How different people treat folk

When I started to assist folk dance clases, my friends was looking at me surprised and almost...  shocked, I could say. I can understand it because nowadays it's more popular to go to the zumba classes or to a hip-hop dance course. I remember that some years ago the dance was very in fashion. In the television appeared programmes like You can dance or Dancing with the stars and movies, international and Polish productions about dance: Kochaj i tańcz (Love and dance), Step up (1,2) or Take the Lead. Sure, any of these movies and programmes support of promote folk dance. Ok, tango from Take the Lead can be considered folk dance, it's connected with the Argentine identity, but in general, the idea is to give the chance to the dancers that practisise jazz or another modern form of dance.

In this context, you can aware that folk dance is consider pretty old-fashioned, especially in the developed countries. It's only a minority that consists of freaky people who love what they do and at the same time they cultivate national culture that step by step... Is disappearing.

On the other hand there are countries where folk is just breathing with the air. I'm sure you have everybody an image of Cuba, Mexico or Brasil. In general, latinamerican countries are more willing to be near to the tradition and theirs roots. And it's for this reason that samba or salsa are so famous. They are also folk dances, but they are cultivated so they neither needed promotion. It's sufficient to go there and see that people live dancing their own, local dance, try to learn it and take it to your country. Undoubdetly, it was the factor that helped spread of salsa, samba and rhytms like bachata from Dominican Republic.

In my huble opinion, if Polish oberek or krakowiak were danced with the frequency of disco polo or other typical genres from a Polish disco, musically speaking we would conquer other continents!

Polish folk dances map

Today I would like to share with you a map that a colombian friend sent me. I was quite surprised when I saw there are so variety of our Polish dances! And that I know only few... Krakowiak, polonez, kujawiak, oberek... 

There are something I want to comment. I don't know where should I place all the polka's we learn! We have polka of Nowy Sącz, Rzeszów or Lublin and a ten or more other: polka dzwon (polka bell), polka kucana (squated polka) can be examples of that. In the case of polka from Lublin, it may be in included in Lubelskie tańce ludowe (Lublin's folk dances). It seems that the region is pretty important when we talk about dances, not only in Colombia, but in Poland too.

I really invite you to watch the videos that offers the map. You can find them when you click in one of the white points. The most spectacular one is  zbójnicki, where the men jump with, I don't know, a type of axe, I think, called ciupaga. I recommend you also the video of kujawiak. The group that show it, Mazowsze, is one of the most popular in Poland. And of course polonez... In the middle of the map, in the letter O, there are other point with one of the most beautiful scene of the movie Pan Tadeusz.

I hope you enjoyed :)

Christmas tram

 

Can you see the photo? Now, imagine that I would be there... But it wasn't possible. The 14th of December Zespół Tańca Ludowego "Poznań" participated in a Christmas event called Świąteczna Bimba. During all the day the dancers... No, they didn't dance! They song carols in a special tram that circuled by the town. In folk suits, with the accompaniment of musicians who played the violin and the accordion, they introduced a Christmas atmosphere.

The most sad is that I couldn't go with them... Because of the cold! I couldn't belive that few days before I catch the flu... I recently started my new job of Spanish teacher, so probably the children infected me... Nice beginning! - I thought. Trust me, I was really excited about put me the folk suit... One week before I could choose one of many suits there are in the storeroom of the group. I felt in love, if I can express it in this way, with the suit typical of the region of Łowicz. It's so colourful! Look! Isn't it just beautiful!? The exemplary I choosed in the majority were red.

It could be my first possibility to put it, paint my lips sharp red and feel like a professional... But it turned out that it wasn't my time. I have moments when I think that it was my last opportunity, because nowadays I find it very difficult to go to the class because of the exams. For this reason I don't learn new steps, I retreat and I fancy less and less return to the class when I know I won't be able to dance everything like before... But at the same time I don't want to lose it, finish my adventure... Noo, it's impossible! I leaved my heart in the red suit I tried on! :) :) :) :)