DANCE Powolniaks From Kurpie

Led by Piotr Zgorzelski / Akademia Tańca Tradycyjnego, Miłosz Maśkiewicz and Arkadiusz Szałata playing
For intermediate dancers – those with basic dance experience who can swirl in the first direction

Powolniak is one of the most characteristic dances from Kurpie Zielone, and also one of the most difficult among Polish traditional dances. Despite its name, it is danced in pairs in a circle, at a very fast pace. Its characteristic feature is polyrhythm, i.e., steps performed in odd meters to two-beat music. Interestingly, powolniak bears certain similarities to the Swedish dance polska.

Piotr Zgorzelski – a Warsaw native, ethnologist, cultural organizer, actor, and juror at traditional dance competitions. He has been involved in traditional dance for over 30 years. He learned both directly from rural dancers and from archival sources. He has developed his own methodology for teaching traditional dance in non-stage forms, taking into account the contemporary predispositions and skills of a generation deprived of live contact with folk music. His daughters, Fryderyka, Józefina, and Augustyna, will be assisting him in the workshops.

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