The play follows the life of one woman from her birth in 1973 to her anniversary in 2013. These four decades reflect a time of doubts, hopes, struggles, choices and unforeseen events, driven by heroic virtues - the lust for life and the will to survive. In wandering through a chaotic Europe, the show's heroine manages to find a compromise between her own ambitions and forced circumstances. The many layers of the performance portray not only the individual search of a specific person, but also become synonymous with a certain journey of the country and the Dance Theater company. Poland has undergone radical changes in the past 40 years, what are its prospects? The 40th anniversary of the Polish Dance Theater prompts the same questions. As a work of art, the show does not delve into facts and silhouettes. A fictional point of view, even from an outsider's perspective, might as well provide the distance necessary to communicate on a common level. After all, even the truth is never quite the truth, it's all a matter of details that one wants to emphasize, ignore or exaggerate.

Jo Strømgren, was born in 1970 in Trondheim, Norway, where he studied classical ballet and worked for several years as a contemporary dancer before an injury forced him to seek a more multidisciplinary creative career. As an independent choreographer, he is often engaged by ballet companies, among them: Wiener Staatsopernballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Staatsoper Nürnberg Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet, Ballet de l'Opera National du Rhin, Royal Swedish Ballet and others. He is currently affiliated with the National Ballet of Norway. Jo has created many contemporary dance productions for companies such as Cedar Lake Dance Company, Danish Dance Theatre, Carte Blanche Dance Company, Cloud Gate Ensemble, Scottish Dance Theatre, Helsinki Dance Company, Repertory Dance Theatre Utah, Iceland Dance Company, Bern Ballet, Staatsheater am Gärtnerplatz München and Staatstheater Braunschweig. As a theater director, he has a special love for Henrik Ibsen's dramas and mainly works in Scandinavian theaters: The vNorwegian National Theatre, The Royal Danish Theatre, Reykjavik City Theatre, The National Theatre of Bergen, Malmö City Theatre. On the international stage, he has worked with Philadelphia Live Arts and the Pushkin Theater in Moscow, among others. As a playwright, he has created about 15 plays, staged on the stages of many theaters. He is also involved in film directing. His first feature film, "Destination Moskow," was made in 2003. Meanwhile, his dance film "The Neighbor" won the prestigious Rose d'Or in Lausanne in 2010. Jo Strømgren's international activity is enormous - in 2013, 20 different productions of his were performed around the world.

The play Forty was created as part of the project: "Signs of the Times - Overcoming Borders. Artistic and educational activities in Poland, Norway and Iceland", within the framework of the program "Promoting cultural and artistic diversity within the European cultural heritage" (EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014). Supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and from the state budget.

Reviews:

Piotr Dobrowolski, Ineffable - about the jubilee premieres of the Polish Dance Theater
taniecPOLSKA.pl, August 2, 2019

Monika Blaszczak, 45 years in 45 minutes
International Dance Theater Meetings, November 10 - 21, 2021