In Lelenfant, stories are not told. They wander.
They come from all over the world – from myths, rituals, whispered tales and family songs. They flow to the rhythm of drums, in dances passed down from generation to generation, in the harmony of singing and in the sound of traditional instruments.
What do “wandering stories” mean to this year’s Lelenfant groups?
In Arabic, they take the form قصص متنقّلة – “wandering stories” – suggesting not only physical movement but also the migration of emotions, memories, meanings. For Palestinians, it is a memory of hiking through hills and plains, singing together and sharing stories under trees on Friday afternoons.
For Italians, it will be “Storie in cammino” – stories that are on the move, change.
For the Hungarians – “Barangoló történetek”, stories born of curiosity and freedom, without a plan, without a goal, beyond the experience itself. Wandering and traveling do not mean only geographical movement for them. It is also loneliness and community, discovering the world and oneself, a spiritual and emotional dialogue with the landscape and another person. It is resistance to forgetting and a search for belonging.
Stories also travel through dance. The Polish project “Bailarines de Kowale” shows how the meeting of girls from frosty Poland with a dancer from Ecuador becomes the beginning of a story about the body, rhythm, growing up and crossing language barriers. Dance becomes a language of understanding, choreography – a map of an emotional journey. The girls start their show by freezing – literally – in order to rise up with hot rhythms and set off into a dance story about community.
Each group of young artists will bring their own fragment of a story, which will be intertwined into one common story during the artistic workshops.
This year in Wrocław we will see:
Suso Kunda – Gambia
Young artists from the Suso Kunda family continue the extraordinary tradition of griots – West African storytellers, poets and musicians who passed on wisdom from generation to generation. Their performance is rhythm, dance, song and energy! Griot is a “living library” – they know stories, legends and songs from many generations ago. The Suso Kunda group combines traditional sounds of native African instruments, including balafons, with modern energy, creating a show full of rhythm and emotion.
Akagera Good Neighbors – Rwanda
This is a children’s artistic group from eastern Rwanda. The band members come from nearby villages and, thanks to the support of the Good Neighbors organization, they learn dance, music and teamwork. Their performance is an explosion of positive energy, colors and movement, based on Rwandan rhythms and traditions. They show that shared art can bring joy and help others.
Red Eagle Soaring – USA
This is an extraordinary group of young Native Americans from Seattle, who have been learning singing, theater and dance since childhood, inspired by the traditions of their ancestral tribes. Thanks to the Red Eagle Soaring organization, they learn indigenous languages, legends, stories and rituals that have been passed down from generation to generation. Their performance is an encounter with the living history of the first peoples of America – their spirituality, art, and sense of community and connection with nature.
Popular Art Center – Palestine
Youth from Palestine, who passionately present the Dabkeh dance – a traditional, rhythmic group dance, which is performed with joy, but also with the strength of identity. Popular Art Center (PAC) is one of the most important cultural organizations in Palestine, which for years has been supporting children and youth in developing talents and building bonds through culture.
Humani ljudi Bečeja – Serbia
This is a young artistic and social group from the city of Bečej in the Serbian Vojvodina, originating from the Hungarian national minority living in this region. Cultivating the heritage of their ancestors, they present traditional Hungarian dances and music, passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, they focus on the integration of children with different needs, proving that joint creativity, rhythm and dance can unite beyond all barriers.
Lelenfant Teens, Bailarines de Kowale, Jaskółki
Three unique groups from Wrocław – each brings something different: Bailarines de Kowale – pulsating Latin rhythms, Lelenfant Teens – singing inspired by Georgian songs, among others, and Jaskółki – acrobatics and the energy of cheerleaders. It is thanks to them that the final show will gain dynamics, color and youthful strength.
Italy
A rock band with a violin edge, whose passion and expression will give the stories rhythm, power and a unique character. It is thanks to them, among other things, that “Wandering Tales” will pulsate with youthful strength and emotion.
“Wandering Tales” is a meeting of cultures, emotions and experiences, in which children learn from each other – not only through words, but above all through movement, rhythm, laughter and emotion. These are stories intertwined with differences and similarities, with longings and hopes – and above all with the need to be together.
Poster graphic composition: Sylwia Tracz
Co-financed by the Municipality of Wrocław. The event is organized by the Przyjaźń Sztuka Edukacja Foundation.