The project, prepared by the traditional Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble, the Unsound Festival and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, will be presented on 8th December 2017 at the Barbican Centre in London. The second part of the Dance of Freedom is scheduled for the 2018/2019 season and will be based on music by contemporary Polish composers such as Wojciech Kilar.
In Soft Power Felicita uses choreography and costumes inspired by Polish folklore and combines them with contemporary music composed specifically for this project. He took traditional Polish dances and deconstructed them, treating them as a modern way of cultivating tradition. The result is inspiring. As The Guardian puts it: ‘[Soft Power is] a stirring affirmation of how cultures can coexist while retaining their own voices’.
Felicita is a London-based electronic musician, the son of Polish immigrants. The idea for the project was inspired by his interest in folk culture, national identity and traditional dance lessons he took as a child. On Soft Power, he works with the choreographer Michaił Zubkow and the lighting designer Jacqueline Sobiszewski.
The event will take place on 8th December 2017 at 8PM (GMT) at the Barbican Centre.
The event is co-organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. The event is a part of the international cultural programme POLSKA 100 in honour of the centenary of Poland’s independence, financed by the Ministry and Culture and National Heritage for the years 2017–2021.
Source: press materials, originally written in Polish by MK, translated by KF, Dec 2017