A ballet triptych composed of three contemporary choreographies, primarily set to Polish music. The first will be performed by our youth group PBN Junior. The other two, drawn from the repertoire of the Grand Theatre, will be performed by soloists and the core ensemble of the Polish National Ballet.

Moving rooms+

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

A new initiative by Krzysztof Pastor, director of the Polish National Ballet, is an attempt to bridge the gap between the work of ballet schools and the quantitative and qualitative expectations of our theaters. Therefore, we have created a ten-person junior group at the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera ballet company. The members will work separately for a year or two, honing their technical and artistic skills to achieve the qualifications necessary for eventual regular employment with the PBN or another Polish ballet company. Selected juniors, primarily students of Polish ballet schools, will receive special mentoring from experienced PBN artists during this period. We will also provide them with master classes led by invited international ballet masters. They will participate in dedicated artistic programs on our chamber stage, which will then be presented in other theaters across the country, as well as in daily activities across the PBN and in our theater's ballet performances. Over time, they will have the opportunity to join the PBN company or apply for positions with other theaters.

Juvenalia 4

Let's briefly recall the main plot of this ambiguous myth. The Titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods, one of the attributes of their power over the world, to make its benefits available to ordinary mortals and contribute to the development of humanity. Offended by this sacrilege, Zeus decided to take cruel revenge on both the brave man and humanity. He chained Prometheus to the rocks of the Caucasus and daily sent an Eagle to eat the condemned man's liver by day. At night, the liver would grow back, and Prometheus's suffering would begin anew. Simultaneously, the ruler of Olympus decided to test humanity. He ordered the creation of a woman named Pandora, whom the gods endowed with dazzling beauty and many talents, and Zeus gave her a mysterious Box as a dowry for her future husband. However, the gift was subject to a prohibition against opening it. The gullible Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus, married Pandora, who, yielding to her curiosity, opened the Box, releasing all the misfortunes that have befallen humanity ever since. Fortunately, Hope was also hidden within Pandora's Box, which remains there to this day as a solace for humanity.

Prometheus

Let us briefly recall the main theme of this multi-layered myth. The Titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods to share this attribute of their power over the world with the ordinary mortals and contribute to the development of humanity. Enraged with the sacrilege, Zeus decided to wreck cruel revenge on the disruptor and humankind. He ordered Prometheus to be bound to the rocks of the Caucasus and would send an Eagle each day to eat his liver. The vital organ would grow back overnight and only to Prometheus’s suffering to begin again the next day. At the same time, the king of the Olympus decided to put humanity to the test: he ordered a stunningly beautiful and multitalented woman named Pandora to be created and gifted her with a mystery box as a dowry for her future husband. There was just one condition: Pandora was not to open the box under any circumstances. Prometheus’s gullible brother Epimetheus married Pandora, who proceeded to open the box to satisfy her curiosity, consequently releasing all the evils that have been plaguing humanity ever since. Luckily, the box also contained Hope, which remains inside the box to comfort humankind.

Dracula, Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography set to a selection of music by Wojciech Kilar, became a ballet sensation of 2018. Commissioned by the West Australian Ballet, it was given its debut in September 2018 in Perth. The company wanted to expand its repertoire to include a ballet adaptation of Bram Stoker’s world-famous horror novel and its 1992 Oscar-winning film version by Francis Ford Coppola with a score written by Wojciech Kilar. Having accepted the commission, Krzysztof Pastor decided to go beyond Coppola’s movie and showcase a wider selection of Kilar’s music in his production, which is set to a carefully arranged score put together by Michael Brett that features themes from Kilar’s soundtracks for Wajda’s The Promised Land and Chronicle of Amorous Accidents, Hoffman’s Leper, Zanussi’s Wherever You Are, and Majewski’s Jealousy and Medicine, as well as such self-standing works as Kościelec 1909, Symphony No. 5 (Advent Symphony), and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Dracula

The world’s most famous horror story about the Transylvanian count returns to the ballet stage. Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography was immensely popular in its premiere season in 2024 and is now revived by popular demand. The music by Wojciech Kilar was also heard in the Oscar-winning film Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola.

Finnish National Opera and Ballet

This triple bill showcases neoclassical ballet at its purest. Last season, the programme embraced pieces by three generations of choreographers, George Balanchine, Toer van Schayk, and Edward Clug, who turned to the music by Beethoven, Chopin, and Bizet. Each choreography had its own unmistakable appeal and was enthusiastically received by the audience. This season, the triple bill returns with even greater emotional resonance. Symphony of Dance: An Encore opens with Balanchine’s Symphony in C to Bizet’s music. The spectacular symphony of dance by the father of neoclassical ballet is followed by Edward Clug’s more subdued piece, fittingly titled Ssss… Set to Chopin’s nocturnes, the work provides a shift in mood from nostalgic to pensive. Finally, the programme culminates with Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography to Ravel’s Bolero. The piece needs no special recommendation: it is an explosion of passion and an apotheosis of rhythm that rouses, captivates, and hypnotises.

Symphony of Dance: an encore

Vampires have roamed literature for many decades before they made themselves at home in pop culture. One extraordinary example is Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel, which made the story of Dracula an enduring part of mass culture. The narrative of Krzysztof Pastor’s ballet unfolds similarly to that of the novel, moving from the legendary Transylvania to Victorian London, where the count meets a woman who is a spitting image of his tragically deceased wife. He burns with a desire to pull her into his world, yet love prevails, and Dracula sacrifices his immortality on its altar. Wojciech Kilar’s music underpins this poignant ballet. The score blends the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, memorable dances from Jerzy Hoffman’s Leper and Andrzej Wajda’s The Promised Land, and fragments from Kościelec 1909 and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. The ballet was originally commissioned by West Australian Ballet and will soon reach Riga, Brisbane, Helsinki, and our stage. Audiences welcome it enthusiastically regardless of the geographical location. 

We all know the story of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods to share it with mortals, thus contributing to humanity’s development. The myth has endured for centuries and taken on increasing cultural significance. The eponymous Titan has become the embodiment of resistance against tyranny and the symbol of heroic fight for freedom. His story has ignited the imagination of poets, writers, painters, and sculptors for centuries. Krzysztof Pastor does not try to conceal his fascination with its symbolism, yet he also examines the ramifications of Prometheus’s act. By stealing fire from the gods, the Titan spurred humankind’s civilisational progress, yet the advancement came at the cost of the world’s gradual degeneration. Let us not forget, however, that alongside the suffering following Prometheus’s act and the opening of Pandora’s Box came Hope. And there is still room for it in today’s world. This ballet offers another original interpretation of the Promethean myth.

Krzysztof Pastor

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 30 - Nov 18, 2026

Dracula · Finnish National Opera and Ballet

Oct 31 - Nov 14, 2026

Symphony of Dance: an encore · Polish National Opera

Feb 27 - Mar 10, 2027

Dracula · Polish National Opera

8 - 27 Apr, 2027

Prometheus · Polish National Opera

Past events

5 - 12 Feb, 2026

Moving rooms+ · Polish National Opera

Oct 25 - Dec 7, 2025

Juvenalia 4 · Polish National Opera

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