Happening
in Amsterdam- Agenda
- CUTE & AWKWARD - Wojciech Grudziński (PL) / Frascati Productions
Awkwardness is not failure, but a sign of sensitivity. Cuteness is camouflage, a survival strategy. In this solo, performed by two people, the dance floor becomes a zone of magnetic drift.
In this solo, performed by two people, the dance floor becomes a zone of magnetic drift. Bodies react to invisible forces, movements unfold slowly, as if remembered by someone else. They are uncertain, unbalanced, yet precise in their hesitation. This choreography is a flow of energy, like a promenade, a polonaise – referencing this traditional Polish dance.
How do you dance without owning the movement?
How do you stay connected without holding on?
How can you disappear and remain at the same time?
With cultural references to the first gay cruising bar in post-communist Poland, named Fantom, and the ghostly, insane echo of desire and loss in Annie Lennox's 'No More "I Love You's"', this sleepwalking dance is an attempt to maintain a permanent immaturity of identity. Floating between memory and fiction, the piece dances between queer meeting places and a pop-cultural dream of sleepwalking.
CUTE & AWKWARD is the twin sister of Wojciech's previous work: THREESOME. After being inspired by three legendary dancers (Stanisław Szymański, Wojciech Wiesiołłowski, and Gerard Wilk), CUTE & AWKWARD addresses similar themes, but this time from a different perspective and with different bodies. A tender work about sleepwalking and what it means to be a ghost.
Wojciech Grudziński (1991) is a Polish artist, choreographer, and dancer based in Amsterdam. In his work, he explores, among other things, the power dynamics that are (implicitly and explicitly) present in theater and dance. Wojciech studied dance at a ballet school in Warsaw and CODARTS in Rotterdam and completed his master's degree at DAS Theatre in Amsterdam (2021-2023). During his master's, he developed BOW A STUDY (2024), a poetic and physical investigation into the ambiguity of bowing. The performance premiered in February 2024 at Frascati Producties, in co-production with DAS Theatre. As part of the Frascati residency program, Wojciech developed the dance performance Threesome in March 2024. In December of the same year, he was seen again at Frascati with the elaborated version THREESOME, in which he portrays three legendary Polish ballet dancers from the '60s–'90s, whose legacy faded over time through myths and legends.
concept, choreography, performance Wojciech Grudziński
artistic collaboration, performance Lucas Lagomarsino
artistic collaboration Igor Cardellini
final direction Miguel Melgares
text Maria Magdalena Kozłowska
video, set design Rafał Dominik
light design Jacqueline Sobiszewski
music, sound Wojtek Blecharz
co-produced by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute
co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage