Drops of Tears Glistened on the Flowers

Kujawiak is one of the Polish National Dances that developed in the late 18th and early 19th century in the region of Kujawy, in central Poland. It resembles tall grain stalks in the fields gently swaying in the wind. The dance is performed with calm dignity and simplicity, in a smooth-flowing manner. Pairs move along a circle line to the sentimental, melancholic music.

Through somatic embodiment, the performance dissects Kujawiak’s codified movement vocabulary in order to probe new ways of composing, improvising upon and performing this dance.

“Drops of Tears Glistened on the Flowers” unfolds in four parts – distinct landscapes – where through sound and movement new flows and qualities of Kujawiak appear and disappear.