According to the organisation’s president, Rajan Zed, the ballet "seriously trivializes Eastern religious and other traditions … displaying Western caricaturing of Eastern heritage, and abetting ethnic stereotyping."
In a strongly worded statement, Zed said La Bayadère is "deeply problematic," claiming it belittles a rich civilization and reflects 19th-century orientalist attitudes.
"The Polish National Opera, one of Poland’s most important cultural institutions and one of the largest opera and ballet theatres in Europe, under the oversight of the Polish Ministry of Culture; should not be in the business of callously promoting appropriation of traditions, elements and concepts of 'others;' and ridiculing entire communities," Zed wrote.
He called on the opera house to apologize for staging the work.
Zed also urged the management of the Polish National Opera to "re-evaluate" its internal "systems and procedures" and "send its staff for cultural sensitivity training so that such inappropriate stuff did not slip through in the future."
He further appealed to the production’s sponsors—including the culture ministry, German carmaker BMW, Polish energy company Orlen, and public broadcaster Polish Radio, which is a media partner—to "withdraw their support immediately."
In response, Polish National Ballet director Krzysztof Pastor said the company remains committed to a respectful presentation of the work.
"We are committed to ensuring that our presentation of La Bayadère avoids stereotypes, respects cultural diversity, and does not give rise to any misinterpretation that could be hurtful or disrespectful," Pastor wrote in an email to Zed.
Pastor added that the Warsaw company treats "matters of cultural sensitivity and the responsible presentation of the heritage of other traditions with the utmost seriousness," saying the criticism had strengthened the company's resolve to "prepare these performances with even greater attention to detail, sensitivity, and artistic responsibility."
The ballet is scheduled to premiere on March 27 and will run for 11 performances through June 30.
Pastor said there are no plans to revive the show after that run.
La Bayadère premiered in 1877 at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, with choreography by French ballet master Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus.
The Warsaw production will retain the original choreography as recreated by renowned ballerina Natalia Makarova, who staged the version for the American Ballet Theatre in New York.
(mk/gs)
Source: kultura.onet.pl, rajanzed.com