Anna Hop’s “Husband and Wife” featured in Győr, Hungary, as part of the Year of Polish Romanticism

The ballet Husband and Wife transports the audience to the land of tongue-in-cheek humor of the highest order. The choreographer sets the action in the aesthetic and social realities of the turn of the 1950s and 60s, when – just like in Fredro and Moniuszko’s times – gender roles were strictly defined by tradition and convention.

Hop explores the relationships between her protagonists and delves deep into their motivations, finding meaning that transcends the comedic aspect of the characters’ actions. The ballet is a choreographic mosaic of styles and staging ideas. Alongside the four leading figures, Hop introduces ‘puppets’, a group of dancers who animate the story, both literally and metaphorically.

Anna Hop was named Best Polish Choreographer for her ‘Exodus’ in this year’s Jan Kiepura Awards.

The project is part of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute’s 44 x Mickiewicz program, which aims to highlight Polish contribution to European culture, reactivate romantic ideals, and call attention to unique components of Polish romanticism. It provides a contemporary glance at 19th-century culture.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a national cultural institution established in 2000. The Institute’s aim – to build lasting interest in Polish culture worldwide – is pursued in cooperation with foreign partners and through international cultural exchange in dialogue with recipients, in line with the principles of Polish foreign policy. As of 2022, the Institute has completed projects in over 70 countries on six continents. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Organized in association with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

The Year of Polish Romanticism marks the bicentennial of the publication of Adam Mickiewicz’s Ballads and Romances. On this occasion, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute carries out projects around the world to show how Polish Romanticism is becoming a vehicle of modernity. The projects organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Year of Polish Romanticism prove that the romantic heritage is an extremely up-to-date reservoir of imagination and sensitivity, referring to the construction of the world based on the spiritual and dialogical power of the impact of what is hidden in many dimensions. Moreover, the implemented projects show the ideas of Polish Romanticism as a point of intersection of many cultures, views and trends in art. Thus proving that the contemporary romantic tradition strongly resonates and influences Polish and foreign artists, creating an opportunity for dialogue through the language of art and artistic expression.

CREATIVE TEAM:
Libretto, choreography and directing: Anna Hop
Set, video, and lighting design: Małgorzata Szabłowska
Costumes: Maciej Zień
Music: Stanisław Moniuszko
Interludes: Wojciech Kostrzewa

CAST:
Elwira: Joanna Drabik
Wacław: Demeter Kobor
Justysia: Yume Okano
Alfred: Diogo Di Oliveira
Female puppets: Eugenie Hecquet, Manon Kolanowski, Daria Majewska
Male puppets: Łukasz Bałoniak, Sergi Martinez Castello (Wrocław Opera), Daniel Agudo Gallardo (Wrocław Opera), Gregor Giselbrecht, Kasper Górczak, Ivan Pal, Magda Studzińska