Phot. P. Gamdzyk/© Opera na Zamku
The Ballet of Opera na Zamku in Szczecin Szczecins opera house, Opera na Zamku, whose name translates as Opera at The Castle, has been based in the Pomeranian Dukes Castle since 1987, being yet another music theatre housed in the castle, after the Szczecin Operetta, the Music Theatre, and the Opera and Operetta. Up until 1985 it had been uncommon for the Szczecin-based ballet to stage self-standing ballet productions; the company would rather contribute, often significantly, to operettas and musicals, and perform minor ballet interludes in operas. It wasn’t until the premiere of Coppelia in June 1985 that the ballet made a full debut. Beforehand, the ensemble had also performed in productions addressed to younger audiences, namely Doktor Ojboli (1977) and Pawłowskis Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1983). A breakthrough seemingly came with the premiere of Asafyevs The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, staged under the leadership of director Urszula Trawińska-Moroz, yet up until the 1990s no significant change in the ballets position within the institutions structure took place. When Warcisław Kunc took over as the operas director, the ballets repertoire grew to include more fully-fledged classical productions, such as Coppelia, The Nutcracker, or By the Beautiful Blue Danube, as well as performances using a different style of movement: Tolerancja (Tolerance), Lear, jedna ziemia (Lear, One Land), Miłość, flamenco, Gershwin (Love, Flamenco, Gershwin) and Żegnaj Polsko (Goodbye, Poland). Among theballets most important productions are alsoProkofievs Cinderella (2006), The Wayward Daughter (2009) and another staging of The Nutcracker of 2010.
Premieres: Coppelia (1963), Wieczór baśni baletowych (A Night of Ballet Fairytales; 1974), Doktor Ojboli (1977), Blue Rhapsody (a ballet programme; 1981), Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1983), Coppelia (1985), The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (1986), Marzenia o miłości (Dreams of Love, a ballet programme; 1992), Tolerancja w 24 obrazach (Tolerance in 24 Scenes; 1994), Lear, jedna ziemia (Lear, One Land; 1995), By the Beautiful Blue Danube (1997), Coppelia (1998), Miłość, flamenco, Gershwin (Love, Flamenco, Gershwin; 1999), Żegnaj Polsko (Goodbye, Poland; 2001), The Nutcracker (2002), Cinderella (2006), Magia czarów (The Magic of Spells; 2008), The Wayward Daughter (2009), The Nutcracker (2010), W krainie bajek (In the Land of Fables; 2011), Ngoma tańczący słoń (Ngoma The Dancing Elephant; 2012, chor. Karol Urbański), Odcienie namiętności (Shades of Passion; 2013, chor. Jacek Tyski/Yaroslav Ivanenko) Ogniwa (Links; 2013, chor. Piotr Czubowicz/Kaya Kołodziejczyk/Robert Glumbek), Bajki Ci opowiem (I Will Tell You Fairytales; 2013, chor. Anna Hop), Dzieje grzechu (The Story of Sin; 2014, chor. Karol Urbański), RocknBallet (2015, chor. Robert Glumbek/Jochen Heckmann, in cooperation with Ballett Vorpommern in Greifswald), Alicja w Krainie Czarów (Alice in Wonderland; 2015, chor. Jacek Tyski), Polowanie na czarownice (The Witch-hunt; 2016, chor. Cathy Marston), Dziadek do orzechów (The Nutcracker; 2016, chor. Karol Urbański) Dzieci z Dworca Zoo (Children from Zoo Station; 2018, chor. Robert Glumbek), Wieczór baletów polskich (A Night of Polish Ballets; 2019) encompassing the following choreographies: Roman Palestras Pieśń o ziemi (Song of the Land) choreographed by the Italian artist Paolo Mangioli and Stanisław Moniuszkos Na kwaterunku (In the Quarters) choreographed by Robert Bondara, Visions of Love / Myths – choreographed by Zofia Rudnicka 2021; Świecie dziwny / Coming Together – two part performance, 1st part choreographed by Robert Glumbek, 2nd part choreographed by Kevin O’Day, 2021 (the piece ranked among the major ballet premieres in Poland); The Little Prince – choreographed by Lucyna Zwolińska, 2022
Company lineup:
Ballet director: Grzegorz Brożek
Soloists: Nayu Hata, Ksenia Naumets, Patryk Kowalski, Paweł Wdówka
Coryphees: Żaneta Bagińska, Aleksandra Głogowska, Olga Kuźmina-Pietkiewicz, Emma McBeth, Stephanie Nabet, Piotr Nowak (ballet inspector)
Dancers: Angela Albonetti, Chiara Belloni, Rena Miyamoto, Nadine De Lumé, Roger Bernad, Damiano Maffeis, Giulio Refosco, Yu Yamani
Dancers on leave / inactive dancers: Klaudia Batista, Aleksandra Januszak, Julia Safin
Collaborating dancers: Kazutora Komura
