Gain a comprehensive knowledge from the beginning. Education helps to achieve success quickly. Observe different fields of art, be open, gain pleasure from experiencing art, fulfill your dreams. I remember that in the first years of my artistic activity it was difficult for me to obtain a scholarship from an institution, because I did not yet have any significant titles or certificates in the artistic profession.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacek Krawczyk.
Jacek Krawczyk — film and theater director, independent filmmaker, choreographer, actor-dancer, performer, teacher, member of the Dance and Ballet Section of Association Of Polish Artists Of The Theater, Film, Radio And Television. A graduate of the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, he obtained an artist-dancer diploma, awarded by the Polish Artists Of The Theater, Film, Radio And Television, honored by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Together with the choreographer Joanna Czajkowska, they co-created the Sopot Dance Theatre. Creator of many original choreographies.
As a dancer and choreographer, he collaborated with many alternative and institutional theaters: with The Witold Gombrowicz Municipal Theatre in Gdynia, the Entertainment Theater in Chorzów, the Small Theater in Warsaw, the Musical Theater in Gdynia, the New Theater in Słupsk, the Grand Theater in Poznań, the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, the Grand Theater in Łódź and the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theater, the German Audio Gruppe, the French Teatro Artonik and the Goerlitz Tanz Theater. He has performed at many dance, theater and performative art festivals in Poland and in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia and South America (including China, Indonesia, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria , Sweden, Finland, Russia, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Czech Republic, Slovenia, France, Austria).
Five times he received a scholarship for creators of culture from the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and multiple scholarships of the President of the City of Sopot. In 2006, he was nominated for the “Artist of the Year 2005” award in the Gazeta Wyborcza Trójmiasto poll. He is a winner of the Theater Award of the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in 2005 for directing and choreography of two performances: “Square. Version 6 ” and “Helicopter Tanz Streichquartett ”. He received a scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for 2006. In 2007, he received the honorary badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture” from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. In the academic year 2006/2007 he led the faculty in “Dance and movement systems in culture” in the field of cultural studies at the University of Gdańsk. In the years 2008–2010 he worked as a lecturer in the field of dance theater at the Alternative Theater School of the Żak Club in Gdańsk. In the 2016/2017 academic year, he taught the subject of “Dance theater workshops — theory and practice” at the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Philology, University of Gdańsk. In 2017, he received an award in the field of culture and art — “Sopocka Muza”. In 2019, honored by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage with the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture — Gloria Artis. In 2020, he received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage — Online Culture.
In 2020, he directed “The Seventh Seal”, an experimental indie short film which received Award Winner at Independent Shorts Award, at Vegas Movie Awards, at Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival, at Heart International Italian Film Festival, at IndieFest Film Awards, at Cannes Shorts Film Festival, at Eastern Europe International Movie Festival, at Milan Gold Awards, at Golden Wheat Awards, at Halicarnassus Film Festival,at Calcuta International Cult Film Festival, at Luis Bunuel
Memorial Awards, at Dreamachine International Film Festival, at 8 & Halfilm Awards, at Fox International Film Festival, at Grand New York Film Awards, at Stanley Film Awards, at Emarald Peacock, at Golden Harvest Film Festival, at Cult Critic Movie Awards, at International Gold Awards, at New York Movie Awards, at Krimson Horyzon International Film Festival, at Black Swan International Film Festival, at Virgin Spring Cinefest, at Europe Independent Movie Festival and received a nomination at AltFF Alternative Film Festival, at Indie Short Fest, and official selected at Amsterdam Freedom Independent IFF, at Sweden Film Awards, at Paradise Film Festival, at Paris Film Awards, at Hollywood Gold Awards, at New York Neorealism Film Awards, at Top Film Awards, at Cinematic European Film Festival, at Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival, and Honorable Mention at Art Film Awards, at Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival and Florence Film Award.
In 2023, he directed the short film “Antiquarius”, which won awards at: Independent Short Awards, Naples Film Awards, New York Film Awards, Frida Film Festival, Milan Golds Awards, 8 & Halfim Awards, International Gold Awards, Tokyo Cult Film Festival, Paris Film Awards, Best Shorts Competition, Venice Grand Cine Celebration, World Premiere Film Awards, Barcelona Indie Fest, Paris Cine Fiesta, Swedish Academy of Motion Picture Awards.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
My name is Jacek Krawczyk. I was born in Poland, in the city of Sopot. For many years I have been associated with the performing arts as an independent actor, dancer, choreographer, director. I am a co-founder of the Sopot Dance Theatre and a creator of more than 50 performances. I received the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture.
From an early age I was very active and had artistic and manual skills. As a sensitive and creative child, curious about the world, I was interested in fine arts, as well as individual sports disciplines (karate and gymnastics). Over time, I became interested in art history (taking part in lectures at the Academy of Fine Arts) and my studies at the Academy of Physical Education made me decide to focus the performing arts — ballet, pantomime, contemporary dance and theatre. Soon I became a member of a theatre group.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
It was quite by accident, when I was invited to conduct a workshop in the field of dynamics and body plasticity with a physical theatre group. After ending my sports career, it was an original continuation of using my sports talents. It was a beginning of my fascination with the world of theatre, ballet, performance and a start of a new chapter. Then I began my education in the fields of acting, ballet, and pantomime.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I remember my performance at the festival in Vitebsk (Belarus) a long time ago. As it turned out, it was a celebration of classical dance with the greatest ballet dancers from the former Soviet Union and China. My performance was based on an experimental movement to the avant-garde soundtrack of Karl-Heinz Stockhausen. The festival jury was perplexed and they could not classify me. However, my performance was appreciated by the young audience and journalists as an innovative direction in the art of dance.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Currently, my interests include making experimental and avant-garde films. As a director and screenwriter, I am working on a poetry film inspired by the “theory of pure form” by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, who was a representative of Polish avant-garde art, a writer, painter, playwright and art theoretician. I’m using theatre techniques, resulting from my experience in ballet, pantomime, choreography and acting, to make a film in the spirit of Witkiewicz’s works, in a theatrical and philosophical atmosphere, taking place in the historical spaces of the city of Sopot (Poland).
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I was lucky to meet many interesting and important people on my artistic path. They are exceptional figures who inspired me to gain knowledge, creativity, diligence and focus on consistent creative actions. They are the masters, I’ve been working with during my education, teachers of stage techniques (ballet, pantomime, choreography, acting) and wonderful artists from other fields of art with whom I collaborated on projects (composers, directors, lighting technicians, set designers, costume designers and others). They taught me a lot and I carefully observed their professional approach to work. I also really valued the opinions of the audience about my artistic projects. It was an important voice for me and affected my future work.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
Of course, a source of inspiration for a creator can be various stimuli that surround us, give delight and motivation. In the world that surrounds us, we can easily perceive all the phenomena that stimulate us to creative action. I have been interested in all fields of art for many years and that is where I mainly find inspiration. Among other things, I often get inspired by paintings from different art periods. I create moving pictures and create a story on stage, involving also the biography of a painter — e.g. “Melencolia” by Albrecht Durer. I am inspired by avant-garde filmmakers, e.g. “The Seventh Seal” by Ingmar Bergman. I also create theatre performances and films based on literature, dramas, poetry, philosophy and music. Opera and ballet were also an important inspiration for me. Great masters from different fields of art are an invaluable source of inspiration. You just need to open your mind and get to know their work.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Undoubtedly, each of us can and should do good for others. Regardless of our place in the world, we have an opportunity to do good in many ways. As an artist, I have a privilege of influencing an audience through art, their positive perception of the world, moving them, stimulating their senses, sensitivity, giving emotions, activating them to reflect. I treat my performances in a theater as a sanctuary, a spiritual place where I transport a viewer to a magical world of dreams, where goodness prevails. I give an opportunity to perform in performances on stage, for professionals and amateurs, for many of them it is a dream come true, experiencing emotions and discovering higher feelings. Also during the lectures and workshops, I activate people to interact with art and participate in the creative process. I introduce them to all artistic trends that have an impact on the spiritual and intellectual development of a person.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1 . Gain a comprehensive knowledge from the beginning. Education helps to achieve success quickly. Observe different fields of art, be open, gain pleasure from experiencing art, fulfill your dreams. I remember that in the first years of my artistic activity it was difficult for me to obtain a scholarship from an institution, because I did not yet have any significant titles or certificates in the artistic profession.
2 . Take an example from the masters and gain from their experiences and creativity. Listen to them, get inspiration, but at the same time look for your own path, your own style. Of course, I respected my teachers. Their way of conducting classes inspired me in my own teaching activity, but over time I tried to introduce more modern methods.
3 . Be patient — success is achieved through diligence, talent, determination. Be prepared for failures and a hostility of others. Enjoy small successes, because they lead you to the bigger ones. My first theatre performances were modest, because I had no funds to hire a set designer, costume designer, lighting technician or a manager. We were an informal theatre group of 2–3 dancers. We did everything on our own to create a performance (also at night). After years, the Sopot Dance Theatre was established, an official group, with its own headquarters, stage, rehearsal room, employing a dozen or so of professional artists from various fields.
4 . Don’t be afraid to experiment. Look for alternative artistic forms. Create interdisciplinary art. Be brave and open to modern types of expression and multimedia. Be present on social media platforms. Some performances of my theatre group inspired by the works of a writer Samuel Beckett and a music of a composer Karl-Heinz Stockhausen are not easy to understand. They touch on difficult topics, where we use experimental, non-obvious means of expression. These works have attracted attention and recognition — awards and invitations to international festivals.
5 . Take care of interpersonal contacts. Maintain good relations with co-creators, masters, students. Look for similar people who perceive the world in a similar way and want to change it for the better together with you. After years of creativite work, I can always count on a participation and help of my friendly co-creators.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
My work inspired by an art of the East and the West could initiate cooperation between artists from different cultures. Such a vision of an artistic work, co-created by artists from different parts of the world (e.g. from the Far East, Africa, Oceania, America, Europe) with different traditions, techniques, systems, values. During a creative process, an exchange of experiences, artists from different fields of art would jointly search for a universally valuable message for humanity. A resulting interdisciplinary performances could teach tolerance, bring communities closer together and facilitate understanding of cultural differences.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
I have met many valuable people in my life who were role models for me. I learned from their experiences. They advised me how to avoid mistakes, disappointments and how to deal with difficulties. My parents have always supported me. There are many people in the world who have achieved exceptional success in various areas of life thanks to wisdom, talent, diligence and determination. Such a person, whom I admire, is Mikhail Baryshnikov, an outstanding artist, dancer, choreographer. As a recognized ballet master, he has achieved great success in the world. His biography and path to fame is extraordinary. A conversation with the master would be extremely inspiring and instructive.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jacentyart/ and on facebook https://www.facebook.com/jacek.krawczyk.16 Thank you!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Jacek Krawczyk: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.