Educational Media Reviews Online

Krzysztof Pastor is a Polish ballet dancer and choreographer who danced professionally with companies in Poland, France, and the Netherlands. He was the resident choreographer for many years for the Dutch National Ballet and is currently the director of the Polish National Ballet. He is profiled in the documentary Pastor: Four Movements.

This documentary was directed by Joanna Rechnio who has made her career as a music video director. The film is narrated by Pastor and is broken up into four parts. Even though each part was filmed by a different cinematographer, the film flows seamlessly.

The topic is interesting because it delves into the way a choreographer works with his troupe to develop a dance performance. Part One has Pastor narrating his thought process on how he choreographs his pieces. He is also shown working with the dancers of the Polish National Ballet. At one point, Pastor brings his dancers out into a potato field to show them how potatoes are picked, since the dancers will be “picking potatoes” in their performance. Part One ends with the dancers practicing the number to music. In Part Two, Pastor reminisces about his career as a ballet dancer while showing some of his performances from the 1980’s. In Part Three, Pastor is on a panel that is watching the dancers perform and critiquing them in order to refine the piece before showtime. Part Three ends with the stage being set up and the full ensemble rehearsing. Part Four is the night of the performance. Pastor speaks about not wanting to retire and tells the viewer about his first performance where he choreographed and how surprised he was that the audience loved it. Part Four ends with the principal dancer of the Polish National Ballet dancing through rooms of what seemed to be a palace.

This documentary is available streaming and on DVD through EPF Media. Institutions can receive a license for institutional use. The film is in color and is 70 minutes long. It is in Polish and English along with English subtitles. Pastor: Four Movements is recommended for performing arts and dance classes. Even though it is focused on ballet dancing, any performing arts student can learn how an artist creates a work.

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