Ryszard Baranowski dancer, pedagogue, choreographer. He graduated from the State Ballet School in Warsaw and majored in ballet pedagogy at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Baranowski studied with eminent Soviet pedagogues Raissa Kuznetsova, Gennady Lediah, and Leonid Zhdanov. Between 1976 and 1979 he performed as soloist at Conrad Drzewieckis Polish Dance Theatre, followed by a stint as soloist at the Wrocław Opera in the 1980-81 season. From 1981 to 1985, Baranowski worked as 1st soloist and pedagogue at the Stanisław Moniuszko Wielki Theatre in Poznań. He danced at some of the most famous operatic stages in Europe. In 1985, he moved to Italy where he cooperated with a number of ballet schools and theaters as pedagogue, choreographer, and dancer. In 1996, he returned to Poland and took up the position of assistant, pedagogue, and later ballet master at Ewa Wycichowskas Polish Dance Theatre. In 1999-2004, Baranowski worked as pedagogue and choreographer at the Muzyczny Theatre in Poznań. Between 2012 and 2014, he worked as ballet pedagogue and assistant choreographer at the Wielki Theatre in Poznań. Since 2005, he has taught at the Olga Sławska-Lipczyńska Ballet School in Poznań, preparing numerous students for national and international ballet competitions, including contests in Szczecin, Gdańsk, Paris, and Beijing. Baranowski was a member of a team of experts at the Department of Art and Culture Education of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage implementing the new ballet school curriculum in Poland. He is a recipient of the Medal of 200 Years of Polish Ballet.
Major roles and performances: Mieczysław Karłowicz Eternal Songs (Abel), Oskar Nedbal Kryminałki Nedbalki (Pudelek), Wojciech Kilar Krzesany, Karol Kurpiński Mars and Flora (Amor), Grażyna Bacewicz Peasant King (Shepherd), Fryderyk Chopin Fantaisie Impromptu, Stanisław Moniuszko The Countess (Zephyr), Jerry Bock Fiddler on the Roof, Boris Asafiev The Fountain of Bakhchisaray (Vaslav), Giuseppe Verdi Requiem (Lucipher the Prince of Darkness), Georges Bizet Carmen (Toreador, Zuniga), Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker (Fritz), among others.
Choreographies: Johann Strauss II, Graduation Ball, Muzyczny Theatre in Poznań (2002), Franz Lehar, The Land of Smiles, Muzyczny Theatre in Poznań (2003), translations of classical ballets.
