Polska – Paths of Dance
polish – scandinavian musical project

The name and form of the Swedish dance “polska” has its source in the Renaissance Poland. Now, after a few hundred years, we rediscover that our (Polish and Swedish) folk music has common root from which melodies and dances – different but still related – has grown through centuries. How can be related “Polish dances” from historical notebooks to the ones from living tradition, transferred to our time in the memory of village musicians – chodzony, wiwats, kujawiaks, mazurkas and various types of „polska”? What are the similarities and differences in the dance steps? Is it possible to feel common sources of the songs?

These questions – and great experience of making music together – guided us when we decided to prepare a concert, showing a deep link between the music of Poland and Sweden. We have gathered a bunch of musical and dance friends, experts in their fields to co-create this idea. As a result of the meetings, mutual listening and searching for associations we have created music and dance dialogues, chains of corresponding melodies and rhythms.

We have the impression that our performance could become something like a meeting of two related musical families, that had not heard to one another for a long time, and are mutually interested in. We hope this is just the first step of the “reunion” and an opening for new discoveries.

Janusz Prusinowski, Magnus Gustafsson, Jonas Hjalmarsson

musicians:

– Witold Broda – violin
– Ulrika Gunnarson – violin, vocals
– Magnus Gustafsson – violin
– Jonas Hjalmarsson – violin
– Paul Iwaszkiewicz – bagpipes, goat great, flute
– Olof Misgeld – violin
– Justyna Piernik – singing
– Piotr Piszczatowski – baraban, drum
– Janusz Prusinowski – violin, accordion, dulcimer
– Justyna Rekść-Raubo – cello
– Vilja-Louise Skough-Aborn – vocals

dancers:
– Anna Oberg
– Anton Schneider
– Piotr Zgorzelski
– Bogumil Zgorzelska

coordination of the project:
– Anna Čemeljić,

art direction:
– Janusz Prusinowski

film team:
– Tomasz Knittel – director
– Maciej Puczyński – camera operator
– Michał Baczuń – sound

organizers:
Fundacja Wszystkie Mazurki Świata,
Musik i Syd,
Kungliga Musikhoogskolan

partners:
Instytut Polski w Sztokholmie

The project co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland