Pol Art

History

Pol-Art is a celebration of Polish cultural heritage in Australia and New Zealand. Pol-Art festivals have now become a traditional feature of the Polish-Australian cultural life, and were made possible by the Federation of Polish Women in Australia and New Zealand undertaking the massive task of organising the first festival of Polish culture, originally called Art-Pol, in Sydney in 1975. Over 200 young performers participated in the Gala Concert at the Sydney Opera House. It was so successful that a second festival was organized. Renamed Pol-Art, it was held in Adelaide in 1981 and thus started the trend for the festival to be held every three years each time in a different capital city in Australia.

The sequence of Pol-Art festivals was:

1st 1975 Sydney
2nd 1981 Adelaide
3rd 1984 Melbourne
4th 1988 Brisbane
5th 1991 Sydney
6th 1994 Adelaide
7th 1997 Melbourne
8th 2000 Brisbane
9th 2003 Sydney
10th 2006 Hobart
11th 2009 Adelaide
12th 2012 Perth
13th 2015 Melbourne (upcoming)

Kujawy – Sydney

The ensemble Kujawy take their name from a region in Poland known as Kujawy. Its three main cities are Bydgoszcz, Torun and Włocławek.

The dance ensemble was formed 34 years ago. The idea of the dance ensemble was formed by a group of Polish women in Cabramatta, who thought that it would be a wonderful way for the youth of Polish families to get together and learn the traditions of Poland. Many of the youth that belong to the ensemble today are of 3rd generation. Not many speak Polish fluently, but they all have that little spark that has been placed there by their parents. Currently there are 65 members in the ensemble ranging from 4 years of age onwards.

The ensemble has developed a highly varied and acclaimed repertoire, thanks to the artistic direction of teachers and choreographers Marek and Wieslawa Wojnicz (former members of the Polish State Dance Ensemble 'Slask'). When the dance ensemble performs the very beautiful Suita Slaska the viewer is mesmerized and taken back to the Slask (Silesian) area of southern Poland. The costumes are very rich and in all there are three main costumes that the ensemble performs in Cieszynski, Gorniczy and Rozbarski. The ensemble also has many other beautiful dances from many other regions of Poland. Some of these will be seen tonight. Some of these are Goralski, Krakowiak, Kujawiak/Oberek, Polonez, Sieradz, Opolske and many more.

Kujawy have performed at all POLART festivals since inception. In 1987 they represented Australia in the World Festival of Dances in Spain and Majorca. In 1991 and 2001 some of the members went to Poland to perform at the 11th and then 12th International Folkloric Festival held in Rzeszow, Poland.

Over Christmas 2005 the ensemble went for a holiday to New Zealand for 13 days. While in Wellington they gave a 2 ½ hour concert at the 'Te Wha Nee theatre. This was a great success and the concert was a sell out. The ensemble received excellent reviews in the Dominion Post – Wellington.

Over Christmas 2006, Kujawy attended the POLART Festival held in Hobart Tasmania with great success. Their performance has been written up on the Polish internet site Swiat Polonii.

The group travelled to Poland in July 2008 to perform at the 14th International Folkloric Festival held in Rzeszow, Poland. Not only did the group perform in Rzeszow but also performed in Slupsk, Ustka and Wloclawek Poland.

In 2009 the group has performed at many concerts including Eurofest at Frenches Forrest and will be performing at the Oktoberfest and Polish Christmas at Darling Harbour in December before their departure to the POLART 2009 festival held in Adelaide.

They participated in the last PolArt in Perth. The group is supported by a very strong and dedicated committee.

All costumes are funded by functions that the ensemble puts on during the year, and the ensemble is always on the lookout for sponsors to help them.

Kukułeczka – Perth

The Polish folkloric dance group Kukuleczka was founded 20 years ago as a children's dance group at the Polish Ethnic School in Maylands. Its vision was to encourage Polish youth to stay connected to the traditions of their parents and ancestors and to promote Polish culture to the broader Perth community. Today, while the group proudly continues this vision, it has outgrown its original format and has become an ensemble that measures up to the best amateur folkloric dance groups. It has been invited to perform at international and local intercultural events, and since 1994 it has participated in PolArt festivals, triennial events celebrating Polish culture and art in Australia and New Zealand. To commemorate its 20th birthday in style, Kukuleczka put on The Folkloric Christmas Concert 2011 on Sunday, 11 December 2011. The event involved about 40 dancers and vocalists and attracted close to 300 spectators who filled the Cracovia Club's ball room to capacity. The three-hour spectacle, featuring a blend of 13 traditional Polish folk dances from various regions of Poland and Christmas carols left the audience no dull moment. The performance of children dancers received a particularly warm applause. The performers presented their skills on the stage against the background of folkloric motifs, which were complemented by images of regional Polish landscapes presented on a large stage-side projector screen, corresponding to the different dances and songs.

Lajkonik – Sydney

“Lajkonik" Polish Song and Dance Ensemble is a community group, now based in Marayong in the Blacktown area, since 2014. Lajkonik was established in 1990 by Artistic Director Urszula Lang and a group of dedicated parents and performers. Urszula Lang is proudly still the Artistic Director of the Ensemble, which has performed throughout Australia, and in Poland five times.

Lajkonik has been involved in every PolArt Festival since 1991, and is a regular attendee of the Triennial International Rzeszow Festival in Poland Since 1996. Lajkonik performs not only within the Polish Community, but also strives to promote the beautiful and rich Polish culture and traditions to the non-Polish community through its folkloric performances, with in excess of 30 performances and events annually at a range of multicultural, religious and dance-based events and festivals. Lajkonik is regularly booked for weddings and special events, and has gained quite a reputation for the special atmosphere which its performances contribute to such occasions through the energy, joy and colour of its performances.

Lajkonik youth are physically active, healthy, social and passionate about Polish culture, and their Polish dancing.

Lajkonik is the only Ensemble in history which has performed Polish Folk Dances on the summit of Mt Kosciuszko.

Łowicz – Melbourne

“Polish Vocal-Dance Ensemble Łowicz in Melbourne" more commonly known as "Łowicz", was established in 1980 by Mrs Krystyna Straszynski. The groups major aim is to promote Polish folklore and traditions among the youth within the Polish community of Melbourne through dance, song and music.

The role of Artistic Director was passed to Mr Miroslaw Kusmider in 2005, himself a former dancer and soloist of an Official Vocal-Dance Folklore Ensemble "Anilana" in Lodz Poland. This transition period saw Lowicz change again, rejuvenate and transform into a vibrant, enthusiastic group of Polish youth. Mr. Mirosław Kuśmider resigned from the group in 2013, and assistant choreographer Teresa Ceberek ascended into the role of Artistic Director, to fulfill the vision set forwth by Mrs. Krystyna Straszynski and Mr. Mirosław Kuśmider. The ensemble regularly meet to practice their skills, to share their culture and ultimately bring pleasure to the Polish and Australian communities through their performances.

The ensemble has participated in every Pol-Art since 1988. Under the direction of Mr Kusmider, the ensemble has already presented a brand new program at the 2006 Pol-Art Festival in Tasmania and again more recently at the 2009 Pol-Art Festival in Adelaide. The ensemble is already eagerly anticipating the upcoming 2012 Pol-Art Festival in Perth.

Lublin – Wellington

Lublin Dance Company has represented the Polish Community in Wellington for 30 years. It was founded in August 1981 with the arrival of choreographer, Jacek Śliwiński. Along with his wife Ania, they started Lublin, attracting primarily young people of Polish origin to the group, by offering them a way of expressing their cultural heritage through the language, song and dance of Poland.

Lublin gave their first performance on 14 November 1981. Since then, Lublin has given over 400 performances at numerous events throughout New Zealand, including multi-cultural concerts, festivals, and dance extravaganzas. Lublin has also performed in Australia, at the Polish Art Festivals in Melbourne in 1984 (with additional concerts in Sydney and Canberra), Brisbane in 1988, Sydney in 2003, Hobart in 2006 and Adelaide in 2009.

Since 2000, Lublin's Manager and Instructor has been Leszek Lendnal, a member of the group since its inception.

Oberek – Hobart

Oberek Dance Ensemble is based in Hobart, Tasmania. It is the oldest running Polish Dance Ensemble in Australia. Oberek has participated in every Pol-Art since 1975 to this present day. At the time of the 2006 Pol-Art there were some 50 members, in the Juniors, Intermediates, Seniors and Super Senior groups.

"Obertas" – Brisbane

Formed in early 1982, the company has given hundreds of concert performances in Brisbane and southeast Queensland as well as in other capital cities around Australia, participating in nine Pol-Art Festivals, two Shell National Folkloric Festivals and World Expo 88.

Under the artistic direction of its founder and choreographer, Henryk Michael Kurylewski, "OBERTAS" teaches its members the basics of classical dance as the foundation for a vast repertoire of songs and dances from a diverse range of Polish regions.

Orlęta – Wellington

Orlęta is an ensemble of young performers mainly, though not exclusively, of Polish descent. The group was formed by the Lower Hutt Polish School, Wellington in 1994 and sits under the auspices of the Polish Association of New Zealand. The purpose of the dance ensemble is to promote a sense of identity among young Polish New Zealanders with their Polish heritage through awareness of the Polish language, customs and tradition and offer the greater Wellington community a chance to experience Polish folkloric song and dance. Orlęta have two choreographers for the three groups – Adela Jones for Lower Hutt, and Juliet Rombel for Wellington and Preschool Orlęta.

Podhale – Sydney

“Podhale" Polish Folklore Ensemble is a family orientated community group based in Cabramatta, South Western Sydney, under the patronage of the Cabramatta Polish Association. Our mission is to promote Polish culture and heritage.

Established in January 2009 by a group of highly enthusiastic and dedicated dancers and parents, the Podhale Family continues to grow and evolve with a current membership of over 38 members, the youngest dancer being just 3 years old! Many of Podhale's senior members are highly experienced dancers and have over 20 years dancing experience.

Podhale's repertoire is based on authentic polish folklore, consisting of original choreographies from a cross section of Polish ethnographic regions and showcasing traditional costumes and vibrant vernacular music.

Daniel Gadd has over 30 years experience as a performer and over 10 years experience as a dance teacher. Daniel has participated in numerous polish folk dance workshops in Poland and Australia and successfully lead 2 contingents to the International Folk Festival in Rzeszow, Poland in 2002 and 2008. Daniel holds a Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management. Basia Gadd holds a Diploma in Polish Folk Dance Instruction and Choreography from Rzeszow, Poland and a Diploma in Events Management. Basia's choreographies have been performed at various events, including Sydney Polart in 2003, Hobart Polart in 2006, Adelaide Polart in 2009, the opening of the International Polish Folk Festival in Rzeszow, Poland in 2011 and Perth Polart in 2012. Basia has over 20 years experience in the performing arts.

Syrenka – Sydney

Polish Folkloric Ensemble Syrenka is based in Sydney. It was formed in 1968 and officially established in 1971. Syrenka has participated in every Pol-Art since 1975. The aim of the ensemble is to promote Polish culture in Australia to the Australian and Polish communities through traditional song and dance in authentic regional costumes. The group's style is energetic and fun, fusing dance, song and some dramatic characterisation. Dances that reflect settings and scenarios typical of their origins are choreographed by the Artistic Director (Iwona Kower) to music composed by the Music Director (Jerzy Scislowski). The ensemble consists of three groups, Junior, Intermediate and Senior and comprises over 80 dancers.