The Grand Theatre in Poznań invites you to the second edition of the "Pre-Spring Ballet Festival," which will last over a week – from March 20 to 29, 2025. The project’s goal is to showcase new perspectives in dance and the directions in which it is developing, thanks to young creators who are bold in their search for new forms of expression.
The festival will open with the premiere of "Spectrum 03", a performance featuring the choreographic debuts of the dancers from the Grand Theatre in Poznań's Ballet. The dancers are its creators in every aspect: they are responsible not only for the choreography but also for selecting the music, designing the set, and creating promotional materials.
This year, alongside the choreographic debuts, a significant part of the program will include presentations of choreography by established artists. The festival program includes the performance “4: Pastor / León & Lightfoot / Bondara” – a story about building relationships and pushing boundaries, expressed through movement. Four outstanding choreographers and four dimensions of contemporary dance, complemented by the music of Schnittke, Górecki, Schubert, Ravel, and poetry by Gertrude Stein, performed by the Ballet and Orchestra of the Stanisław Moniuszko Grand Theatre, conducted by Marta Kluczyńska.
There will also be guest performances. Every Minute Motherland is a documentary dance performance by the Polish-Ukrainian ensemble Maciej Kuźmiński Company and playwright Paul Bargett. The performance is inspired by the personal stories of refugee dancers: it is an act of resistance against war crimes and an expression of solidarity with Ukraine. The second guest performance, “Jungle Book Reimagined”, is an interpretation of the beloved Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, seen through the eyes of a climate refugee, enriched with state-of-the-art animations and visuals. The Akram Khan Company – ten dancers from different countries – create a fascinating story about respecting nature and the deep threat humanity poses to it.
The festival will be accompanied by choreographic and dance workshops with Anna Gumna, Body Awareness workshops with Diana Cristescu and Aleksandra Króli, as well as open rehearsals and meetings with choreographers.
The festival is co-financed by the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The performances "Spectrum 03: Choreographic Debuts" and "Every Minute Motherland" are co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the cultural program of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Detailed programme - https://opera.poznan.pl/pl/przedwiosnie-baletowe
