Roman Komasa is a graduate of the Gdańsk Ballet School and the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź, where he earned a degree in choreography. He also completed pedagogical studies in pedagogy of rehabilitation and penitentiary education, as well as a Tai-Chi master class.
Komasa embarked on his dance career in 1980 on the stage of the Grand Theater in Łódź, where he held the position of first ballet soloist from 1983 to 1989. From 1981 to 1983, he danced at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. As a soloist and choreographer, he also worked at the Staatstheater in Kassel, Braunschweig and Giessen. He also collaborated with the Polish Dance Theater in Poznań. During the 2004/2005 season, he was a teacher at the Gdańsk Ballet School. From 2008 to 2012, he served as ballet director of the State Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, where he also worked as a pedagogue. Komasa speaks of his choreographic work in the following words: “Personally, I experience a constant sense of insufficiency, although chorography has always fulfilled its function in this respect. The applause of the audience is not enough. Press criticism does not determine what is good and bad. Can saving one’s own world, vision and illuminations of elusive sequences be a reason to constantly crave new inspiration? In a way, the human being at the center of my attention already dictates their drama, and constitutes a closed chapter. Of course, considering this as a choreographic credo prompts one to enter a higher level of understanding of the dancer’s psychophysical capabilities and anatomical predispositions. […]Does my choreography resist the fashion of its time? I think that creation is a plane that offers an infinite dimension, a type of movement extracted from improvisation as a source where I can meet fellow humans. Limited matter with unlimited potential for emotion is the essence of primordial energy. Choreography leaves a trace, an irreversible time we are in. It is the mark of one’s own self, moved by feelings towards the effervescent art of dance. The silence is always filled with the rustling of movement, filling the illusion of emptiness that is arousing.”
Roman Komasa has performed leading parts in classical and 20th-century repertoire on both Polish and German stages. His most prominent roles include: Albert in Giselle, the title role in the ballet Spartacus, Vronsky in Anna Karenina, the title character in the ballet Mr. Twardowski, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and the title roles in the ballets Zorba the Greek and Petrushka.
As a choreographer, he has created a number of ballet performances, including Giselle and Tango Life at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. In 2010, he choreographed The Little Prince at the Music Theater in Gdynia. At the Baltic Opera, he choreographed Moniuszko’s Halka and Verdi’s La Traviata. His other works include: Aschenputtel (Cinderella, Ballettschule – Baunatal) Rock the Block (Elvies – Musical TIK Theater im Centrum Kassel), Un re in ascolto reviews (Staatstheater Kassel), The Countess (Grand Theater in Łódź), Liberation (Jaracz Theater in Łódź), The Csardas Princess ( Baltic Opera), The Last Waltz (Landestheater Neustrelitz), Giselle (State Baltic Opera), Andersen’s Fairy Tales (LOGOS Theater in Łódź), Mogę prosić (State Ballet School), Die Tote Stadt (Staatsstheater, Braunschweig), Flea Market (Grand Theater in Łódź), Skin (Staatsstheater, Kassel), Toast (Grand Theater in Łódź), Say a Word (Staatsstheater, Kassel), The Beggar Student (Staatsstheater, Kassel), Revenge (LOGOS Theater in Łódź), The Little Prince (LOGOS Theater in Łódź), Die neue Ospheus und Eurydike (Staatsstheater, Braunschweig), The Soldier’s Tale (Staatsstheater, Kassel), Marathon (Staatsstheater, Kassel), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Staatsstheater, Kassel), Mood (Grand Theater in Łódź), Dream (Staatsstheater, Kassel), Dedication (Grand Theater in Łódź).
Roman Komassa is a recipient of the following awards for his activity in the field of dance: the Stanisław Wyspiański 1st Degree Award for Young Artists granted by the Ministry of Culture and Art (1987), the Leon Wójcikowski Medal for the Best Polish Dancer (1988) and the Wacław Nijinsky Medal for Special Ballet Achievements (1991). He is also the recipient of several prizes for his choreographic works, including the grand prix in the International Ballet Competition in Brno (2006) and the second prize in the Eurovision ballet competition in Warsaw (2005).
Photos:
Roman Komassa; Photo: Artist’s Private Archive.
Photos from the play “Spring Journey.” Produced as part of a grant awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage; Photo: Joanna Miklaszewska-Sierakowska
