Kraków painted with the dance is a cycle of productions by the Cracovia Danza Court Ballet created by Romana Agnel and presented during the Court Dance Festival. The dance performances are inspired by the most important elements of Kraków heritage and works of art, and they transport us to the most beautiful and cherished locations in our city.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Built in 1501–03, the mansion became the residence of Bishop Erazm Ciołek, secretary to King Alexander Jagiellon. A famous diplomat, the Polish envoy to Rome, and a great humanist, His Excellency was a famous patron of art in Kraków.
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In 1996, his Renaissance home became a branch of the National Museum.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Part of the collection gathered in the Mansion of Erazm Ciołek are Gothic sculptures and paintings. The most precious exhibits date back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The biblical heroines and Christian holy women are portraits of expressive female personalities.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
They grab the attention of both researchers and artists keen to create the images and clothing of medieval ladies. The medieval madonnas are not only the heroines of extraordinary tales from the past, but are also a particular kind of model and canons of beauty of the 15th century.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
The 15th century was the period when the court dance took shape. Dance was present at all court festivities and ceremonies, but it was also present in more intimate spaces: in chambers and in the gardens.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Masters of the dance were true stars in the courts of Europe. On the one hand, they were consummate dancers, choreographers, and masters of ceremony, and on the other – teachers of the dance, and researchers. They were the authors of the treatises in which the dance steps, figures, and choreographies were recorded.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Guglielmo Ebreo, one of the greatest masters of dance in 15th-century Italy was active in many courts, but the main area of his expertise and activity was Milan. That is where he wrote his famous treatise on dance in 1463.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Obviously, it mentions the contemporary dance choreographies, steps and techniques, but his thoughts and comments went far further.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
Guglielmo Ebreo also wrote about the space of the dance, the time of the dance, and the manner, that is the style, of performing individual steps and figures. That style was highly characteristic and peculiar for the 15th century.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
It stood out in particular with the coordination of the movements of the arms with the steps.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
The steps had dancers rising to their toes and falling to their feet. That way of moving was known as ondeggiare, that is, a waving motion. In turn, the movements of the arms simultaneously opposite directions were called ombreggiare, or shading.
Kraków Painted with dances, Bassa Danza with Madonnas (2020)Cracovia Danza Ballet
The combination of these two ways of moving is highly characteristic for the style of moving in the 15th century.
The Cracovia Danza Ballet, founded by Romana Agnel, is the only professional Court Ballet in Poland, which specializes in Baroque and Old Polish dances. The repertoire, based on dance masters' treatises as well as on old iconographical sources, consists of dance performances spanning the periods from the Middle Ages to modern times. The Ballet participates in many prestigious events in Poland and abroad. Cracovia Danza has visited around 30 countries e.g. Morocco, France, Russia, Germany, China, Japan, Bulgaria, United States, India and Korea.
