his experiences in painting, drawing, dancing and video art to create animated films. He also works commercially as choreographer, e.g. at Art&Fashion Poznań 2009, and as VJ on the electronic music scene.
Since 2011 Lipiński has been developing and teaching his original movement system Fight Gravity Dance (F.G.D.), combining elements of contemporary dance techniques, martial arts, and endurance exercises characteristic for warm-ups and sports training.
