Paulina Święcańska – performer, choreographer, teacher, culture organizer. She has extensive background in music, dance and contemporary culture. She graduated in eurhythmics and dance from the State Music School in Piła (2005) and completed course for contemporary dance instructors in Bydgoszcz (2005–2007). Moreover, she received a Laban’s kinetography certificate (Institute of Choreology in Poznań, 2008). She also studied social psychology and pedagogy – specialization: culture promotion and dance (University of Zielona Góra, 2005–2007). She graduated in master’s culture studies from the University of Social Science and Humanities (2007–2009) in Warsaw and post-graduate studies in the field of culture management at the University of Warsaw(2008–2009).
For four years she has been actively engaged in improvisation and contact improvisation, taking part in numerous workshops, projects and events in Poland and abroad (Israel, Brazil, India and Europe). She collaborated with artists such as: David Zambrano, Adrian Russi, Scott Wells, Eckard Muller, Daniela Schwartz, Julyen Hamilton, Katie Duck, Nina Martin, Ray Chung, Nancy Stark Smith. Since 2011, together with Anna Wyganowska, she has organized in Warsaw a festival dedicated exclusively to contact improvisation – Poland Contact Festival “Warsaw Flow”, consisting mainly of workshops and practical classes. Apart from artistic work, Święcańska is engaged in educational activities, running numerous contact improvisation and contemporary dance workshops and classes – both in Poland and abroad (dance festivals and other events).
Since 2008 she has collaborated with Re:wizje Independent Art Festival in Warsaw, as an organizer and curator.
Since 2004 she has created her own choreographies. Her works include Surogaci (produced as part of the scholarship from Body/Mind Foundation for young choreographers, presented at the Body/Mind festival and Re:wizje festival in Warsaw, 2010), Dolls (together with Yaniv Mitzer from Israel, Zawirowania Festival and Przemiany Festival 2009), and Butterflies 2046 (1st prize at the Festival of Small Dance Forms in Cracow, invited for Kalejdoskop Festival in Białystok), Androgynes, Pam-flet, Secret (choreographies qualified for Solo Duo Festival in Budapest).
As an artist and promoter, she is seeking for harmony and correlation between body and nature. She is fascinated by watsu and bondage.
