Rafał Dziemidok– dancer, choreographer, teacher. His professional dance career started in 1992 at Bard College, USA where he studied Drama/Dance. Then he co-operated with Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre of Leszek Bzdyl and Katarzyna Chmielewska, Gdańsk Dance Theatre of Wojciech Mochniej and Melissa Monteros (not existing any more) and Compagnie Yvette Bozsik from Budapest. At the same time, he graduated in law (from the University of Gdańsk) and in comparative constitutional studies and human rights law (from the Central European University (CEU), Budapest).
Since 1997 Dziemidok has created solos and duets as an independent artist. His works include Departure-Arrival (1998), Welder’s Heart (2000), Yes, yes, yes, yes (2001), Dirty Pink (2004) and duets (with Patrycja Kujawska, Dreams of the Fleecy River with Magdalena Jędra, 2000). At the same time he has explored dance by participating in interdisciplinary projects together with other dancers, musicians, sculptors, video artists and writers (for example, as part of Night of Poets in Warsaw).
As a dancer and choreographer, Dziemidok has co-created independent theatre productions: Trzy postaci w postaci postaci (directed by Edward Wojtaszek),Strzałka Czasu(directed by Dorota Brodowska) and film production:Sen o kanapce z żółtym serem(directed by Daniel Dyzma-Kozakiewicz),Frames(directed by Rafał Dziemidok, Szymon Rogiński, dance by: Kaya Kołodziejczyk).
In 2004 Dziemidok started again to co-operate with Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre. In the last few years he took part, as a dancer, in two performances of this groups: Several Witty Observations (à la Gombrowicz) (2004) and Faktor T(2008) directed by Leszek Bzdyl. The latter was prepared as a joint choreography, Dziemidok being one of its co-authors. The group co-operated with an American artist Bethany Formica on this performance. Faktor T was awarded the best dance performance in a specialist survey for 2009 carried out by the portal NowyTaniec.p (the performance seems to be in a class of its own as it was voted the best performance even thought it was prepared one year before the survey was organized).
Since 2005 he has co-created a Warsaw Artistic Group Koncentrat with Anka Jankowska, dancer and choreographer, and Ewa Graniec, lighting designer. He created the following pieces with the group: 2moreless (duet with Anka Jankowska, 2005);Hoedown(with tango enthusiasts, 2006); Tell me I look divine(duet with Anka Jankowską, 2006);Nawrotnik(solo by Magdalena Jędra, 2007);Rabbit, death and riding contest (individual solos, 2008). The two latter were voted in a survey of the magazine “Teatr” the best dance performances of 2008, and 2moreless(as a dvd presentation) and Rabbit… were presented at the Polish Dance Platform 2008. The last performance of Koncentrat Nut.Squirrel (2010) was created jointly with a new group of collaborators.
In 2007 he created a performance Tragedy – Medea, an individual adaptation of the drama by Euripides, choreographed and directed by himself, for the Polish Dance Theatre – Poznań Ballet.
Dziemidok is also an active dance improviser – he has co-operated with a group of improvisers Melba Kolektyw in Warsaw, founded by Ilona Trybuła; he has taken part in projects devoted to improvisation, including a series of meetings of dancers and musicians Blind Date (“Old Brewery New Dance on Malta” 2008).
Rafał Dziemidok was awarded for his “critical and ironic attitude to dance” by the jury of the International Presentations of Contemporary Dance Forms in Kalisz (1998) and won first prize in the category of “stage movement” of Warsaw Stage Art Festival (2000). He also won a scholarship of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2007). He took part in Polish dance platforms: taniec.pl (2003), Polish Dance Platform (2008 and 2010) as well as in presentations on the Polish Year in Germany and Israel. In the survey of Nowytaniec.PL he was nominated in the category „the best dancer 2008”. Performances created by or featuring Dziemidok were presented at dance and interdisciplinary festivals all over the world. In 2010 a conceptual performance Floe, prepared by Dziemidok together with a Swiss artist Nicole Seiler for the group Koncentrat, was shortlisted to 10 top performances of 2011 by Aerowaves – an international network of dance festivals and promoters. As a result, Floe was presented, among others, at Performing Arts Market in Tokyo and SpringForward! in Ljubljana.
In 2011 a Swiss choreographer Daniel Almgren Recén created for him a solo dance(Rafał).
As a choreographer of drama performances he co-operated with many theatres in Poland, i.e. Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta, Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk and theatres in Warsaw: Nowy, Praga, Studio, Powszechny and Ateneum. He participated in creation of such performances as: Opowieści 11 Katów(directed by Łukasz Czuj, 1999),Matka(directed by Grzegorz Wiśniewski, 2003),Roberto Zucco(directed by Giovanny Castellanos, 2008), Niebezpieczne związki(directed by Agnieszka Lipiec-Wróblewska, 2003),Miastomania(directed by Jan Peszek, 2005),Bal pod Orłem(directed by Zbigniew Brzoza),Powrót do domu(directed by Barbara Sas-Zdort, 2008).
