Dances of Poland Edited By
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H A N D B O O K S O F E $ R O P E A N N A T I O N A L DA N C E S EDITED BY ' V IOLET ALFORD D AN C E S OF P OL AN D DAN CE S of P OL AND HELEN WOLSKA 5 19 7 ? P $ B L ISHED $ NDER THE A$ SPI C ES OF THE ROY A L A CADE MY OF DANC ING AND THE L ING PHY SI C AL ED$ C ATI ON ASSOC IATI ON A C H A NTI C L EE R EDITION CROWN P$ BL ISHERS NEW YORK F IR S T P U B L I S H ED IN 1 952 A C H AN TI C LEE R EDITION C R O W N P U B LIS H E R S 4 1 9F OUR TH AV ENUE N E W Y O R K 1 6 C OL O$ R ILLUST R A TIO N S B Y G D G H A L L IDAY . OU LAS A SSISTA N T E DITO R Y V O NN E MOY SE SE T I N I O ON I I P O INT MONOTY PE B AS KERV IL L E PRINTE D B Y THE $ N IV E RS ITY PRE SS AB ERDEEN S C OTL AND PLATE S IN F O$ R~C OL OR OF F SET-PHOTOL ITHOGRAPHY C ON TE N TS INTROD$ CTION The Krakowiak Polonez Maz ur Z akop ane A V illage Wedding ' Music: C ostume When Dancing May Be Seen THE DANC ES Po se of Bod Arm Ges ures olds i y, t , H Basiqz Step s Krakowiak Maz ur Géralski Ob erek NOTE ON PRON$ NC IATION BIBLIOGRAPHY Illus trations in Colour a es 2 1 2 , p g , , Ma o Poland a e 6 p f , p g I N TR OD $ C TI ON ’ A N c 1 N G has always been t e ar excellence n h recreation p of the Polish people, our da ces r famous in histo y and in ballet, our dancers worthy of their traditional inheritance . Our folk a dances have had continuous, robust life and are especially popular between Christmas and Easter when m l farm work is al ost at a standstill , our winters being ong l us and severe . Many of our dances have been ost to in r a m cou se of the centuries but we still possess large nu ber, indicative of our love of music and dancing . i r Poland has had a troublous h sto y, her geographical situation laying her open to perpetual movement between E W . ast and est The country, so easily traversed, can be r r divided into egions fai ly simple to delineate, and the dances of Poland can conveniently be related to these regions . Those of each geographical region have common characteristics . F m B F ro the altic southwards we have the Plain, the orest $ first Plateau plands and the Mountains ; the section, n f a B the Plai , having subdivision known as the altic H i h eights, running from Pomeran a t rough the Mazovian L W H 60 ft. 0 akes to hite Russia eights rise to about , and if a large- scale map is examined hundreds of tiny r A e lakes will be discovered, emains of the Ice g . This subdivis ion is a very little - developed area and not one to have originated dances . H The second region consists of the Silesian ills, the K G l l L G rakow Jura, the a ician P ateau , the ysa ora, the L H ublin ills and the Podolian Plateau . This region attains too great a height to be labelled a plain ; Forest Plateau $ plands is an apt description . The Plain furni shes the largest population and the l l greatest number of dances , including the Po onez (Po o L owicz ank a k naise) , , Mazur (Mazur a) and the showy Oberek . Two factors have allowed these dances to reach full development, the early settlement of this region and its — vulnerability to outside infiuence although there is sur risin l l influence p g y ittle evidence of such , which marks per haps another manifestation of the Polish spirit of inde endence For K a p . the second region rakowi k and Silesian dances are more rob ust than those of the Plain but do not reach the liveliness and agility of the wild mountain dances such as the Goralski and the Harnas . THE KRAKO WI AK g” The Krakowiak and Kujawiak are examples of peasant dances in the rough , transformed by the Polish gentry into finished s Lowicz anka more and elegant form . The also was ri L adapted from a folk dance of the dist ct of owicz , while the celebrated Polonaise (of which more later) is possibly Kr not of peasant origin at all . The akowiak, a very popular K a o C and lively dance, originated at r k w ( racow) , and Krakow is named after the legendary Krak who slew a dragon and built the first city on the Wawel hill above ’ t the then swampy V istula . This ci y remained Poland s 1 H Our capital until 596 . ere is the famous church of L Mar acki u ady ( j or Panna Marja) , where a tr mpeter marks l the hours by p aymg the tune called hej nal . Wh en there were no clocks the citizens depended on this call to pause 8 in their daily round and pray to the Protectress of the town . In when Batu Khan and hi s dreaded Tartars over fled ran the country, the people for safety up the Wawel hi ll, but the trumpeter remained at his post down below o hi k A b und by the oath w ch trumpeters ta e to this day . k Tartar arrow struc him as he was sounding his call . In - memory of this long ago hero the tune always stops short, off cut at the same uncompleted bar . This historical trumpet call has been used very effec tively to open a Polish ballet : We have historical mention of the ~ Krakowiak being danced 1 1 0 C K . in 5 , under ing Sigismund ompared with the Polonez it represents a less advanced social development, and is danced by many couples often standing round a r k . circle, its music in a ve y mar ed rhythm It can also be performed by one couple with dramatic action and then is often danced, accompanied by singing, in an exciting and expressive way . The men wear a quantity of metal rings on the belt which jingle as they spring and strike their heels together . The national dances of Poland show the men to great advantage . They perform with swagger and bravado l l except in the Polonez which, ful of polite and chiva rous k manners, was never a fol dance . The great diiTerence between ‘Polish and Russian dancing is seldom realised : the first showing men and women — whether peasants or aristocrats dancing together ; the o E sec nd, largely based on astern notions, showing for the men m most part and wo en dancing separately . 9 Three categories of Polish dances can be di stinguished : those performed by the peasants , which are the true folk dances ; those like th e Mazur which have become ballroom dances ; and our brilliant stage dances which may be styl l ised and hi gh y developed folk dances as shown on the stage . ”3 P oL ONE z f» Taniec Polski D Polonais e F This is , the Polish ance ; in rench, G P cc Polonaise ola a. in erman, and in Italian It seems to be one of the oldest of our national dances and is nerhap s the only dance not of folk origin . Tradition has it that it is derived from a procession of noblemen at the celebrations on the ascension of Henri III (of V alois) to the throne of r Poland in 1 573 . Neve theless tradition adds that the still $ older peasant dance Polski was used as the foundation of e this elaborate cort ge . Its French name probably came into use on thi s impor r tant occasion . The Polonez is still a p ocession rather than e the n n a dance prop rly speaking, and was often ope i g item r r at aristocratic and C ou t balls . It is in mode ate time and suits the mature as well as the young . It displays several sides of the Polish character, is stately, grave and di nified and show s courtly etiquette allied to bravura . AS g O time went on and its popularity in aristocratic and other circles gained ground , the composition of a new Polonez m the m m r beca e expected acco pani ent to a g eat occasion , ' in much the same way as an Englis h masque was produced K s 1 . 2 for celebrations The o ciuszko Polonez , 79 , was dedi ’ c ated e hi C A to a gr at patriot, w le hopin s Polonaise in m m m ajor is the perfect exa ple of such co position . It has been used for dancing for over a hundred years and more m m m lately has beco e al ost a national anthe , being played l in theatres and at officia ceremonies .