Polish Folklore
The dance-based tale of a wedding in a village near Kraków premiered in 1832 at the Narodowy Theatre in Warsaw, instantly becoming an embodiment of Polishness at the time when Poland was under three partitions. The play soon became a stage hit – it was so popular that dances from the production became mainstays at 19th century salons and ballrooms. The ballet was staged again during the interwar period, as far afield as theatres on the French Riviera and in New York. Karol Kurpiński’s Wedding in Ojców is regarded as Poland’s first national ballet. The work was revived two years ago by the “Cracovia Danza” Courtly Ballet. The rousing mazurs, krakowiaks, polkas and marches, choreographed by Leszek Rembowski, are presented in their full stage glory at the Variété Theatre on 17 October. A couple of weeks earlier, as part of the cycle Time to Dance!, we meet Maciej Prochaska who reconstructed the original score of Wedding in Ojców.
(Justyna Skalska, "Karnet" magazine)
