War and Peace
Wartime battles, tournaments, marches, parades, duels and choreographed fights using all kinds of weapons – the 19th “Cracovia Danza” Court Dance Festival presents dances and ballets from all ages and cultures with a focus on warfare and the military.
Rakesh Sai Babu, virtuoso of Chhau – the semi-classical Indian dance with martial, folk and tribal origins – visits Poland for the first time. We will also see Pierre-François Dollé, master of French Baroque dance and founder of the acclaimed Fantaisies Baroques ensemble, and celebrated dancers including Alaknanda Bose from India, Barbara Segal from the UK, Marie-Claire Bär Le Corre from France and Ana Yepes from Spain.
During the finale (28-29 July 2018), Kraków will be bustling with knights, jesters, flag-bearers and courtiers clad in costumes from different eras. The Barbican and the courtyard of the Collegium Maius host performances prepared especially for each venue, including Breve regnum and Harmonia mundi recalling the history of the Jagiellonian University. On Saturday night, the Main Market Square hosts the spectacle Chess, with the “Cracovia Danza” Court Ballet using dance and pantomime on a giant chessboard to tell the tale of the struggle for the hand of Princess Anne of Denmark. On Sunday, the spectacle Mars de nations is a re-enactment of battles from the reign of King Louis XIV, the Spanish Golden Age, India of the Mahabharata epic legend and Polish and Turkish troops at the Battle of Vienna.
And Saturday night is all about bringing everyone together for a dance of peace on a great public ball. (Dorota Dziunikowska, “Karnet” monthly)
