Great Dragons’ Parade – European Myths and Legends

In the season 2006/2007 a great scale, international project is starting. As a part of the EU Culture 2000 project, The Groteska Puppet, Mask and Actor Theatre from Cracow, as a lider, in cooperation with St Patrick's Festiwal - Dublin Ireland, and Divadlo Maskaron – Praga, Czech Republic, received a grant for the project: Great Dragons’ Parade – European Myths and Legends.

The idea was born on the base of yearly organized, by the Groteska Theatre field event (every year getting bigger) during the celebrations of Cracow City Feast. The next parade will be organized with cooperation with mentioned coorganizers and partners: Wales (Newcastle Emlyn) – Heart of the Dragon, Portugal (Setúbal) – Teatro do Elefante and Puppet Theater „Arlekin” from Łódź, Poland.

The project includes two basic parts: making educational workshops, concerning the roots of modern European culture, in the partner countries, and realization of three outdoor shows in Cracow, Dublin and Parague.

The idea of united Europe in the of political actions is suffering if not a crisis, at least stagnation stage. The lot of the European Constitution is a good example for that. Shouldn’t we do something about it, to resist the opinion of those who say that more is dividing us than connecting. People of culture, actors, painters, writers, musicians can do something about it

Giving testimony of our common roots and relationships is not only an expression of intellectual honesty, but also a necessity of this time. This is the answer for the fast globalizing world. We won’t be able to work efficient if we don’t do it together. Not only in the economical matters, but also in the cultural.

Therefore we decided to put life in this project so that those who come across it will say: “We found people close to us scattered all over the Europe”. We are deeply convinced that sharing the myths and legends to other countries will realize us how close we are to each other. Close – because asking the same questions and finding the same answers. Answers based on the same value systems.

Then we will feel, that Europe is not only a bureaucracy Babel Tower, but also a common space for all its citizens.

Heroes of the ancient Europe, go out form the books and parchments and walk proudly through the streets of Europe to bring back its forgotten heritage.

COORGANIZATORS:

• GROTESKA PUPPET, MASK AND ACTOR THEATRE GROTESKA, CRACOW, POLAND
• ST. PATRICK FESTIWAL, DUBLIN, IRELAND
• DIVADLO MASKARON, PRAGA, CZECH REPUBLIC

PARTNERS:

• GROTESKA PUPPET, MASK AND ACTOR THEATRE GROTESKA, CRACOW, POLAND
• HEART OF THE DRAGON, NEWCASTLE EMLYN, WALES
• PUPPET THEATER ARLEKIN, ŁÓDŹ, POLAND

It is estimated that the project will range over 600 thousand people in 6 countries and through internet transmission even more.

The final actions of the whole project will be three outdoor event, street parades and spectacles of water presenting the European legends (the effect of cooperation of Polish, Irish, and Czech artists).

The Project actions:
16,17 November 2006 - First organization meeting in Cracow
7 December 2006 - second organization meeting in Cracow
12,13 December 2006 - Workshops in Ireland
13,14 January 2007 - Workshops in Portugal
25, 26 January 2007 - Workshops in Wales
27,28 February 2007 - Workshops in Łódź
17, 18 March 2007 - Skyfest in Dublin
2,3 June 2007 - Dragon’s Parade in Cracow
1 August 2007 - Show in Prague

Moreover:

1. Workshops concerning European myths and legends in Portugal, Wales, Ireland, Czech Republic and Poland (Cracow, Łódź)
   • for the young artists (kids and teenagers)
   • for teachers
   • for young artists
2. exhibition of children works in one of the countries candidate for the EU
3. direct internet transmission from the shows on sites paradasmokow.pl, dragonsparade.eu;

Main objectives:

1. Facilitating access to wider cultural participation for people in Europe, across social, regional and cultural sectors, involving young people from disadvantaged and minority communities. Conserving, sharing, and safeguarding the common cultural heritage of Europe, through the myths and legends. The myths of a country relay the identity, the values and aspirations of a community. This project therefore provides contemporary cultures with a rich, diverse and interesting meeting point.
2. Highlighting cultural diversity and multilingualism, promoting mutual awareness of common cultural values of the European heritage.
3. To create an exciting, distinctly European artistic programme of events, in participating countries. Transnational cooperation will enable partners to exchange distinct artistic skills and expertise, resulting in new artistic imagery based on Celtic, Slavic, Polish and other European mythology. This project enables us to creatively articulate the diversity of cultures and identities across Europe.

This will be achieved through spectacles on water, street parades and performances based on myths and legends which will attract many spectators. The workshops will bring closer an idea of Europe and unite people in their mythical history, all the time acknowledging and celebrating cultural differences.

The workshops led by teachers passing on information on legends and myths of Europe to children, thus spreading the idea of understanding a shared European culture. Presenting an exhibition of children’s drawing in non EU countries and a live broadcast of the parade (Cracow) brings this work to a large audience.

Cooperation between socio- cultural leaders working in the field of social integration (especially with young people) will take place as part of this project.

This will be achieved by artists, community leaders and socio-cultural facilitators working together on myths and legends. The workshops are designed to achieve social integration for participants from culturally diverse environments.

Fostering an intercultural dialogue and mutual exchange between European and other cultures, by encouraging cooperation on subjects of common interest between cultural institutions and/or other operators in the Member States and those in applicant countries.

These objectives will be achieved by participation in organizers’ meetings, an exhibition of children’s drawings in non-EU countries.

Disseminating the digital documentation of the live ‘on street’ performances and all the cultural events using new technologies.

This will be achieved by recording performances in Cracow and Dublin and broadcasting them live on the Internet.

Creation of multimedia products in various formats, making European artistic street performances and heritage more visible and more accessible to a range of audiences.

This will be achieved by creating a documentary with new media technology - Korsakov Tool. This enables viewers to watch an individual interpretation of the events.

Informations:
Olga Lany, tel. 012 633 48 22 int. 235 and 239;
e-mail: olga.lany@groteska.pl

Contact for sponsors, partner and patrons:
Agnieszka Więckowska [Public Relations ]
tel: 012 623 79 49; fax: 012 633 99 65; tel. cell. 501 675 022
e-mail: pr@groteska.pl; groteska.pl