The album "Natural Histories" tells the story of man's organic relationship with nature. Portraying animals and humans, it asks questions about disappearing biodiversity, the role of the human species in the metamorphoses of nature in the Anthropocene era, and the identity of man, stretched between the poles of nature and culture. It shows - and describes in 5 popular scientific texts in Polish and English - the motility of animals and humans, movement as a natural tool for communication, and above all, how many primitive behaviors, rooted in anatomy and biology, are shared by animals and humans.

The author of the pictures is Andrzej Grabowski, theater photographer, set designer and portraitist. The graphic and editorial layout was created by Ryszard Bienert, graphic designer, author of visual identities, books, art and photo albums, winner of the main prize in the Polish Graphic Design Awards competition in the publishing category for the monograph "Polish Dance Theater 1973 - 2108", honored as Designer of the Year 2018. Articles for the publication were prepared by Dariusz Gzyra, philosopher, publicist and social activist, Anna Koczorowska, theater scholar, philosopher Prof. Jan Wolenski together with Magdalena Wolenski, Dr. Ewa Zgrabczynska, director of the New Zoo in Poznan, and Prof. Joanna Ziomek, zoologist.

Major awards:

Gold Medal in the "artistic catalogs" category in the European Design Awards 2021 (for 2020)

4 honorable mentions in the 61st Most Beautiful Books of the Year 2020 competition, organized by the Polish Society of Book Publishers.
-For the publisher of the Polish Dance Theater
-For Ryszard Bienert for graphic design, typesetting and preparation of photos for printing
-For Andrzej Grabowski for photographs
-For Drukmania: Natalia Luczak and Krystian Luczak in Daszewice for printing the book

Bronze Medal in the competition Best Book Design from all over the World 2022, organizer: Stiftung Buchkunst

Thanks to its participation in the competition, the Polish Dance Theater's publication is part of the exposition of the German Museum of Books and Writing in Leipzig, the Weltformat Graphic Design Festival in Lucerne, the Museum Of Design And Applied Art in Garðabær, Iceland, and the Printing Museum in Tokyo.

"Toporul" is the title of a choreographic film project directed by Iwona Pasinska, produced by the Polish Dance Theater in 2019. It is also the title of a photo album, published by the Polish Dance Theater, consisting of photos taken on the set of the film.

The release shows the dancers of the Polish Dance Theater blending into the landscape of the Jizera Mountains and the harsh scenery of the "Stanislaw" Quartz Mine.

The author of the concept is Iwona Pasinska, the graphic design is by Ryszard Bienert, Designer of the Year 2018 in the Polish Graphic Design Awards competition. Photographs were taken by Andrzej Grabowski, theater photographer, stage designer and portraitist.

The publication received an honorable mention in the 60th edition of the nationwide competition Most Beautiful Books of the Year 2019.

The publication breaks with the traditional formula of an occasional publication, offering an extensive perspective on the perception of dance, going beyond the contemporary discourses touching this phenomenon. This is due to the authors of the texts, distinguished specialists who come from various artistic and research areas, from the humanities to the sciences. These include Prof. Dobrochna Ratajczakowa (theater studies), Prof. Honorata Jakubowska (sociology), Prof. Dorota Piontek (political science), Prof. Agnieszka Jelewska (media art), Prof. Roman Kubicki (philosophy), Prof. Janusz Bałdyga (performance), Prof. Włodzisław Duch (physicist) and Prof. Zbigniew Kozub (composer). The use of various theoretical and interpretative tools has resulted in extremely different, often surprising approaches to the issue of dance, which can serve as a reference point for subsequent researchers. In addition, the bilingual volume (prepared in Polish and English), gained a unique editorial value - the whole publication took the form of a kinetic sculpture, referring in a symbolic way to the efforts of the Polish Dance Theater for its own space - "home for dance". Its graphic design is of equal value to the textual content. The graphic and kinetic design of the volume was also undertaken by Ryszard Bienert, graphic designer, winner of the European Design Awards in 2008 and 2010, who incorporated photographic material by Andrzej Grabowski, theater photographer, stage designer and portraitist, whose artistic photographs refer to the visual layer of the Polish Dance Theater's archival performances - scenography, costumes or props. The publication is supplemented by a list of premieres of the Polish Dance Theater and thanks to the Artists who have co-created its repertoire over the past 45 years.

The publication has been distributed to the National Library in Warsaw and the Jagiellonian Library in Krakow, as well as 13 university libraries throughout Poland, as well as the Raczynski Library and the Library of the Józef Tomasz Pokrzywniak Faculty of Polish and Classical Philology in Poznan, and the Ossoliński National Institute in Wroclaw. It also accompanies the Polish Dance Theater on its artistic journeys, contributing to the book collections of Polish institutions or the archives of our foreign partners, such as the International Theatre Forum TEART in Minsk and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF).

The publication received funding from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for the Promotion of Culture and the Government of the Wielkopolska Region.

On the one hand are photos of plants, on the other - photos of dancers. This is not just a story about dance and movement, but also an attempt to interpret the human-plant relationship. The ascetic form of the interior and the unconventional velour cover in deep green, similar to the color they say twice green in the Rava countryside.

Photographs: Andrzej Grabowski

Pictures: dancers-artists of the Polish Dance Theater

Graphic design: Piotr Zdanowicz

Graphics, photos, and quotes refer to the idioms of the repertory at the Polish Dance Theater - the Year of the Guślars, Gods, Exorcists and Mockers. The pages left blank stimulate creativity - they can be used to write down - or draw - thoughts, inspirations and ideas.

Graphic design and texts: Piotr Zdanowicz

A must-have item on the shelf of every bibliophile and art book collector.

Available individually or in a set that can be freely composed.

Black and white stills from the film set are juxtaposed here with travesties of traditional rhymes - Polish, Jewish, German. Rhymes - before they found their way into the language of children's games - were used in primitive societies to draw lots for sacrifices; sometimes of animals, sometimes of people. "The Beast" in print tells the same story as the film - with details that the film does not reveal.

Photographs: Andrzej Grabowski

In photos: dancers-artists of the Polish Dance Theater

Graphic design: Piotr Zdanowicz

Author of lyrics: Radek Wysocki

The dancers of the Polish Dance Theater in the scenery of Muskauer Park. The magazine features only photos taken at dusk and at night. They are accompanied by quotes from Tamara Lempicka, whose work inspired this project.

Photographs: Andrzej Grabowski

In the photos: dancers-artists of the Polish Dance Theater

Graphic design: Piotr Zdanowicz

Texts and selection of quotes: Alicja Hafke