Polish Dance Theater “TOACA” – choreography: Andrea Gavriliu, Mădălina Dan, Ştefan Lupu. Graphics: organizer's materials
On 26 June, during the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) – one of the world’s largest theatre festivals – the Romanian premiere of the Polish Dance Theatre’s performance TOACA will take place. This will be the first presentation of this performance in Romania, the country of origin of its three co-creators: choreographers Andrea Gavriliu, Mădălina Dan and Ștefan Lupu. The event will inaugurate the Polish Dance Theatre’s Romanian tour, which will end in the autumn.
In addition to Sibiu, on 30 June, the Polish Dance Theatre will also appear at the Hungarian Theatre in Timișoara (Csiky Gergely) — one of the most important artistic institutions in the Romanian region of Banat, known for its openness to contemporary dance theatre and international projects. In October this year, TOACA will be staged at the National Theatre in Bucharest (Teatrul Naţional „Ion Luca Caragiale” București).
The Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) is the third largest theatre festival in the world, after the Avignon Theatre Festival and the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival. It was founded in 1993 by Constantin Chiriac, an actor at the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu. Every year, the event attracts the most interesting theatre productions from around the world to the city located in the heart of Transylvania, which shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Luxembourg in 2007. Since its inception, the festival has presented works by such renowned artists as: Pippo Delbono, Eimuntas Nekrosius, Luk Percewal, Krystian Lupa and Robert Wilson.
TOACA is a unique project, one performance in three chapters. Each of the choreographers who co-created it – Andrea Gavriliu, Mădălina Dan and Ștefan Lupu – uses a different original style and has a different attitude towards theatrical and cultural tradition. Using grotesque masks, dance, folklore, music and traditional instruments, the performance combines three contemporary perspectives on Romanian heritage and identity. It invites us on a journey through a country of contrasts, deconstructing rigid definitions of borders and nationhood. The finale? A contemporary art museum where Romanian and Polish cultures meet. And above all, a portrait of Romania that defies stereotypes – a country combining many colours and contradictions, whose diverse palette is difficult to get tired of.
Let us recall that the Polish Dance Theatre has been cooperating intensively with Romania for several years. After establishing cooperation with Teatrul de Balet Sibiu, it performed twice in Sibiu, presenting the performances 45 (2019) and Let the Living Bury the Dead (2022). In 2023, we hosted Teatrul de Balet Sibiu, Romania’s first multicultural dance company. During the 3rd International Dance Theatre Festival Limits of Nature – Limits of Culture; the theatre staged the performance One Way Ticket, choreographed by Sandra Mavhima, twice. During the 5th International Festival 1 page – 1 look – 180 seconds, we welcomed Tangaj Collective, an interdisciplinary group from Bucharest operating on the borderline between science and art, with their performance BLOT – Body Line of Thought.
The Polish Dance Theatre was also invited to participate in the International Theatre Festival at the Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea. This is one of the most important cultural events in Romania, a festival that belongs to the EFA (Europa Festival Association) network, which received the EFFA LABEL 2019–2021 for Remarkable Art Festival awarded to the most important critical festivals in Europe. In June 2023, the Polish Dance Theatre presented a co-production with Bodytalk, Romeos & Julias unplagued. Traumstadt.
The premiere of TOACA was the main performative event of the Romania–Poland Cultural Season 2024–2025, which aims to strengthen artistic and social relations between Poland and Romania. This is the first joint cultural season in history, during which Poles and Romanians have a unique opportunity to get to know each other. Polish artists present themselves at the most important festivals, stages and vernissages in Romania, and Romanian artists in Poland. The slogan of the celebrations is: We have a common language.
The Poland–Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025 is organised by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest, the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Cultural Institute.
The Polish Dance Theatre’s tour is organised as part of the Poland–Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025, in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Institute in Bucharest.
