
Twarze tańca - odc. 2: Iwona Pasińska (kadr z filmu)
What do such cities as Montpellier (France), Harare (Zimbabwe), Bangalore (India), Alicante (Spain), and Bielefeld and Giessen (Germany) have in common? Not much, except for the fact that each holds a dance festival, and each was host to performances by the Zawirowania Dance Theatre of Poland in 2017. The company has just returned from Bielefeld, Germany, where it presented its latest piece Where should we go? at the TanzArt Festival. The performance received favourable reviews. The region?s high-circulation newspaper ?Neue Westfallische? noticed the company?s ?sense of humour,? alongside the ?improvisational abilities of dancers,? and their ?willingness to take up social issues.? The visit to Germany was the company?s sixth international performance this year, preceded by appearances in Bangalore, India (Attakkalari India Biennial), Harare, Zimbabwe (International Festival of Arts), Alicante, Spain (Abril en Danza), Giessen, Germany (Tanz Ost West Festival) and Montpellier, France (Mouvement sur La Ville).
This year?s tour has also been an attempt to launch a new piece on the international festival market, following Zawirowania?s previous success, which included presentations of Zbliżenia [Close-ups] ( 20 presentations in 15 countries), Fuera de campo (12 presentations in 10 countries), or the Polish-Israeli project Historie żołnierzy i wdów. Nieobecność tak [Episodes of Soldiers and Widows. The Absence of Yes] (8 presentations in 5 countries). In total, since its formation 12 years ago, the company has performed at 70 venues abroad, visiting 45 cities, 23 countries, and 4 continents (Europe, North America, Asia, Africa). The majority of presentations took place at European festivals, but the company has also ventured into such distant locations as the aforementioned Zimbabwe and India, as well as Mexico, China, and Japan. The Zawirowania Dance Theatre has performed at some of the world?s top dance festivals, including Madrid en Danza in Madrid, International Exposure in Tel Aviv, or the Beijng Dance Festival in Beijing, appearing in the company of such household names as the Kibbutz Dance Company, Wim Vandekeybus Company or Compagnia Zappala.
The Zawirowania Dance Theatre is the ambassador of Warsaw-based (and Polish) contemporary dance, reaching locations that have never been toured by Polish companies. Towards the end of the year, Zawirowania will perform in Vitebsk, Belarus (Festival of Contemporary Choreography). In the following year, the company is expected to appear in Seoul, Korea, and Tirana, Albania, while also returning to India (Bombay). In Poland, the company will present its pieces at Ośrodek na Belwederskiej 20/22, and hold a dance academy in Wspolna 61 (both in Warsaw).