Watch countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński combine breakdancing with opera in this stunning video
31 July 2019, 08:47 | Updated: 17 September 2019, 12:51
Inner Voice - Jakub Józef Orliński (direction: Andiamo)
The 28-year-old’s ‘Inner Voice’ video is a beautiful demonstration of how music and fitness can be combined.
Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński has released a documentary-style video called ‘Inner Voice’ all about how he pairs breakdancing with a career in opera – and it’s a stunning watch.
The 28 year old, whose performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Vedrò con mio diletto’ (from the opera Il Giustino) went viral in 2017, teamed up with filmmakers Adiamo to produce the seven-and-a-half-minute video earlier this month. Watch it above.
We watch in awe as the young countertenor busts out some brilliant breakdancing moves one minute, and expertly reels off a beautiful Baroque countertenor aria the next.
“Breakdance allowed me to understand how my body works,” Orliński says in the opening of the video. “It taught me discipline and helped me to find the balance.”
People don’t often think of singing as physical, which Orliński says is “misguided” given how involved the whole body is with producing sound.
“I kept analysing myself and my body, finding similarities and feelings that can actually bring something useful from one art form to the other.”
Orliński is an incredible singer, and his passion for music is palpable in the short film. We love witnessing his passion for preparing for roles while breakdancing backstage.
“I always try and find the role I play in me,” he explains in the video. “Analyse and put it through myself. Love the story of the character.”
It’s all atmosphere later in the video, when Orliński describes what it really feels like to sing in front of an audience.
“Sometimes you feel like you are meditating. Sometimes you feel like you are hypnotised,” he says. “You feel anxiety, fear or happiness.
“Music evokes so much emotion in people and nobody can explain why.”
Vivaldi : il Giustino, "Vedro con mio diletto" par Jakub Józef Orliński (contre-ténor)
That’s the music – but what about the breakdancing?
You have to watch to the end to of the film to catch the very best of that. There’s nothing like washing off your stage makeup, and refreshing yourself with a few handstands and spins (you heard it here first).
“Although many said that I should stop dancing because it is not the best thing to do for an opera singer, I never listened,” Orliński says towards the end of the film.
“As soon as my body is fully awake, I know my voice will cooperate with me in a much better way.”
Visit jakubjozeforlinski.com to find out more.
