Open Stage 2026. Performance “Snow Queen” - Kielce Dance Theatre

“Portrait of Hope”

“Snow Queen”

Kielce Dance Theatre, Poland

Choreography: Elżbieta Pańtak, Antonina Kamińska

In the program of this year's OPEN SCENE could not be missing a story that reminds us that the greatest strength of a person is born from fidelity to another person. After stories of struggle and creative independence, OPEN SCENE invites you to a world where courage has a completely different face. It is not expressed in heroic deeds or rebellion against the world, but in patience, perseverance and readiness not to abandon someone who needs help. Such a portrait can be found in the “Snow Queen” of the Kielce Dance Theater.

The inspiration for the performance was one of the most beautiful fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, however, the creators are not limited to its faithful reproduction. Elżbieta Pańtak created her own libretto, expanding Gerda's world with new places, characters and events. As a result, the familiar history turns into a colorful expedition through successive lands, each of which has its own character, aesthetics and language of movement.

The journey begins amid the awakening nature, leads through the sunlit beach of America of the 1920s, the autumn forest inhabited by gypsy rolling stock, to the ice-curled kingdom of the Snow Queen. Each stage of this journey opens up a new world of choreographic inspiration for the audience.” Dr. Elżbieta Pańtak — choreographer, director of KTT Contemporary dance, jazz and neoclassical dance meet elements of Chinese, Broadway, Hungarian and gypsy dance, creating a rich show full of diversity and constantly changing images. The special strength of the show remains its plastic layer. The costumes of Małgorzata Słoniowska, the scenography and lighting direction by Grzegorz Pańtak and the multimedia projections of Wioletta and Bartosz Kruków build a space that smoothly transfers the audience between reality and fairy tale.

This is a dance theater that allows you to immerse yourself in the world seen through the eyes of a child, while not losing the depth that is important for an adult audience. For lovers of theatrical fairy tales and those who want to experience a spectacle combining dance, painting, music and imagination in a multi-generational meeting”. Antonina Kamińska — choreographer Although the show impresses with its visual grandeur, its true center is the relationship between Gerda and Kaja. The boy loses the ability to feel good, his heart freezes a shard of an enchanted mirror, and the girl sets off on the road, unsure of whether she will be able to save him. It is this determination that gives the whole story a timeless dimension.

After the performance, we invite you to meet the artists.

Program of the XV International Festival of Dance Theatres OPEN STAGE

“Co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for the Promotion of Culture — a state special purpose fund, as part of the “Dance” program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance”