Katarzyna Gdaniec (b. in Gdańsk) is a choreographer, dancer and pedagogue. She dedicated herself to artistic gymnastics from the age of eight and won the Artistic Gymnastics European Junior Championships. She then studied at the Academy of Vaganova of St-Petersburg and at the State Ballet School in Gdańsk. In 1983 she won the 1st Prize at the Gdańsk National Dance Competition and the Prix de Lausanne. She entered Maurice Béjarts Ballet du XXe Sicle in 1985 (Ballet of the 20th Century) and remained with the company as principal dancer until 1992. Gdaniec developed her first choreographies as early as 1987; since creating her first pieces for the Young Choreographers workshop organized by Ballet du XXe Sicle, she has devoted herself entirely to choreography and co-authored over forty pieces.
Compagnie Linga
In 1992, Katarzyna Gdaniec and Marco Cantalupo founded Companie Linga (symbol of fertility in Hinduism). As early as 1993, they are offered residency at the Octogone – Théâtre in Pully / Lausanne (CH) where they created a permanent space dedicated to choreographic research with the support of the City of Pully, the City of Lausanne, the Canton of Vaud and Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council.
Questioning the repercussions of political and social issues on both body & movement, the companys choreographic vocabulary has progressively given rise to a repertoire becoming one of the most important in the country and abroad.
In 2017, Companie Linga celebrated its 25th anniversary.
International cooperations
The Compagnie Linga has numerous Swiss and international collaborations to its credit, notably with the Operas of Lausanne, Dresden, Florence, Ankara, Samsun, Mannheim National Theater, Ballet Vorpommern, National Ballet of Portugal, Avenches Festival, ARTE TV, orchestra of the WDR.
Educational work
Teaching dance techniques, holding workshops & master classes, choreographing pieces for students or adapting those in Compagnie Lingas repertoire for educational purposes, Katarzyna Gdaniec has collaborated with several training centres in Switzerland and abroad, including the Arts Vocational Training Center. (CFPAA) of Geneva, which hosts the CFC section contemporary dance, the School of Dance of Cannes Rosella Hightower (ESDC), the Marchepied in Lausanne, the Corso di Aggiornamento Professionale for Insegnanti di Danza in Rome, the Corsi Alta Formazione from Aterballetto to Reggio Emilia.
Programming
2004 – 2010, Festival of the City, Lausanne
1997, Festival Les nuits de la danse co-artistic director, Pully
Awards
2017, City of Gdańsk (PL) Culture Prize
2017, Polish Artists Association Award (ZASP) winner
2015, Danzatalenti Award, Genova (IT)
2012, Vaudoise Foundation for Culture Grand Prix
2001, Young Creators Prize Dance of the Vaudoise Foundation for the Promotion and Artistic Creation
1995, Positano (IT) Leonide Massine Prize
1995, Hannover Dance Competition (DE) award
Jury member
2018 Concorso Internazionale di Danza, Tripudium Ballet, Milan (IT)
2017 20th Wojciech Wiesiołłowski National Dance Competition, Gdańsk (PL)
2011 The Baltic Movement Competition, Gdańsk (PL)
1996 Eurovision Young Dancers
Community activities
1993 – 2015, Contemporary Dance Vaudoise Association committee member
2011 – 2013, Association Lausanne a Capital for Dance committee member
