Korina Kordova in "Diffusion" by Sylwia Hefczyńska-Lewandowska


It always depends on the moment - interview with Korina Kordova

Ad Spectatores: Can you tell me a few words about the Choreographic Laboratory of Silesian Dance Theatre?

Korina Kordova: At first, Sylwia Hefczyńska - Lewandowska gave birth to the concept, creating her own work with the permission of our Director, Jacek Luminski, of course. Then Leszek Stanek and Sebastian Zajkowski made a piece and Sylwia made a second titled Przenikanie in which I took part. Then Jacek decided to create the Laboratory because it is separate from our everyday work in the theatre. We called it the Choreographic Laboratory so that we could do what we want and the theatre provides us with technical support and studio space. Generally, this activity takes place in work time, unless we have rehearsals with Jacek.

AdS: The performance called Karolina that we will see today is your first work. What can you tell us about it?

KK: One nice thing about Karolina is that it just happened. The hardest part was to start, especially because I’m very critical about my own work, so that makes it harder. I was comissioned to create two short pieces to the music of Krzysztof Wołek, a Polish composer living in the USA. Then after I created these two, came the idea of making one work. Now it lasts about half an hour, but I didn’t just make a collage of the two earlier pieces. First I thought about doing it with an adviser, maybe Sylwia or Jacek. Then I thought I just wanted to finish it and perform without anyone's help. The premiere was in March this year and everyone was surprised because my premiere was shorter than the work in progress they had seen, but I had to make a few decisions about editing. Actually, I think that it will be always be a work in progress, as it is always different - it depends on the day. Today for the first time I’ll perform Karolina to an intenational audience. I wonder how it will turn out, because some decisions about the performance I must make on the spot.

AdS: You come from Brazil. Are there any Brazilians rhythms In Karolina?

KK: No, not really. I don’t think I created something inspired by Brazilian rhythms or folk dance. Maybe some people will see something like that, but it’s not a conscious decision, maybe it’s just in my body.


AdS: You were in the USA, then Holland and studied dance with famous dancers and choreographers. What makes you stay here in Bytom?

KK: You know, it always depends on the moment. This job offer in Bytom came at the right moment, because I was searching for new opportunities; I wanted to do something I really liked, and focus on one thing. I knew that Jacek had developed his own style of work and when I auditioned I was impressed by the quality of the dancers and I thought it would be an interesting experience. Of course I was also afraid: I’d never been here before even as a tourist. The cold, the food, everything was weird. But I got used to it and now I can’t leave.

AdS: You have been taught by many people - what do you do with this knowledge? How do you use the things that you’ve learned?

KK:Of course there are many things in Poland I’ve learned from my training with Jacek. For instance, I used voice for the first time in Przenikanie and Chemical reaction. I also like to use improvisation.

Rozmawiała Marta Ławrowska

A Woman called Karolina

Last night, for the first time in front of an international audience, Korina Kordova performed her "Karolina".

There is only one person on stage – Korina Kordova – choreographer of this work. She stands on a low platform at the back of the stage and walks from one side to another like a model. When she stands close to the edge some invisible power drags her down - the floor works as a magnet. She falls and than tries to stand up and get back to the vertical. From now on her dance is like a fight with the floor which tries to keep her down. Her moves, arms and legs are heavy. In the meanwhile she says words like obligation, responsibility, transitions etc. In the second part of the performance she overcomes this magnetic power, dancing the same steps but with greater delicacy.

Kordova deliberately used the name, “Karolina”, in the title, as it is very popular in Poland and elsewhere That’s why I believe this is a story about an ordinary woman, her problems and sorrows but also her happiness. The floor was a symbol of the hard things that women have to fight against. However I didn’t understand why in the second part her moves become so delicate?

Before making "Karolina", Korina prepared two pieces to Krzystof Wołek's music. From these two, she created "Karolina", but she maintains it isn't a collage of the earlier parts. Anyway, for me there was something missing in it. Maybe I’m looking for a meaning where none is intended - perhaps it’s only about aesthetic impressions. But I can't help it that I like to see a story on stage. I appreciate dance when it is something more then just the beauty of movement. I liked the movements and the confident way she performed them. Maybe there was an improvised element, but I didn't notice this. I admire her decision to create the work without assistance; she is a young woman who wants to learn and experience as much as possible.

This is Kordova's first work and we’ll see where her inspirations and ideas lead. We need to give her more time to establish her vision and put it into practice; that will be the time to reassess her progress and achievements.


Marta Ławrowska

Only music

Yesterday, dancers of the portuguese group, Companhia de danca de Almada, presented "Submersão do Meu Ser", providing us with visions of earth and hell based on "The Garden of Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch. However, it lasted too long for the audience to remember the proximity of these two worlds. Paradoxically, the biggest triumph of this presentation was also its biggest weakness. The music, which, on the one hand, by its diversity (baroque songs, by opera aryas, modern music) and perfect reproduction built a satisfying mood and presentation. On the other hand, it didn't help the dance, which was merely a background to the music, not vice versa – as it is should be.

The seven dancers generally couldn’t retain my attention and several times I forgot about the rest to focus on the wonderful music. However, some visual aspects didn’t allow us to tear our eyes away from stage. First, the perfect synchronization of the dancers, with simple but colorful dresses, produced fragments which I watched with pleasure. Aesthetic impressions were aided by using smoke, as dancers, emerged and disappeared, as if in an infernal abyss. The dramatic lighting projected danger, aided by hysterical running and the cries of the dancers.

Companhia de danca de Almada also managed to take advantage of semi-transparent scrims, which divided the scene into three planes. They presented scenes like a slide show, with the dancers stationary. After several minutes watching these images, the audience experienced an optical shock, when the scrims were removed: a sleepy image has been transformed into bright reality.

If I had to evaluate "Submersão do Meu" as workshop show, I would say, that the presentation has bewitched me. However, it has been presented as full spectacle of dance theater. And in this aspect of evaluating it, I must say that this show lacked a central focus. If the spectacle was shorter by about half an hour and a bit more differentiated in form, surely the meaning would have been clearer. But yesterday the meaning disappeared in too many similar scenes. And when you left the theatre the only thing which stays in your head is music.

Anna Wróblowska