Kaya Kołodziejczyk, photo. Marta Ankiersztejn
The International Society for the Performing Arts 27th annual June congress will take place in Wrocław, under the title The Next Chapter. For 5 days, cultural managers and artists from all over the world will examine progress in one of the fastest growing disciplines in contemporary art.
Celebrating its 65th birthday, the ISPA congress will inaugurate its rich program of performances with some Polish folklore. The song and dance ensemble Śląsk will dazzle the multinational audience with the wealth of its musical, vocal and choreographic expression. The high level of the ensemble's artistic output is maintained through collaborating with leading authorities in the field of Polish art, and with world-renowned choreographers. The performance will be introduced by the actor Jerzy Stuhr.
Along with the performances, the conference features the ISPA Academy, a 2-day training in cultural management and an annual forum for discussion, debate and exchanging experience. Wroclaw will host the ISPA events for the first time. The organizers' website states that,
During the last 25 years Poland and the region of Central and Eastern Europe have experienced significant changes in social, economic and political aspects of life. Throughout, artists have played a key role in the process of change. Together we will take a closer look through their eyes into the performing arts scene of yesterday, today and tomorrow. [...] Has the process of democracy influenced the cooperation in the region at all? What are the new facilities in the region? How important is the role of cities in the process of economic and spiritual development of the region? During the four days of the congress, we will reflect on all of these questions.
The Art of Business, or Cultural Managers in the XXI Century
The program of the ISPA will concentrate on the most important issues facing cultural managers in Central and Eastern Europe. What are the key qualities of a good artistic manager? What is the role of managers in the creative process and in building an international artistic career? What is the difference between a manager and an artistic agent? These are some of the questions to be discussed during the sessions.
One session will be devoted to the arts as a business venture. John Causebrook and Tony Field, theatre producers with years of experience, will discuss commercial and non-profit models and share experience acquired on both sides of the Atlantic.
On the 20th of June, the ISPA congress will hold a session called Pitch New Works Now, which will enable the presentation of new artistic works before they enter the international market. The organizers say this is a unique opportunity for participants to present their artistic projects to an audience of managers and representatives of main institutions of theatre, music, and film from around the world. Creators of 10 projects will present in front of 400 delegates from 40 countries.
Lutosławski’s Dance
Most congress events take place at the Congress Centre in Centennial Hall and the Wrocław Philharmonic, which is also producing a production choreographed by Kaya Kołodziejczyk and inspired by the music of Witold Lutosławski. One of the promising Polish dancer-choreographers of the younger generation, Kołodziejczyk will be joined by Sławek Berdrat and Ilona Gumowski, and accompanied by the Lutosławski Quartet.
In a completely different environment, listeners are introduced to Elettrovoce, a distinctive duet between singer Agata Zubel and the live electronics of Cezary Duchnowski. Their combination of the archaic with the contemporary is also the hallmark of the trio of Janusz Prusinowski. Students and followers of village musicians – Jan Lewandowski, Kazimierz Meto, Józefa Zarasia, Piotr and Jan Gaców, and many others – Prusinowski’s trio is also an avant-garde ensemble, with a distinctive sound and its own improvisatory language.
The trio’s recognizable style is an attempt to interpret the most important elements of village music from central Poland – mazurkas, which are sung, played, danced and improvised live. What can be taken from these archaic, seemingly simple - actually quite sophisticated - melodies and rhythms? It turns out that the traditional Polish village music is a point of reference in many genres: the melodies and rubatos of Chopin, the improvisations of blues and jazz, the colors and expressiveness of contemporary music and rock.
Enthusiastically received around the world, Stolik, performed by the Karbido Ensemble, will be staged at Wrocław’s Teatr Lalek, the city's renowned puppet theatre. In this extraordinary project, the main role is played by the table, equipped with an apparatus that amplifies even the weakest vibrations, with the slightest touch transposed into sound. The unusual concert - actually more of a “happening” - called noise-whispers in maple, or a score for four men and a table will be held on Saturday the 22nd.
Source: www.ispa.org, Edited by AL 07/06/2013
Translated by: LB/AA