Romana Agnel

🪔 About

Romana Agnel is a distinguished Polish dancer, choreographer, dance pedagogue, and art historian, born on May 22, 1965, in Kraków, Poland. Her extensive training began with a diploma from the Social Ballet School in Kraków in 1986, where she studied under Professor M. Mirocka. She furthered her academic pursuits by completing a master's degree in art history at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1992, where she also specialized in characteristic and historical dances. Agnel is widely recognized as the founder, executive, and artistic director of Cracovia Danza, Poland's sole professional Court Ballet. She established the company in 1997, initially under the name "Ardente Sole," and it became a Municipal Institution of Culture in Kraków in 2006. Through Cracovia Danza, she has been instrumental in the reconstruction and popularization of historical dance techniques, and she is the visionary behind the annual International Court Dance Festival "Cracovia Danza," which has been held in Kraków since 2000. Beyond her significant contributions to European historical dance, Romana Agnel is also a dedicated practitioner of Indian classical dance, specifically Bharatanatyam. She undertook her Bharatanatyam training in Madras (now Chennai) under the tutelage of the esteemed guru Smt. M.K. Saroja. Agnel actively promotes classical Indian dance both within Poland and internationally, serving as an ambassador for Polish and European dance in India. Her career includes creating choreographies for numerous opera and ballet productions staged in Poland and abroad, collaborating with prominent musicians and directors. She regularly teaches historical dance at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, a role she has held since 1997, and conducts various specialized courses and lectures. Agnel is also a published author, with several works on the subject of dance history. Awards & Honours: II Nagroda (Second Prize) at "La scéne Française" competition (1992), Nagroda im. Zofii Rayzacher (Zofia Rayzacher Award) (1999), Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej (Merit for Polish Culture) (2009), Medal Komisji Edukacji Narodowej (Medal of the National Education Commission) (2010), Honoris Gratia (2010), Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi (Silver Cross of Merit) (2014), Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) (2014), Brązowy Medal „Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis” (Bronze Cross of Merit Gloria Artis) (2016), Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski (Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta).