26. Court Dance Festival Cracovia Danza

The Court Dance Festival is an artistic event organized by the Balet Dworski Cracovia Danza. Its main goal is to present the dance heritage of Kraków, Poland, Europe, and even the entire world. The culture of court dances, present in every country, serves as a source of inspiration for creating performances and artistic spectacles rooted in traditions and practices preserved to this day. For many years, Kraków - through the Festival and its events - has become a global center of court dance, bringing together individual artists, dance, music, and theatre ensembles, workshop participants, as well as dance theorists and historians from various countries.

The theme of this year's 'Kraków Dances' Festival is the Renaissance, which references Kraków’s rich dance and artistic heritage from the era of the Renaissance. During the festival, we aim to present dance performances inspired by the earliest ballets staged in Kraków at Wawel Castle in the 16th century. Choreographies and dances brought to the Wawel court by Queen Bona, as well as those created by Italian dance masters such as Sylwester of Italy in the late 1500s, mark the beginning of ballet repertoire in Poland - a legacy equal in value to other European stage works of the time. Ballet performances such as the Ballet des Polonais (1573) and Queen Bona’s Wawel Masquerade, presented in Kraków’s historic Renaissance spaces, will shine with added splendor, creating a unique artistic offering for both residents and visitors to the city.

The Renaissance theme represents an event that, in the context of dance, signifies a creative and imaginative approach to the Renaissance dance repertoire, encompassing both Italian and French styles. Our aim is to provide creators with the opportunity to craft new balletic works inspired by the dance, movement, and theatrical heritage of the 16th century - drawing on the diverse styles and techniques explored during the festival.

The Renaissance theme also symbolizes a kind of rebirth for the festival’s format itself, which, after 25 years of existence in Kraków, deserves a renewed formal and artistic identity. Taking into account the interest shown by artists from Mexico and other countries around the world, we wish to broaden our scope and draw inspiration not only from European heritage but also from traditions beyond Europe. Our goal is to expand our educational offerings with new courses and to open our artistic events to non-European dance presentations. Kraków will remain an undisputed center of early dance, and the festival will continue to serve as a platform for creative dance endeavors—deeply interwoven with the architectural heritage of our city.