Interview with Team Surex

Wojciech, Jaroslaw, Jan, Sebastian and Pawel

Wojciech, Jaroslaw, Jan, Sebastian and Pawel

I met with Wojciech Taniewski, Pavel Krasowski, Sebastian Cwajna, Jan Wapsinski and Jaroslaw Suzdalewicz -designer of the show and son of the founders of Surex Family Fireworks, representing Poland for the first time in Montreal. Indeed, the name Surex comes from part of Jarslaw’s family name, together with letters from other family members.

The company was founded in 1989 and began selling fireworks and then entered the display business in 1993. The company began entering international competitions in 2007, winning the 1st prize from the Jury of the Leipzig competition that year. Since then, they have won several competitions including the public prize at Cannes last year which allows them to enter the Gold Vestale competition to be held in Cannes this coming August. Surex are also competing in Korea as well as the Pyromagic competition they’re organizing in Szczeciński later this year.

They told me they feel very honored to be representing Poland for the first time and, indeed, feel a lot of pressure to do well. Since the competition is like the Olympics, they’re aiming for gold. They are using products from Pirico of Italy, six Chinese companies that manufacture for Surex, Privatex Pyro of Slovakia as well as a Polish company called Basile – that’s actually Italian but manufacture in Poland. Jaroslaw told me it will be their biggest ever display and they will be using the Firemaster firing system from Parente with a total of 41 modules and 881 cues.

For the conception of the display, Jaroslaw and Sebastian worked together on the music and choreography, but they told me that all of their family members (pretty much all the team members are related in one way or another) had their input. The theme of the display is “Believe” and they told me that they wanted the audience to feel and emotional connection to the fireworks and believe in the magic of fire. The soundtrack is composed of thrirteen parts, starting with a prelude by Chopin, that great Polish composer who is celebrating his 200th anniversary this year. From that the music moves through atmospheric pieces from SeaWorld and then through Canadian artists such as Bryan Adams, Garou and Celine Dion – all of whom are very popular in Poland. After that, the pace of the display will increase with epic pieces from various films.

The team told me they would not be using ramp 5 but would have some surprises on ramp 4 as well as plenty of nautical effects – both from shells and candles fired over the lake. When asked how similar their Montreal display would be compared to Cannes, the team told me that all of their displays are unique. Let’s hope the weather is kind to the Polish debutantes.

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