Dziennik Łódzki

Polish Dance Theatre from Poznań made another premiere prepared by the director Ewa Wycichowska (memorable principal dancer of The Grand Theatre in Łódź ): “Carpe Diem”. This play proved to be so interesting that it was immediately invited to Łódź and will be performed during nearest edition of Dialog of Four Cultures Festival.
Wycichowska, one of the top European choreographers told in “Carpe Diem” probably the saddest story in her life. “Carpe Diem” is in this case rather deceitful title. Those who expected to be seizing the bright and beautiful day were wrong. Authoress organized her spectacle around human destructive desire to be the belly button of the world which in the end turns out to be a self-limitation. Dancers are designating their own action space and try to take various, moral and intellectual, roles in it until it appears that the day they are catching is a cheesy “Dancing with the Stars”, some sort of “Dot above the I” put in twenty four hours, magazine of stereotypes in progress, tele-echo, mush, magma, homogenization, dehumanization, government, fornication. There is however slight ray of hope in the finale, but not everybody is able to see it and it’s, well… slight. Too delicate to catch it and feel safe. Because not in this light should we search for hope but within us. Ballet music was composed for the first time in the career of popular Zbigniew Górny (along with his son, Marcin). Technique used by Wycichowska also emphasises it’s trance and anxiety. In turn, multiple repetitions contained in the morceau are levelled by original choreography and brilliant live music parts played on keyboard and drums. Dancers of The Polish Dance Theatre once again proved that in the matter of modern dance (and theatre) techniques they have no competition. In September viewers in Łódź will have an opportunity to see if for themselves.

Michał Lenarciński, Dziennik Łódzki nr 68, 21.03.2007.