Polish National Ballet

The Polish National Ballet is the largest and most influential ballet company in Poland. It continues a ballet heritage, dating to the 17th century.
Prior to 2008 it was known as the ballet of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera. In that year the ballet company received artistic autonomy reflected in the theatre's by-laws; it was elevated to the rank of Polish National Ballet. The director since has been Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor.

Ballet events in Polish history

Seventeenth century

In 1628 a traveling Italian opera troupe created the first ballet performances in Poland. Ballet scenes were then often incorporated into operas held at the court theater. For many years it was primarily foreign dancers who performed. They served as exemplars for their Polish counterparts.

Eighteenth century

Eventually in 1765 the first permanent ballet company was formed, on the initiative of the king Stanisław II August. The company functioned with some interruptions in the Saxon’s Opernhaus, the first Polish public theater. A 1766 book on ballet by the famous ballet master of France Jean-Georges Noverre was dedicated to the Polish king.
File:Spektakl w obecności króla Stanisława Augusta.jpg|thumb|385x385px|Michał Rymiński and Dorota Sitańska from His Majesty’s National Dancers in Daniel Curz's ballet in the opera Pirro by Paisella at the Theatre at Krasiński Square, 1790, National Museum in Warsaw|left|alt=
Maciej Pręczyński was the first well-known Polish dancer. He worked with Gasparo Angiolini in Venice and in Vienna during the 1770s.
In 1785 Stanisław II August established a company of young dancers, taught by a ballet school at an estate in Lithuania. This first professional ballet company of predominantly Polish dancers was known as His Majesty’s National Dancers. Performances were held on stage at the National Theatre building in Krasiński Square, Warsaw. Its royal heritage was continued by subsequent Polish companies.

Nineteenth century

In Warsaw uring the Romantic era the National Ballet School flourished. After 1818 it was guided by two French ballet masters Louis Thierry and Maurice Pion. Under construction from 1825 to 1833, the Teatr Wielki then became the artistic center for both opera and ballet in Poland. At mid-century the choreographer and teacher Roman Turczynowicz became the ballet master. Also, several outstanding foreign masters, e.g., Filippo Taglioni, Carlo Blasis, Virgilio Calori, Pasquale Borri, José Mendez, Raffaele Grassi, and Enrico Cecchetti, worked developing Polish dancers.
Mathilde Kschessinska, a dancer of Polish extraction, from the 1890s was one of the leading lights of the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg.

Twentieth century

;Ballets Russes
From its early years many Polish dancers had joined the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, which climbed to world renown. These included the ballet master Stanislas Idzikowski, Leon Woizikovsky, and Mieczyslaw Pianowski. Polish dancers also distinguished themselves in the various Ballets Russes companies that succeeded Diaghilev's. Among these were Yurek Shabelevski, Roman Jasinski, Marian Ladre, Yurek Lazovski, and Nina Novak.
Siblings Bronislava Nijinska and Vaslav Nijinsky were of Polish heritage, though Vatsa and Broni trained under the patronage of the Tsar at the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg. They danced with Ballets Russes, Nijinsky being celebrated internationally as he reached the pinnacle of the art. Both were choreographers for Diaghilev, the older Nijinsky before the war, Nijinska during the 1920s.
;Balet Polski
During the Second Polish Republic, Nijinska headed the Balet Polski, aka Les Ballets Polonais, aka The Polish Ballets newly formed in Warsaw in 1937. This company was the brainchild of poet Jan Lechoń, and created with the assistance of M. Waclaw Jedrzejewicz, Minister of Public Education and President of the Organization Committee of the Polish Section to the Art and Technical Exhibition in Paris. The company's general director was Arnold Szyfman.
For the first season, 1937-1938, Nijinska created five new ballets including Baśń krakowska,'' to music by Michal Kondracki; Pieśń o ziemi naszej,'' to music by Roman Palester; Koncert E-moll Chopina, to Frédéric Chopin's B-minor piano concerto; Apollo i dziewczyna,'' to music by Ludomir Rozycki; and Wezwanie, set to a score by Boleslaw Woytowicz. This repertoire featured scenery and costumes designed by Teresa Roszkowska, Waclaw Borowski, Wladyslaw Daszewski, and Irena Lorentowicz-Karwowska. The souvenir program for this company's Covent Garden appearances states: "Every gesture and every colour, the ebb and flow of the groups, each step of the soloists, the spirit and harmony of the Polish Ballets are imbued with the artistic ideals of Bronislava Nijinska and her ardent desire that the world should see the dances of her country in their noblest and most beautiful form." At the Paris Exposition Internationale of that year, this Polish Ballet won the Grand Prix for performance, Nijinska the Gran Prix for choreography. In 1938 the Ballets Polonais was directed by Leon Wójcikowski. It appeared at the New York World's Fair in 1939, but World War II caused its closure.
;Ballet of Teatro Wielki
Following the traumas of war, the 'Ballet of Teatr Wielki' reemerged in Warsaw. Yet the original Teatr Wielki had been almost completely destroyed during the 1939 siege of Warsaw. Eventually it was rebuilt and enlarged, in a new facility. Continuing a heritage of several centuries, the new theater opened in 1965. It housed the companies and schools for both opera and ballet, its stage being shared. The dance company later became the Polish National Ballet, which continues to rehearse and perform in Teatr Wielki.

Under new name and status

On 18 March 2009 Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor, already engaged with the Dutch National Ballet, became the director of the ballet of Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera. He took over this position with Paweł Chynowski as his proxy only under the condition that the company receive artistic autonomy. Thanks to the efforts of Teatr Wielki’s general director Waldemar Dąbrowski on 29 April 2009 the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski took the decision to separately constitute the ballet in the theater’s by-laws, under the name Polish National Ballet. With the foundation of the Polish National Ballet, the company became autonomous and works as an equal partner to the Polish National Opera.
Polish National Ballet pursues a program of major classic dance formation. It performs an academic choreographic repertoire, but also reaches for 20th-century ballet masterpieces. Invitations are extended to outstanding contemporary choreographers; it also introduces works by young Polish choreographers. With nearly 90 dancers it includes both Polish and foreign dancers and affiliated specialities. The company performs regularly at the Teatr Wielki, when it is not on tour in Poland or performing abroad.

Repertoire, 2009-2026

Ballets staged by the Polish National Ballet from its establishing :

29 March 2009: Tristan by Krzysztof Pastor
3 April 2009: Romeo and Juliet by Emil Wesołowski
8 April 2009: Swan Lake by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov / Irek Mukhamedov
16 May 2009: Onegin by John Cranko / Georgette Tsinguirides
28 May 2009: La Bayadère by Marius Petipa / Natalia Makarova
10 June 2009: Anna Karenina by Alexei Ratmansky
24 June 2009: When You End and I Begin... by Robert Bondara
20 November 2009: Kurt Weill by Krzysztof Pastor
17 December 2009: The Nutcracker by Andrzej Glegolski
23 April 2010: In Search of Colours by Jacek Tyski
23 April 2010: Alpha Kryonia Xe by Jacek Przybyłowicz
9 May 2010: Chopin, the Romantic Artist by Patrice Bart
30 May 2010: The Sleeping Beauty by Marius Petipa / Yuri Grigorovich
25 June 2010: The Kisses by Emil Wesołowski
25 June 2010: Concerto Barocco by George Balanchine
25 June 2010: The Green by Ed Wubbe
25 June 2010: In Light and Shadow by Krzysztof Pastor
27 November 2010: Cinderella by Frederick Ashton / Wendy Ellis-Somes
27 March 2011: And the Rain Will Pass… by Krzysztof Pastor
11 June 2011: Le Sacre du printemps by Vaslav Nijinsky / Millicent Hodson
11 June 2011: The Rite of Spring by Emanuel Gat
11 June 2011: Le Sacre du printemps by Maurice Béjart
18 September 2011: Persona by Robert Bondara
25 November 2011: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Toer van Schayk and Wayne Eagling
14 April 2012: The Prodigal Son by George Balanchine
14 April 2012: Cain and Abel by Emil Wesołowski
14 April 2012: Six Wings of Angels by Jacek Przybyłowicz
17 November 2012: Century Rolls by Ashley Page
17 November 2012: Moving Rooms by Krzysztof Pastor
17 November 2012: Artifact Suite by William Forsythe
15 March 2013: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by John Neumeier
13 October 2012: Weill Suite by Krzysztof Pastor
13 October 2012: Afternoon of a Faun by Jacek Tyski
3 October 2013: Hamlet by Jacek Tyski
7 March 2014: Romeo and Juliet by Krzysztof Pastor
29 March 2014: Adagio & Scherzo by Krzysztof Pastor
29 March 2014: Returning Waves by Emil Wesołowski
29 May 2014: Don Quixote by Marius Petipa, Aleksandr Gorski / Alexei Fedeyechev
15 November 2014: Nevermore...? by Robert Bondara
15 November 2014: Soldiers' Mass by Jiří Kylián
15 November 2014: The Green Table by Kurt Jooss / Jeanette Vondersaar
14 February 2015: Pupa by Anna Hop
28 May 2015: Casanova in Warsaw by Krzysztof Pastor
27 November 2015: The Taming of the Shrew by John Cranko / Jane Bourne
9 April 2016: The Tempest by Krzysztof Pastor
25 November 2016: Chopiniana by Mikhail Fokine / Alexei Fadeyechev
25 November 2016: Bolero by Krzysztof Pastor
25 November 2016: Chroma by Wayne McGregor
20 May 2017: Swan Lake by Krzysztof Pastor
14 June 2017: Darkness by Izadora Weiss
10 November 2017: Świtezianka by Robert Bondara
10 November 2017: On a Stave by Jacek Tyski
10 November 2017: Szymanowski's Violin Concerto no. 2 by Jacek Przybyłowicz
20 April 2018: Lady of the Camellias by John Neumeier
17 November 2018: Chopin's Concerto in E minor by Liam Scarlett
17 November 2018: Chopin's Concerto in F minor by Krzysztof Pastor
31 December 2018: Moniuszko's Polish Dances - Polonaise & Mazurka by Krzysztof Pastor
6 April 2019: Sarmatian Parable after Fredro's Zemsta by Conrad Drzewiecki / Emil Wesołowski
6 April 2019: Husband and Wife after Fredro by Anna Hop
25 April 2019: Kilar's Toccata by Krzysztof Pastor
16 October 2019: Le Noces by Bronislawa Nijinska
16 October 2019: Do Not Go Gentle… by Krzysztof Pastor
16 October 2019: Infra by Wayne McGregor
17 September 2020: Le Corsaire by Manuel Legris after Marius Petipa
16 December 2020: Kilar's Preludium by Krzysztof Pastor
4 June 2021: Mayerling by Kenneth MacMillan
13 November 2021: Exodus by Anna Hop
13 November 2021: Flights-Harnasie by Izadora Weiss
28 April 2022: Dracula by Krzysztof Pastor
25 November 2022: Giselle by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa / Maina Gielgud
18 May 2023: Grosse Fuge by Hans van Manen
18 May 2023: Eroica Variations by Ted Brandsen
18 May 2023: Seventh Symphony by Toer van Schayk
15 December 2023: Kilar Concerto by Krzysztof Pastor
21 April 2024: Pinocchio by Anna Hop
25 October 2024: Peer Gynt by Edward Clug
18 June 2025: Prometheus by Krzysztof Pastor
13 November 2025: Ssss... by Edward Clug
13 November 2025: Symphony in C by George Balanchine
10 May 2026: Androids by Robert Bondara - in plan
11 June 2026: Delusions by Izadora Weiss - in plan