2. Poland is a nation rich in culture, and musical tradition.
In fact, Poland has five National Dances. There are few countries in the world
that have even one national dance. Other than Poland, it is only Columbia that
has more than one national dance.
3. Contrary to appearances, the Polka (directly
translating into English - Polish woman) is not a
national dance of Poland.
Poland’s national dances are:
the Krakowiak (Cracovienne),
the Mazur (Mazurka),
the Polonez (Polonaise),
the Kujawiak,
and the Oberek.
These dances, which originated in the Polish
countryside, were so popular that they found their way
to the royal court, and were even included into
classical works by composers like Chopin.
5. The Krakowiak dance's origin dates back to 16th or 17th century and its name to
the 18th century to the southern Polish city of Kraków (Poland’s capital in the 16th
century) and the Malopolska region. Its English common name is Cracovienne
(taken from French language).
Krakowiak's rhythm was the musical base of several compositions of many
famous Polish composers, e.g. F. Chopin's Krakowiak op. 14 for the piano and
the orchestra (1828), I.J. Paderewski Fantastic Krakowiak, K. Szymanowski
Krakowiak for the piano and many others.
6. The costume of Kraków is the one
that is most identified with Poland.
Maybe because it is, perhaps, the
most decorative of all Polish folk-
costumes.
Clothes used in Krakowiak:
Men - striped trousers, long coats of
dark colors, belts with metal
elements and characteristic caps
called 'rogatki' with the peacock's
feathers.
Women - long skirts with flowers
ornament, white aprons, boleros with
color ornaments, wreath of flowers,
usually with color ribbons.
7. Known as the Polish national dance, the Krakowiak's metre is counted on 2/4 with
characteristic, syncopated rhythm, and is danced in groups, often forming intricate
formations, like stars. The steps include shuffling, running, and heel clicking.
9. The Mazur’s origin takes place in the
16th century in Kujawy and its name
- in Mazovia (Mazowsze) - the region
of central Poland around Warsaw,
whose inhabitants were called
Mazurs. The name of Mazur appeared
for the first time in 1752 so it was
created later than the dance itself.
In 17th century, Mazur became
popular in the whole country. In was
danced in villages throughout Poland.
It, the same as every folk dance in
Poland, had also its varieties and their
pattern depended on the social status
of people who used to dance it. Thus,
there was an urban Mazur danced in
towns and different one for the gentry
and nobles.
10. The dance itself spread over right after Poland lost its independence - it came to
the courts of Paris, London and other fashionable meeting places of Western
Europe. Mazur then was the only thing that was reminding of Poland and Poles
as a great nation.
Mazur's rhythm was the main theme of many remarkable composers'
masterpieces, e.g.: S. Moniuszko, F. Chopin, K. Szymanowski and many others. It
found its way into famous operas and ballets. Not only Polish ones.
So popular was the Mazur in Poland that most of that country’s patriotic songs
have a Mazur tempo, including the National Anthem - the Dabrowski Mazurka
(Mazurek Dąbrowskiego) created in 1797 as a Song of Polish Legions.
11. Since there are at least four different socio-historical versions of
the Mazur, there are a variety of costumes available for
performance:
the dance of the nobility - the clothing of the 17th-century Polish
nobility wearing fur-lined jackets (kontusz) and hats for men and
shorter skirts and different shoes used by the Polish gentry for
women
the salon dance of the Napoleonic era - Napoleonic uniforms,
and special square hats bearing the national emblem, an eagle on
the front for men and Empire gowns, long gloves and at times light,
flowing scarves covering their almost-bare shoulders for women
the dance of urban folk - the costumes of different regional
varieties, for instance the boldly colored, striped skirts and capes of
women from the Łowicz area in central Mazowsze, or any other type
of the Mazovian costume
or a peasants' dance from central Poland - differ considerably
from historically documented clothes worn by peasants from the
region in the 19th century.
Each type of dance and clothing emphasized different class
characteristics of Polish society.
12. With its quick 3/4 tempo accented on the 2nd or 3rd beat, and intricate steps, heel
clicking, slides, and running steps, the Mazur is improvisatory in character.
It is danced by couples who rotate around the dance hall and present a variety of
gestures. As an "exhibition" dance it is regarded as the "most exciting and
intricate of the five national dances of Poland„*. It is described the as filled
with contrasts: "it combines the fiery spirit with pride and elegance, vivacity with
lyricism, dignity with joy, and boldness with gallantry.„*
* Dziewanowska, Ada. Polish Folk Dances & Songs: A Step by Step Guide. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1999
14. The Kujawiak originated also in the Kujawy region of North-Central
Poland in the 19th century. From the very beginning Kujawiak was a dance,
which was to show the dignity of dancers. It had been created as a simple,
slow dance. And because of this dignified simplicity, it was quickly
embraced by the gentry.
With its melancholy rhythm and beautiful movements the Kujawiak is without
a doubt the most romantic of Poland’s five national dances.
15. The costume worn by the dancers is
that of the Kujawy region.
Clothes in Kujawiak:
Men - characteristic red shirts, blue
coats and trousers, sometimes the cap
is being worn.
Women - long, blue skirts, blue boleros
and white aprons tided at the back.
16. In fact, the Kujawiak existed in two main forms: slow one, as it was mentioned
above, and as the regional folk dance, more lively and with lots of varieties of
tempo, steps and figures.
With a 3/4 tempo that alternates
between very slow, and fast,
the Kujawiak went through
many incarnations as it passed
back and forth between the
peasants and the nobility, each
group adding to the style of the
dance. It features spinning
turns and elaborate gestures,
and is usually danced in a circle
of pairs, which are moving
around it without any particular
progression or tempo changing.
The Kujawiak often features three parts: a processional or simple walking
introduction, a middle section of slow graceful turns, and a lively ending full of fast
spinning.
18. The Oberek was originated in Mazovia region too
and its name appeared for the first time in 1679
as obertas (so-called from the Polish verb
obracać się, which means to spin). It was played
by small village bands dominated by the violin,
along with an accordion or bass, and a drum.
The Oberek, the same as Mazur and Kujawiak is
regarded as a dance of Mazur rhythms as they are
similar to each other and differ mainly with tempo
(Oberek is the liveliest and the fastest one).
Many Polish composers used to create Obereks:
K. Szymanowski, H. Wieniawski and, of course, F.
Chopin, whose fastest Mazurs are indeed Obereks
(e.g. Mazurek op. 56 no. 2).
On the contrary to Mazurs and Polonaises, foreign
composers hadn't composed Obereks so often
and the dance itself didn't become popular outside
of Poland.
19. Folk costumes from many regions of
Poland are associated with the Oberek,
though the colorful striped costume of
the Łowicz area is favored by many
dance troupes.
Clothes in Oberek:
Men - pants made from striped cloth,
high black boots, long dark vests and
white shirts.
Women - wool skirts made of striped
cloth, white shirts covered with tight
vests embroidered with flowers and
bright kerchiefs.
The costumes are extremely rich in
colours and ornaments.
20. The dance itself is very difficult as it is being danced in 3 metre with fast tempo
and quite complicated steps and figures.
It includes many changes
and progression in the
circle of pairs that follow
around both clockwise and
counterclockwise. There
are many turns and twirls,
and the occasional lifting
of both women and men in
it. The dancers must be
well skilled, as Oberek is
a dance of many difficult
figures of clicks.
On the other hand, it is enjoyable and carefree, full of energy shown by the
dancers.
22. The Polonez, has its roots in the 17th
century. It had developed from the dance
called chodzony (walking dance) as its
figures consist of walking around the dance
hall. Chodzony traditionally opened up balls
and weddings in country villages throughout
Poland with the bride in the first pair and the
groom in the second one. At the beginning
the music was sung but later, when Polonez
came into the upper class' courts, it was
accompanied with music of the best
instrumentalists.
The Polish name of the dance, polonez,
stems from the polonized form of the
French term polonaise which was
introduced in the 17th century (also accepted
in English); the Polish term replaced the
earlier name of the "Polish dance" in the
18th century.
23. While the Polonez may be danced
wearing a folk costume from any of
Poland’s ethnographic regions, it is
usually performed with the dancers
dressed in kontusze, the costume of
the Polish Nobility of the 17th century.
Clothes in Polonez:
Men - large satin-and-silk ornamental
belts (pas słucki), high boots, long
overcoats with slit-sleeves lined with fur
(kontusz) and fur hats with feathers and
jewels
Women - fur-lined kontusz with long slit-
sleeves, and fur hats with jewels, the
long skirts and high boots.
The whole body is covered and the
fabric is heavy, lustrous and rich,
though without bold patterns or widely
contrasting colours.
24. Danced to a slow 3/4 tempo, with the characteristic knees bowing before the first
step, partners do not face each other, but rather walk to the music around the
ballroom forward, back, side, often bowing, but always maintaining a formal, stately
posture.
Heads are put
up high and
turned once to
the partner,
once to the
people around
and hands put
in the air on
the side
(ladies) and
on the hip
(gentlemen).
25. Polonaises were being composed by many remarkable artists, among who there
are Bach, Beethoven and Schubert, but it was the Polish greatest composer -
Fryderyk Chopin, who made it popular and unforgettable.
A solemn and
triumphant
Polonaise by
Wojciech Kilar
found its way
into famous
movie based on
the Polish
national epic
„Pan Tadeusz”.
In addition to the dance, the Polonaise music is often the basis for Polish
Christmas carols (kolędy).
The Polonez is still danced in Poland today at the beginning of many ceremonials,
e.g. in schools and colleges as a first, common dance before the students’ proms.
26. thank you for your
attention
made by:
Oliwia Berdys
Maria Gonzales Bueno
