Similar Zespół Pieśni i Tańca Un, Zespół Pieśni i Tańca Po, Toruńska Orkiestra Symfoniczna, Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble | ||
Folk Song and Dance Ensemble "Young Toruń" (Zespół Pieśni i Tańca "Młody Toruń" in their native Polish) is a group that performs Polish folk music and dancing.
History
The group dates back to 1964, when, on the first of April, the Mechanical-Electrical Secondary School in Toruń established its centre for extracurricular activity. One of the activities was an artistic group, and the educator and activist Benedykt Leszczyński was entrusted with its management.
The first section of the group, a brass band, was started no later than April 1964. It was followed by a women's choir, dance groups, stage orchestra with a folk group, and a reciting group.
The individual sections of Young Toruń continued to be active through the years. The changes in the repertoire came mostly as a result of the personnel changes in the group. The outstanding brass band, whose best years were with Mr. Ignacy Kramski as a conductor, broke up after its master's demise. Its manager Ms. Sabina Leszczyńska, made every effort to restore the band, but it ceased to exist in 1983 because of the lack of an instructor. The stage orchestra is no longer active, either. The women's choir has evolved from a group of 60 female singers, through a mixed choir, to finally take the form of a vocal group made up of 15 women. The reciting section stopped functioning as its instructor retired.
The name took shape after the inaugural concert. It was then that the editor of the newspaper Ilustrowany Kurier Polski, Mr. Krzysztof Pawłowski suggested the name "Młody Toruń" (Young Toruń): "Let's name them Young Toruń, since it is precisely what they represent: youth, joy, and beauty but also hard work and persistence..."
Dance, vocal and music classes are attended by more than 100 people, whose age ranges form 6 to over 20. The repertoire of the group consists of dances, songs and traditional games form various regions of the country, Polish national dances and ceremonies.
Young Toruń has earned both national and international artistic recognition. The group has been awarded awards in national and regional competitions and festivals on numerous occasions. Young Toruń actively participates in the artistic life of Toruń, the region and the country. It has been awarded the honours of "Zasłużony dla Województwa Toruńskiego", "Zasłużony dla Miasta Torunia" and the prestigious medal "Honorowy Medal Thorunium".