History of Polonez

   The Polish Folk Dance Group “Polonez” was founded in 1989 in association with the Polish Friendship Society “Zgoda” through the initiative of Steve and Lucy Ozdoba and choreographer Jacek Niemirski. In the beginning, the group was small and largely composed of older enthusiasts followed by their sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews. It wasn’t long before the group could perform with 8-10 couples.

   After the first year of hard work, “Polonez” gave their first performance at the Polish Community Center in Vancouver. The first few performances enticed more children and youths to join the group and help to promote and maintain Polish culture and traditional folk dances.  Today for over 100 active members Polish folk dance is not only an interesting and dynamic hobby, but it also enriches the lives of the dancers and their audience.

   With a large repertoire of dances, “Polonez” has had the ability and opportunity to perform in well over a hundred shows at various events, many of them televised. Within 16 years, the dance group has become an integral part of Vancouver’s artistic and cultural stage as well as Vancouver’s Polish cultural ambassador.

   Over the years, “Polonez” has become a permanent future at the variety of multicultural events in the Greater Vancouver area, all over B.C. and abroad. In fact, in 1993, 2002, and 2005, the group participated in an International Polish Folk Dance Festival in Rzeszow, Poland. This was an amazing experience for the dancers and it became a benchmark in the history of “Polonez”. It was during these trips that many people realized why it was so important to maintain the Polish culture and its traditional folk dances.

   The dance group which used to exist in Zgoda is still strong and thriving on its own. From October 2005 “Polonez” is a non profit incorporation and is starting a new chapter as an independent organization. The success of the group has been possible due to the strong support of the Polish community and hard volunteer work of the parents involved with ‘Polonez” for many years. The Polish Canadian Dance Society is continuously working to further the Polish culture in Vancouver, with our travels and performances in Canada and all over the world.

“Polonez” Polish Canadian Dance Society is a member of the
 Vancouver Multicultural Society, as well as the World Council of Polonia Folk Assemblies.
 

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