Review: LUMIÈRE at Wrocław Opera

I love writing about shows like this—it's so easy when I'm swept away by perfection and sheer beauty. So, let's dive into Lumière!

Bolero—already seen in Wrocław and choreographed by Meryl Tankard in 1998—beautifully reminds us that true masterpieces are timeless. Maurice Ravel's immensely popular (even pop) score comes alive through a blend of light, Spanish bulls, and colored shadows (yes, it's possible!). Behind the curtain lies a story, silent but perfectly understandable. It's mesmerizing, and even though I've seen this work for the third time this fall, I continue to discover new details. It remains strikingly fresh — like confetti that refuses to fall, floating and sparkling, offering us each time a new breath of movement.

Un Ballo is something else entirely. It's a dance of shadows with human beings. The couples move in perfect harmony, synchronized in an almost superhuman way (seriously, how do they do it?). The choreography is calm, soothing, and gracefully illuminated by the glow of candles that rises to the ceiling. Ravel's music carries us away on a peaceful journey we never want to end. The dancers glide gently, as if carried by the waves of the orchestra, like a tranquil nighttime boat trip on a dark, silky ocean. Jiří Kylián—the captain (well, the choreographer and set designer)—ensures that we feel safe, warm, and deeply moved throughout the entire journey.

And then came Six Breaths, which literally overwhelmed me from the moment its fiery movements sliced ​​through the air like a sword. Composed by the late Ezio Bosso during his illness, the music itself is like breathing through pain, through life. It’s a journey that doesn’t ask for meaning — it breathes it. Rafael Bonachela, the choreographer, told me we shouldn’t chase meaning in art; we should feel it. Leave the logic outside the theatre doors, switch off the brain, and let your senses lead. Oh my, I flew away.

For me, it was about how every light casts a shadow that holds its own energy. Six cellos and a piano on stage guide the dancers like sirens steering sailors — hypnotic, fluid, irresistible. The piece is divided into six breaths: First Breath (the breath of life), No Breath (breathless), Crying Breath (weeping), In the Same Breath (simultaneously), Under the Breath (whisper), and Last Breath, but honestly, don’t cling to the titles. Each breath means something different to every person, and that’s the real beauty.

The moment that kind of broke me (in the best way) was the duet between Daniel Agudo Gallardo and Duarte Barros. Their energy ripped through me — I will not even try to describe it, because words feel too banal. When I told Rafael how it twisted my guts and made me cry uncontrollably, he just smiled and said, “Perfect — that part is called Crying!” So maybe I didn’t just watch it; I lived it, exactly as the author meant me to, great job Mr Choreographer.

Long story short: It’s a total must-see!

I’m a huge fan of Wrocław Ballet, and every time I see their work, I regret one thing — that I can’t see them more often. I want to see them more! — like, on repeat, forever, please.

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