Cantos
Choreography by Maciej Kuźmiński
Cantos, by Polish choreographer Maciej Kuźmiński, is a new creation set to Simeon ten Holt’s minimalist masterpiece Canto Ostinato. Composed between 1976 and 1979, the Dutch composer’s work is unique for its open structure, which grants performers great freedom in terms of duration, dynamics, and instrumentation.
Cantos unfolds as a surreal tableau — a distorted mirror of human folly and carelessness, inspired by the biting visions of Francisco de Goya’s Proverbios (Los Proverbios) and Follies (Los Disparates), as well as the playful provocations of Marcel Duchamp. Against the backdrop of an enlarged marble floor that renders the performers miniature-like, a fragile “small world view” emerges in which the familiar appears uncanny and archetypal gestures reflect the strangeness of our own reality.
Embracing the surrealism of the world we inhabit — torn by wars, contradictions, and absurdities — the work moves between humor, tension, and ghostly beauty, enhanced by the presence of live pianists. Kuźmiński, who frequently collaborates with his longtime dramaturg Paul Bargetto, most recently presented their emotional creation Every Minute Motherland at the 2024 Tanzfestival Rhein-Main.
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The Making Of – Trailer
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Pictures
Credits
Choreography, Concept & Direction – Maciej Kuźmiński
Set & Costumes – Gabriela Neubauer
Lighting – Steffen Hilbricht, Maciej Kuźmiński
Concept & Production Dramaturgy – Paul Bargetto
Musical Preparation – Waldemar Martynel
Live Piano – Waldemar Martynel, Igor Palmov
Choreographic Assistant – Ayaka Kamei
Costume Assistant – Annika Kuchnowski
Rehearsal Director – Allison Brown
Dramaturgy Collaboration – Lucas Herrmann
Maciej Kuźmiński
Born in 1985 in Poland, Maciej Kuźmiński witnessed two major transformations – the global shift from the analog to the digital world and Poland’s transition from a communist to a democratic state. As a “child of a changing world,” Kuźmiński explores in his choreographic works themes such as fluid identity, the absolute in spirituality, and the human need for belonging. His profoundly existential and philosophical pieces are regarded as a contemporary continuation of the Polish tradition of dramatic theatre.
With over 30 international awards, Kuźmiński’s independent productions form the repertoire of the Maciej Kuźmiński Company. As a guest choreographer, he has created full-length works for renowned companies such as the Staatstheater Kassel, the Polish Dance Theatre, and the Landestheater Linz, as well as numerous shorter pieces for institutions including Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Theater Osnabrück. Since 2014, he has toured across 23 countries and has been recognized for his clear, powerful, and dynamic movement language.
Since 2009, Kuźmiński has been developing the method Dynamic Phrasing – his own concept for movement and composition. It cultivates a kind of “gentle power” drawn from gravity and expands the embodied knowledge of dancers into a dynamic movement spectrum. The method is taught at universities such as Codarts, ArtEZ, and PERA GAU, at festivals like b12, and for dance companies worldwide. In 2022, the international certification program for Dynamic Phrasing teachers was launched. Today, Kuźmiński lives in Rotterdam and is known as the first Polish-born graduate of Trinity Laban (London) as well as the founder and director of Poland’s first dance network.
Currently there are no upcoming performances of this Program.
