Choreopolitics and Haunted Bodies

The aim of this article is, first, to illuminate the history of Polish dance by examining how contemporary choreographers narrate that past in their performances, making significant breaks with tradition while simultaneously reinterpreting it in various ways. Second, it seeks to highlight the analogies between the situation of independent dance in Poland in the twenty-first century and the place of modern dance during the interwar period. The author analyses performances by Wojciech Grudziński (Threesome), Edyta Kozak (Dancing for You Longer than One Minute), and Iwona Pasińska (Ostatnia niedziela), which she interprets as examples of what André Lepecki terms ‘choreopolitics.’ These are performances in which artists critically examine the official narratives of ballet and dance theatre, deconstructing and rewriting their archives with regard to what is absent or distorted within them. The author demonstrates how contemporary choreographers participate in shaping not only the future but also the past of dance.