Mickiewiczowski epizod na warszawskiej scenie baletowej

Abstract

The author presents a selected chapter in the artistic activity of Michał Kulesza, who, having offended tsarist censors by smuggling an image of the Polish eagle into his choreographic debut (Divertissement wioślarskie [Rowing Divertissement], 1891), had to wait more than a dozen years for an opportunity to create a new work of his own. Taking advantage of the relaxation of censorship, when he was in charge of a ballet stage, he introduced into the second act of Pan Twardowski [Mr Twardowski] (1905) a polonaise procession of characters from Adam Mickiewicz’s Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania. In the background, he placed a statue of the Polish Romantic bard, by which a wreath with red-and-white ribbons was laid in the dance finale. Kulesza’s next step was the premiere of Tadeusz i Zosia [Thaddeus and Zosia] (1906); the ballet based on Mickiewicz’s protagonists was performed only eight times, probably due to an intervention by the censorship, now tightened again. The author of the article discusses the ballet’s outline and the score composed by Adolf Sonnenfeld. She also attempts to reconstruct the libretto and the course of the performance, drawing on historical press accounts and a list of soloists and characters.

Keywords

• ballet
• ballet history
• dance
• dance history
• michał kulesza
• adam mickiewicz