THAW

"Thaw" is a journey into the depths of the human self — an invitation to turn inward, toward the subconscious. Our bodies, as material versions of who we are, have the ability to reflect our truth — both the conscious and the hidden layers buried beyond the reach of the mind. That is why in this performance, physicality, movement, and visual imagery serve as the primary means of expression.The protagonist, much like the characters in the novels of Haruki Murakami, descends into a symbolic well, stepping deeper and deeper into the boundless abyss of her own inner world. "Thaw" creates space and opportunity for the audience to co-experience this intimate and evocative journey.

Pawel Grala Choreographer, dancer, dance educator, improviser. Graduate of the Academy of Music in Łódź and the Higher School of Pedagogy in Łódź. From 2009 to 2016, he was a dancer in the Pracownia Fizyczna Jacka Owczarka company. He has worked with choreographers and directors from Poland and abroad, including Sławek Krawczyński and Anna Godowska, Leszek Bzdyl and Katarzyna Chmielewska, David Zambrano, Rosanna Gamson, Robert Hayden, Ray Chung, Rafał Dziemidok, Kaya Kołodziejczyk, Joanna Leśnierowska, Ilona Trybuła, Alicja Morawska-Rubczak, and the Holobiont Collective. He began his own practice as a director and choreographer, co-creating performances: Ćmy, 9.81, Matryca (winner of The Best OFF competition and the Polish Dance Platform 2019), Tkanka łączna, Gradient (Teatr Polska 2021), Odwilż (President of the City of Łódź Scholarship), Cudów nie będzie (OFF Poland/Theatre Institute), and the performances Próba obecności – na widoku (Academic Center for Artistic Initiatives) and Logografowie. W ruchu (concluding his residency at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Opole). Participant of the Summer Course in Improvisation in Amsterdam under the guidance of Katie Duck and the Alternative Dance Academy in Poznań (Art Station Foundation). His main interests lie in improvisation and the free flow in the creative process. To deepen his knowledge and experiences, he initiated the establishment of the KIPISZ collective and café space - Personal Improvisation Space. Joanna Jaworska I am a graduated dancer, choreographer, and somatic practitioner. A graduate of the Academy of Music in Łódź in the fields of choreography and dance techniques, as well as somatics in dance and therapy. I work largely as a freelancer. Over the past 20 years, I have performed in dance theater productions and participated in projects by Polish and foreign choreographers. The performances I took part in have been presented at the Polish Dance Platform and awarded in the The Best Off competition - the best performances of independent theater. As a choreographer, I collaborated with Teatr Chorea, the Jerzy Grotowski Institute, and the experimental choir Soharóza in Budapest. I created choreography for the international project 'Eastern Block', which was awarded as the best project funded by Visegrad grants. I also implemented my own artistic projects that oscillated around movement arising from live interaction with sound, mental images, and work with consciousness. I teach movement techniques, motor skills, contemporary dance, and conduct classes that enhance body awareness. I work with children, teenagers, adults, actors, singers, and individuals with mobility limitations.