“She stands in the middle of the battlefield” and “Cossachka” open Bazaar Festival Prague

“She Stands in the Middle of a Battlefield” tells a story of friendship, idealism and a lasting commitment to war despite its destructive nature. The performance takes the form of a composition consisting of new war images, open source intelligence, private correspondence and sound forms that all help resonate suppressed emotions. The play was created specifically to express the feeling of a sister going to war and needing (your) support.

Magda Szpecht follows the transformation of an artist into a soldier. Through personal testimony, she reconstructs the everyday life of war and seeks an answer to the question whose is her body?

Creators:

• Direction, screenplay: Magda Szpecht
• Drama, screenplay: Szymon Adamczak
• Scenography, lighting, costumes: Karolina Pawelczyk
• Video: Karolina Pawelczyk, Michał Rogulski
• Music, sound: Krzysztof Kaliski
• Production: Michał Rogulski ÆFEKT
• Cast: Agata Różycka
• Production: ÆFEKT, Bazaar Festival Prague, Dramatic Theatre

Czech premiere: March 20, 2025, Bazaar Festival, Divadlo ARCHA+

Polish premiere: May 16, 2025, Dramatic Theatre, Warsaw Theatre Meetings

The dance performance COSSACHKA highlights women’s resilience in the face of violence that turns their bodies into battlefields and weapons. Inspired by the legend of the Amazons, Yuliia and Gala explore women’s strength in times of crisis, when “Whose body is mine?” is a very relevant question. Dancers, musicians and visual artists from Ukraine combine contemporary dance, live electronic music and singing in a performative ritual of female resistance. COSSACHKA immerses in the collective experience of women in times of crisis – forged in the fires of war, when many take up arms to stand on the front lines. The title refers to the legendary female warriors or Amazons who once roamed the Ukrainian steppes with their hair in braids (in Ukrainian called "kosy"). COSSACHKA is a poetic exploration of identity and resistance that does not rely on heroic gestures, but on unpretentious, everyday strength – to survive, to endure, to remain.

Creators:

• Director: Yuliia Lopata
• Choreographer: Gala Pekha
• Dancers: Dayana Mankovska, Dana Sarman, Daria Hordiichuk, Viktoria Demydova, Anna Kulchytska
• Composer and performer: Olena Shykina
• Singer and performer: Kateryna Aldoshyna
• Costume designer: Asya Sutyagina
• Playwright: Paul Bargetto
• Producer: Polina Bulat

A discussion with the creators of both performances will take place immediately after the performance.