Joanna Leśnierowska
I was one of the first dance critics in Poland and have written and lectured extensively on Polish choreography internationally. In 2004 I founded the Stary Browar Nowy Taniec [Old Brewery New Dance] programme and ran the first dance space in Poland, where I introduced avant-garde choreography to local audiences and intensively supported (with production and educational programs) the development of Polish dance artists. Since 2019 I have also curated the performance programme of choreographic reflection and ACZIUN research as part of Muzeum Susch, an art institution in the Swiss Alps.
As of 2022 I have worked as a freelance curator and artist and under the label LEŚNIEROWSKA SFX I collaborate with several international art institutions and projects such as the National Museum in Warsaw (Performative Mediations), Bern University of the Arts/HKB (as an artistic collaborator in a research project dedicated to performance preservation), Art Safiental (Land and Environmental Art Biennale in Switzerland) and others. Since 2003, parallel to my work as a curator and writer, I have been developing an independent practice as a visual dramaturge, choreographer, and light & space composer — for my own works and those of other Polish and international artists.
I am happy to support WOK as a consultant in its research on Warsaw dance space, bringing in my almost 20 years of experience in running choreographic development programmes and collaborating (also as a founding member of the European Dancehouse Network) with many dance spaces and projects globally.