Krakow Dance “Dream of Wawel”

“Dream of Wawel” is another performance of the Cracovia Danza Court Ballet, which refers to the history and heritage of dance associated with the Wawel court. Katarzyna Jagiellonka — daughter of Queen Bona and Sigismund the Old, Queen of Sweden, mother of King Sigismund III Vasa — is at the Royal Castle in Stockholm and sees dolls depicting women from the Jagiellonian dynasty. Their images refer to miniature portraits of figures of the Jagiellonian family, created in the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Younger, and now presented in the Museum of the Princes of Czartoryski in Krakow.

The Queen returns with memories of the happy time spent at the Wawel and the masquerade balls held there, organized by her mother, Queen Bona. On stage, as in a dream, dancers appear in masks, partly inspired by the masquerones of the Cloth Hall, as well as the images of the muses of the world of antiquity. The court masquerade begins, in which the most famous dances of the Renaissance era come to life: pawana, gagliarda, allemand, ballet and passe mezzo. During the “Rex” pavana, a dance extremely popular at the Wawel at the time, the figure of the young Katarzyna Jagiellonka appears, whom the Queen of Sweden watches as if in a dream. Young Katarzyna plays and dances as was done at the Wawel court at the time. Finally, bored with ballroom dances, she turns to a figure depicting herself in the future, as the queen of Sweden. The past and the future meet eye to eye, and the amused courtship disappears as if in a dream. Young Catherine receives dolls depicting the Jagiellonian princess. He looks at them, then disappears, taking them with him. On the stage remains a lonely Catherine Jagiellonka, Queen of Sweden, hugging a doll depicting herself. This painting evokes the loneliness of Catherine the Jagiellonian on the Swedish throne and her longing for the Polish court and the Jagiellonian family.

The performance is related to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Catherine the Jagiellonian (November 1, 1526) and is realized in partnership with Sweden.

Dancers of the Court Ballet Cracovia Danza perform.