Polish American Journal Today

REVIEW: Mazowsze - The National Song and Dance Ensemble of Poland

2010-11-15T05:58:00.001-08:00

Tour itinerary: http://pajtoday.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

A Nod to the Past with a Look to the Future

by Staś Kmieć

Mira Zimińska-Sygietyńska, co-founder of Mazowsze once said "There are three stars of Mazowsze - the dancers, the singers and the costumes." The famed Polish company did not disappoint with a

vivacious performance on November 14th at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, which opened their current North American tour. An extension of that assessment would include the memorable compositions based on folk tumes by Tadeusz Sygietyński and the masterful choreography – the majority of which is by Witold Zapała.

The formula of Mazowsze has changed little over the years and familiar favorites are always a "wel

come friend” – worth waiting for, such as Elwira Kamińska's Krakowiak masterpiece, the romance and lift of Zbigniew Kiliński's Kujawiak and the epic scope of Zapała's Mazur from the Duchy of Warsaw period.

The current program includes three new selections. The remainder is drawn from the company's vast repertoire, although in some cases in an abbreviated form. There is the same richness of style; the technical prowess of the performers has evolved over the years.

As the program presented was Christmas in Warsaw, many of the folk melodies that Mazowsze is known for were missing. In their place were majestically performed kolędy carols.

The new costumes for Songs from Racibórz were presented as a cross-section of the area including the uniformed miner Górnik, the men in their yellow doeskin leather pants (jelenioki) and wide-brimmed kania hats, and the maidens attired in a white-embroidered loose jacket (kaftan – “jakla”) with rich brocade aprons and galanda wreaths of artificial flowers. The married woman's representation included the head kerchief (chustka – “purpurka”) and characteristic beads adorned with a cross (korale z krzyżkiem).

The songs with musical arrangement by Tadeusz Niećko were gentle and pleasant tothe ear. The suite included the regional tunes – “W Starym Piecu,” “Zachodzi S
ł
oneczko,” “Piosenka o Raciborzu” and a medley of Waloszki (waltzes).

Chopin's Rondo à la Krakowiak paid homage to the famed artist's 200th anniversary and to the rich tradition of Polish folk-style ballets. The 50-year old stylized ballet costumes were found in the wardrobe's archive. They had been intended for a U.S. Tour when the company was to present a represenation of the classic 19th century Polish ballet Wesele w Ojcowie. The project was abandoned and the costumes lay in storage. Cleaned and refurbished, they now debut in this folk tale.

A delicate pastoral scene with Romantic era gestures and épaulement sets the stage with a scarecrow (Strach na wróble) in the background providing the tone of calm. A lively procession of Krakowiacy enters and the cwal sliding step and hołubiec clicks match the temperament of the composition. The choreography gives a chance for the dancers, many who have trained in ballet from an early age to dance in this classical style.

Visually stunning, Życzenie G-dur op. 74 (the Maiden's Wish) also by Chopin, was exquistely staged, and

costumed in period attire.

With the untimely death of Tadeusz Sygietyński in 1955, Mazowsze considered ceasing its operations; in 1997 when the company lost their beloved Mira, again they were again faced with an uncertsain future;

directorships followed with varying degrees of impact and effect. Today a new artistic director Ryszard Grąbowski – the offspring of two of Mazowsze's finest performers is at the helm with the task of making the company relevant to today's audience. How to attract a younger audience in a Poland lost in the conventions of computer technology and the phenomenon of mainstream entertainment and commercialism.

Master choreographer Witold Zapała
, whose name is now synomymous with Mazows
ze had an early connection with the company first as its premier soloist and later as its unifyi
ng force as the chief choreographer. He has shaped the

comp
any with unique visual arrangements and style and is the link to its origins and the
continuation of its artistic vision.

He has an assistant/ballet mistress Wioletta Milczuk, who has learned all the repertoire and will b
e the "
keeper of the flame" for the next generation.

Mazowsze has entertained us for years, and despite a fresh artistic interpretaion of village life, it is often regarded as a living cultural archive and a relic of the past. It has a complicated legacy to contend with and today it strives to balance its “nod to the past” with a “look forward to the future.” Sto Lat Zapała; long live Mazowsze!

The tour is presented courtesy of 2Luck Concepts.

Follow Mazowsze on www.MazowszeOnTour.blogspot.com.

Review appears in the December issue of The Polish American Journal

Mazowsze on Tour

2010-11-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

The best way to experience the magic and magnificence of Mazowsze – The National Song and Dance Ensemble of Poland is to see the company perform live. The world-renowned company returns to North America in a special 60^th Anniversary celebratory tour of live performances November 14 – December 12. Presented by 2Luck Concepts, the tour will feature 90 dancers, singers and the full 23-member orchestra.

Click link for full tour itinerary and theater contact information: http://pajtoday.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

Coming soon... Mazowsze on Tour Website

Follow Mazowsze before and during the tour on the website – Mazowsze on Tour (www.MazowszeOnTour.blogspot.com). Background information on the dances, the songs, and the performers, along with historical information, and Mazowsze backstage, on-the-road, sightseeing, and personal.

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Lech Walęsa to Join Building and Construction Trades in Solidarity Rally - NYC

2010-10-22T06:55:00.001-07:00

Former Polish President and Leader of Solidarity Movement Will Address Thousands of Union Workers in Times Square

Thousands of members of the New York City Building and Construction Trades will rally this Monday, October 25 from 3:00 - 4:00 pm in Times Square for union solidarity with Lech Walęsa, the shipyard electrician who fought for labor rights in Poland and ultimately helped topple Soviet-style totalitarianism in that country, which led to him being its first democratically elected president from 1990-95.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner will headline the rally sponsored by the Building and Construction Council of Greater New York, the umbrella group representing more than 100,000 workers citywide. The rally will highlight Mr. Walesa' experience in leading the solidarity movement that defeated Communist rule and how solidarity among union members and working men and women can fight exploitation and rebuild America's middle class.

“Lech Walesa is legendary figure who epitomizes what the union movement is all about in the U.S. and around

the world: strength, spirit and solidarity,” said Gary La Barbera, president of the Building and Construction

Trades Council of Greater New York. “We know that solidarity is critical to advancing the union movement and the rights of workers everywhere, and this is exactly what will be on display at this historic rally.”

Monday, October 25; 3:00-4:00 pm

TIMES SQUARE (7^th Avenue from 42^nd Street to 36^t^h Street, Manhattan)

Polanski Short Films on Tour

2010-10-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Polish Cultural Institute in New York will present a United States tour of a showcase of rarely screened short films directed by Academy Award® Winner Roman Polanski.

With live music by Sza/Za, an experimental electro-acoustic duo from Warsaw, the program of Polanski’s seven short films will premiere at BAMcinématek on November 2, and then tour the U.S. to be presented at some of the most prestigious venues on the East Coast and West Coast, including the National Gallery of Art in DC and the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco. The project will pay tribute to the Polish jazz pioneer Krzysztof Komeda, Polanski’s long time collaborator in Europe and Hollywood.

Between 1958 and 1962, the acclaimed director made a series of short films, mostly as a student at the renowned Lodz Film School in Poland. From playful filmmaking exercises: Murder (1957) and Teeth Smile (1957), and the metaphorical Break Up the Dance (1957) and Mammals (1962), to his award winning film Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958).

Roman Polanski: Short Films will reveal the director's surreal and dark style, his masterful storytelling ability and his restless search for the truth about human nature. The grotesque and often disturbing world of his short films, and his meticulously clean direction are traits that would be later developed in such masterpieces as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist, and his most recent The Ghost Writer.

Sza/Za (Pawel Szamburski and Patryk Zakrocki) – musicians, improvisers and promoters of culture in the Warsaw music and independent art scene since 1999 – have composed a new score for this special event. Using clarinet, violin, analogue loop stations and subtle effects, their music

is a unique mix of noise and silence, pop and contemporary chamber music, which convey both the beauty and ugliness of sophisticated wisdom and pure, naive thoughtlessness.

LISTINGS:

Tuesday, November 2, 7:30 pm: BAMcinématek – 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; www.BAM.org.
Thursday, November 4, 7:30 pm: Cornell Cinema – 104 Willard Straight Hall, Ithaca, NY; www.cinema.cornell.edu.
Sunday, November 7, 7:00 pm: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz – 320 E. 6th St.Austin, TX; www.originalalamo.com.
Monday, November 8, 7:30 pm: Boulder Theater – 2032 14th St., Boulder, CO; www.bouldertheater.com.
Tuesday, November 9, 8:00 pm: The Cinefamily – 611 N. Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA; www.cinefamily.org.
Wednesday, November 10, 7:30 pm: Letterman Digital Arts Center - One Letterman Dr., San Francisco, CA; www.sffs.org.
Thursday, November 11, 7:30 pm: Seattle International Film Festival Cinema – 321 Mercer St., Seattle, WA; www.siff.net.
Saturday, November 13, 4:30 pm: National Gallery of Art/ East Building Large Auditorium - 4th St. & Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC; : www.nga.gov.
Sunday, November 14, 7:00 pm: Film Row Cinema/Columbia College – 1104 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL; www.pffamerica.com, www.societyforarts.com.

Polish Film Receives U.S. Premiere

2010-10-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

The New York premiere of War of Love (Śluby Panieńskie), a Polish film directed by Filip Bajon will take place on October 23rd in Manhattan. The tickets to the premiere are sold out. An encore showing will occur on Sunday, October 24 at 3:00 pm at the Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street (Between Park & Madison). The acting ensemble and director Actors will meet

the U.S. audience at the New York premiere.

The costume drama is based on a classical comedy by Count Aleksander Fredro, one of the most popular Polish playwrights of the 19th century. The film is an adaptation of that work with the action taking place in two time periods – the contemporary set where the actors portraying main

characters exist and the era in which the comedy takes place.

War of Love received it's U.S. premiere in Chicago. The film will be distributed in the US in as many as fifty locations. Check www.pffamerica.com for further details.

From Poland with Love - Buffalo, NY

2010-10-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Polish Heritage Month and Chopin's 200th Birthday with Canadian-born pianist Berenika Zakrzewski in an all-Polish music program. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, The Polish Cultural Institute in New York and The Western NY Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation will present From Poland with Love with Zakrzewski and the Buffalo Philharmonic on Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24; 8:00 pm at the Kleinhans Music Hall – 3 Symphony Circle in Buffalo, NY.

The program will include Szymanowski: Concert Overture in E major, op. 12, Chopin: Concerto for Piano no. 2 in F major, B43/Op. 21, Karlowicz: The Sorrowful Tale, Symphonic Poem for Orchestra
and Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra. For tickets: www.bpo.org.

Białystok Puppet Theatre Comes to NYC

2010-10-18T09:20:00.001-07:00

The Białystok Puppet Theatre (Białostocki Teatr Lalek) will present Chopin – An Impression for a October 21 – November 7 engagement at La MaMa E.T.C. - The Ellen Stewart Theatre/ The Annex (74A East 4th Street) in Manhattan. The production directed by Lesław Piecka is presented by La MaMa E.T.C. in association with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York.

With music by Fryderyk Chopin and text by Wojciech Szelachowski, the piece is a theatrical reflection on the life and work of the world's greatest composer for the piano, performed in perfect synchrony with selections from Chopin's works and by marionettes representing the composer and the historical figures who surrounded him.

The minimal English narration and silent manipulation of the marionette cast enact Chopin's artistic friendships, musical impressions, and life experiences. Every detail has been

worked out. The puppet's fingers move precisely in the rhythm of the mazurkas, nocturnes and waltzes as played by Polish virtuoso pianist Krzysztof Trzaskowski. The Bialystok Puppet Theatre is one of the leading puppet theaters in Europe and one of the oldest Polish theater companies to cultivate a puppet repertoire for adults. Since 1972, it has regularly produced works by such authors as Boccaccio, Calderon, Rostand, Gogol, Bernhard, Rozewicz, and Mrozek.

Chopin-An Impression was originally commissioned by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the worldwide celebration of The Year of Chopin 2010, celebrating the bicentennial of the composer's birth in Żelazowa Wola, Poland. In New York the play will be presented as a part of the The La MaMa Puppet Series IV--Built to Perform, an annual event that carries on La MaMa's long standing tradition of supporting puppet theater artists from all over the world.For schedule and ticket information: www.polishculture-nyc.org or http://lamama.org.

Teresa Krakowiak is Miss PKM at Pulaski Day Parade - Philadelphia, PA

2010-10-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

The P.K.M. Dancers - Polish Intercollegiate Club of Philadelphia (Polskie Kółko Miedzykolegialne) appeared at Philadelphia's Pulaski Day Parade on October 3, presenting their Stara Warszawa suite.

This year's Miss PKM is Teresa Krakowiak, a graduate of Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Security and Information Assurance. She has been a dance member of PKM for a year carrying on a family tradition; Teresa is the daughter of Cynthia and John Krakowiak, both PKM Alumni.

PKM will perform in the lobby of the Kimmel Center as a pre-show prior to the Mazowsze performance in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 14.

Monika Pastuszak's "Venetian Masks" - Greenpoint-Brooklyn, NY

2010-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

A photographic exhibit entitled Venetian Masks by Monika Pastuszak will be shown

October 1- November 3 at the Starbucks Coffee - 910 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint-Brooklyn.

"Many years ago I started my adventure with photography, but I never thought that others will see my photographic images,” said Paztuszak. “In 2006, during the carnival I

went to Venice. What I saw exceeded my expectations and while there I could not wait another year to capture it on film. I returned to Venice.Two days shooting mysterious figures in masks and greed fixation of distance run, satisfied my belief that photography is my passion, my window to the world.”

For more about Pastuszak's work check: www.monikapastuszak.com.

Polonaise Ball - Middletown, NY

2010-10-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Hudson Valley Polonaise Society will host their Annual Polonaise Ball on Sunday, October 24^th at the Elks Lodge in Middletown, NY from 3 – 7 pm. Dancing to the Ablemen Orchestra and a dance exhibition will be held. For tickets call: 845-258-4425.

The Emotionalist Group's 16th Birthday - Greenpoint-Brooklyn, NY

2010-10-16T18:25:00.001-07:00

The Emotionalist Art Group will celebarte their 16^th year of existence with The Emotionalists – New Works on October 15 – November 3 at Kurier Plus Gallery - 145 Java Street in Greenpoint-Brooklyn.

Artists participating include: Lubomir Tomaszewski, Maria Fuks, Janusz Skowron (exhibit curator), Mieczysław Mietko Rudek, Wojciech Kubik, Ivan Bratko, Beata Szpura, Zbigniew Nowosadzki, Jan Hausbrandt, Artur Skowron, Anna Zatorska, Maksymilian Starzec, Patrycja Todo, Ryszard Semko, Piotr Betlej, Kinga Kolouszek, Christine Tomaszewski, Katarzyna Derda, Malina Boreyko, Beata Trefon, Jolanta Budny Badyna, Witold Vito Wójcik, Agnieszka Uziębło, Adam Panek, Jacek Wolski.

Agnieszka Solawa's Necklace Art - Summit, NJ

2010-10-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

Agnieszka Solawa, an accomplished artist and architect is exhibiting a collection of handmade necklaces utilizing beads and pendants made from a variety of materials including coral, fresh water pearls, African metal beads, among others. The necklaces are Solawa's creation from a collection of beads that she acquired during her travels around the world and will b e displayed during the month of October at the Summit Public Library at 75 Maple St. in Summit, NJ.

Born in Kraków, Poland, Solawa grew up surrounded by art. She was only 10 years old when she received her first commission for five icons of the Polish mountain technique of reverse paintings on glass for the Missionary Church in Kraków. She immigrated with her family to South Africa to escape Communism. Freedom was essential to her growth as an artist. She moved to the United Statesin 1987 and resides in Summit, NJ.

To see more of Ms. Solawa's work check: www.solawa.com.

Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition - October 19, NYC

2010-10-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

The New York Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition

Tue, Oct 19 at 10 am

Leonard Nimoy Thalia Day of $30; Advance $25; Members $20; 30 and Under: $15

In celebration of the Chopin Bicentennial, this competition presents today’s most promising young pianists, selected from the finest conservatories and music schools, in performances of Chopin’s best-known études, ballades, mazurkas, polonaises, préludes and waltzes. Join the panel of distinguished international judges, including Ewa Kupiec, Benjamin Hochman, Philip Kennicott, and Daniel Epstein, and be part of the decision-making process for the Grand prize—a 2011 recital at Symphony Space in New York and a weeklong trip to Poland for an international debut recital in Warsaw.

Magdalena Baczewska to play at the Consulate - NYC

2010-10-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

The Consulate General of Poland in New York and the De Lamar Mansion Salon of Arts & Ideas will present a piano recital – Chopin and His Legacy by Magdalena Baczewska on Sunday, October 17, at 4:00 pm. The program will consist of works by Chopin, Gershwin, Liszt, Paderewski, Ginastera, Szymanowski and Rachmaninov, and will be held at the Consulate (233 Madison Avenue, NYC).

As a winner of international piano competitions, Magdalena has appeared worldwide as a solo artist and in orchestral performances. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music, along with Bachelor and Master's Degree from the Mannes College of Music, New School University. She is a faculty member at the John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University in New Jersey and at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. She was among the jurors of the International Chopin Competition at Columbia University.

Her recordings and performances have been hailed as "eloquent and technically flawless" (The Washington Post).

The event is free and open to the public. Registration required. Contact :evz@polishconsulateny.org, (646) 237-2114.

Polish American Heritage Month Coloring Contest

2010-10-07T20:18:00.001-07:00

The Polish American Heritage Month Committee, Michael Blichasz, National Chairman are celebrating the National Celebration of Polish History, Culture and Pride in Cooperation with the Polish American Congress and Polonia across America with numerous events.

Each year the committee sponsors a Coloring Contest with the objective to allow students

to learn something about the history of Polish people and their contributions to the world. This year's contest is devoted to the world renowned pianist and composer of Polish Descent - Fryderyk Chopin.

To download the coloring contest entry and for suggestions on how to sponsor a Coloring Contest check: www.polishamericancenter.org.

Polish Cultural Institute and Komeda Project at 92nd St. Y Festival - NYC

2010-10-06T11:48:00.001-07:00

The Polish Cultural Institute in New York made their yearly appearance representing Poland at the 92^nd St. Y Street Festival. At their booth directly across from the 92^nd St. Y, they handed out brochures about upcoming events, they distributed books, brochures and information promoting Poland and various aspects of Polish culture.

Established in 2000, PCI is a diplomatic mission to the United States. One of 22 such institutes around the

world, it serves under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The Institute is dedicated to nurturing and promoting cultural ties between the United States and Poland, both through American exposure to Poland's cultural achievements, and through exposure of Polish artists and scholars to American institutions, professional counterparts, and to currents in American culture.

In addition to their booth , PCI presented the Komeda Project at the Festival. In his short life (until his untimely death in a tragic accident in Hollywood at the age of 38), Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969) wrote music to over 40 films, including such Polish cinematic classics as Roman Polanski’s "Knife in the Water" and Andrzej Wajda’s "Innocent Sorcerers." He is widely credited as

being one of the founding fathers of the modern jazz movement in Poland.

Born and raised in Poland, founders of the Komeda Project, pianist Andrzej Winnicki and saxophonist Krzysztof Medyna have been playing together for over thirty years. They bring both a European classicism and melancholy Slavic melodism to music that's heavily refracted

through the prism of the American tradition. Before moving to the United States in the late 1980s, they spent years touring Europe with the award-winning group Breakwater. Winnicki and Medyna decided to form the all-acoustic Komeda Project in 2004.

For information on the Polish Cultural Institute's season check: www.polishculture-nyc.org.

REVIEW: Chopin with Jazz at Carnegie Hall

2010-10-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

by Staś Kmieć

Frédéric Chopin's 200th Birthday Party - A Polish Jazz Celebration was presented at Carnegie Hall on October 4 presented by the High Arts Society of Warsaw, Poland . This show was arranged to demonstrate the composer's source of inspiration – folk music, as well as his work being a source of inspiration of jazz and contemporary music. The ambitious concert was performed in Chicago, New York City and Inowrocław, Poland.

The missing component of the program should have come between the inspiration source and the inspired invention and that was a representation and acknowledgment of Chopin's original compositions.

The inventive Jazz improvisations on Chopin's work were evidence of how revelatory his music is. A contemporary molding of Chopin's genius. Straying from the beaten path they attempted to forge a new language of Chopin. In some offerings a glimmer of Chopin could be heard, but often his contribution appeared unrecognizable to listening audience.

In spite of their efforts, musicologists have still not solved the precise sources of the quotations in Chopin's music. He was influenced by the folk music of Poland, but did not reproduce it, what he did was to compose his pieces in the spirit of folk music.

The Janusz Prusinowski Ensemble, in my opinion was the standout of the evening. Focused and concise, they offered the rural perspective of the music from the country side that influenced and inspired the great artist. With antique instrumentation they presented an expression of vitality and authenticity.

“Oj chmielu, chmielu” (their first selection) is the oldest known ceremonial wedding song, sung during oczepiny, when the bride symbolically passes into the state of married ladies and when a bonnet replaces her head wreath. From the scratchy, clear-toned folk violin to the emotional shawm, punctuated by the baraban cymbal-drum and the rhythmic foot step-stamp motif of the musicians, the tune resonated through the hallowed establishment of Carnegie Hall.

The shawm, a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the late 13th century until the 17th century was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The instrument gave the song a hypnotic transcendental quality.

The song is derived from pagan times, before the adoption of Poland's baptism in 966. Its tonality of the pentatoni

c and modal scale indicate an even earlier origin of the melody. The second piece was a suite of melodies that may have inspired Chopin including “Czemu nie orzesz, Jasieńku,” which is reflected in Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24 No. 1 with its rhythmic rubato, minor scales and minor

subtleties of melody and harmonic accompaniment. Theaccents of przytup stamping broke into dance by the final rendition of Chopin's Mazurka in D major, Op. 33, No. 2.

The national mazur is based on the folk mazurek (chłopskie mazur), but it represents a break with folk

tradition. Compared to the rural version,it differs by being filled with dotted rhythms. At the end of the 18^th century the Mazurka became part of the piano repertoire and it reached perfection in the hands of Chopin. Upon examination it becomes clear that these compositions contain a blend of various traditions, dominant among which are the national mazur and the folk kujawiak. A triple-time round dance with a crescendo rhythm, the kujawiak consisting of the slow “sleeping” ksebka, followed by the true kujawiak odsibka – a “whirling dervish” of a mazur or oberek rhythm.

A memorable New-Age performance was given by Kwadrofonik. Water-colored, airy and

mysterious their modern compositions interpreted Chopin in a dreamlike, surreal exploration ofrhythmic sound. African-American saxophonist Azar Lawrence visited Poland in 1974 and his impressions of the composer were expressed through improvisational technique reaching great emotion and depth. Jazz powerhouse Gunhild Carling of Sweden offered welcome relief late in the program. She began on a humorous note blaring the

Funeral March Sonata No. 2 (Op. 35) on the trombone and followed in a strong nuanced voice with a song improvisation alternating on the trombone, fife and trumpet.

Among the other performers were Krzesimir Dębski (Poland/USA) – emcee, music director, violin, Vocalists Agnieszka Wilczyńska (Poland) and Grażyna Auguścik World Sound (USA) with The Chicago International Trombone Ensemble, jazz pianist Sławomir

Jaskułke (Poland), and theAndrzej Jagodziński Trio (Poland).

The 2-hour concert at times meandered, particularly during the jazz riffs

and individual improvisations, which at times appeared uninspired. For many acts abbreviated or single selections would have sufficed. Flow and format were not evident in the structure of much the presentation; however the free-for-all celebration aspect and variety was engaging and infectious.

Chopin Song Concert - Washington, DC

2010-10-04T11:17:00.001-07:00

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin’s Birth (March 1, 1810 – October 17, 1849) with a recital of songs by Iwona Sobotka - soprano, accompanied by Brian Ganz on piano. The concert will take place on Friday, October 8, 7:00 – 9:30 pm at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland -2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC.

The Program of the concert will include:

Chopin's Polish Songs, Op. 74, selection

- The maiden’s wish (Życzenie)

- Dumka

- Drinking song (Hulanka)

- Remembrance (Precz z moich oczu); lyrics: Adam Mickiewicz

- The messenger (Poseł)

- Melody (Melodia)

- United in death (Dwojaki koniec)

- The Ring (Pierścień)

- Troubled waters (Smutna rzeka)

and songs by Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff.

Iwona Sobotka achieved instant international acclaim as Grand Prix winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium in 2004. Other awards include first prizes at the East and West Artists International Auditions in New York, the Warsaw Polish Art Song Competition, and Paderewski Vocal Competition in Bydgoszcz.

Tickets $45, available at: https://tickets.internationalclubdc.com/PurchaseEventTicket.aspx?EventID=8125428F-B7A5-4408-B439-13D7D2BBE81F

2010 Pulaski Parade on October 3 - Philadelphia, PA

2010-10-03T08:55:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, October 3, the 2010 Pulaski Day Parade steps off at 12 Noon from 20th and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It will march down the Parkway to 16th Street, u-turn on 16th Street and march West on the Parkway, around Logan Circle and end at 22nd Street. (Parade Route Map) Free seating at Logan Circle in the area of live television coverage on WPVI TV-6, from 12:30 to 2 P.M. Set your television recorder and come out and enjoy the parade live on the Parkway in Center City Philadelphia.

WPVI-TV 6 (ABC) will televise the parade from 1:00 to 3:00 pm serving the Philadelphia and Tri-State area. The broadcast hosts will be Shirleen Allicot, TV 6 Reporter, and Michael Blichasz, host of the Polish American Radio Program. They will narrate this annual display of Polish history, culture, and pride.

Ed and Jean McCloskey will be the Grand Marshals of Philadelphia's 2010 Pulaski Day Parade. This year's parade theme is "Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Fryderyk Chopin, World Renowned Polish Composer." In 2010, Polonia also marks the 77th Anniversary of the Pulaski Day Parade in Philadelphia.

Pulaski Day Parade on October 3 - Manhattan, NY

2010-10-02T03:12:00.000-07:00

The 73rd Annual General Casimir Pulaski Day Parade will take place on Sunday, October 3. Led by Grand Marshal Stanley Moskal (Deputy Mayor of the City of Garfield,. NJ), the parade will begin at 12:30 pm and will proceed up Fifth Avenue from 29th Street to 53rd Street.

The official Reviewing Stand is located between 40th and 42nd Street on Fifth Avenue in front of the New York Public Library. Catholic hierarchy and members of the Polish clergy will view the parade from the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The American and Polish national anthems will be played at the Reviewing Stand.

The Pulaski Parade Mass will celebrated at St. Patrick's Cathedral at 9:00 am.

The Pulaski Day Parade is a parade held annually since 1937 on Fifth Avenue in New York City to commemorate Kazimierz Pułaski (spelled Casimir Pulaski in English), a Polish hero of the American Revolutionary War. It is held on the first Sunday of October and closely coincides with the October 11th General Pulaski Memorial Day, a national observance of his death at the Siege of Savannah. The parade features Polish dancers, Polish soccer teams and their mascots, Polish Scouts (ZHP), and Polish school ambassadors and representatives.

Chopin's Birthday Party at Carnegie Hall - Manhattan, NY

2010-10-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

A Polish Jazz Celebration of Frédéric Chopin's 200^th Anniversary presented by the High Arts Society of Warsaw, Poland will take place on Monday, October 4, at 8:00 pm at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium -Perelman Stage, New York, NY

Jazz artists from Poland include: Krzesimir Debski, Agnieszka Wilczynska, Gunhild Carling Azar Lawrence, Janusz Prusinowski Trio, Kwadrofonik, Grazyna Auguscik, Slawomir Jaskulke, Andrzej Jagodzinski will appear.

Chopin at Westbury Gardens – Old Westbury, NY

2010-09-30T18:26:00.001-07:00

Chopin@200 – an all Chopin Program presented by Poetica Musica will take place on Saturday, October 2 at Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, NY (www.oldwestburygardens.org). Artists include: Eleanor Valkenburg, soprano, Maria Antonia Garcia, piano, Eugene Moye, cello playing Cello Sonata in G minor, Grande Polonaise Brillante, Opus 22 for piano, Songs, Opus 74 and more. Pre-concert discussion at 7:30 pm, Concert at 8:00 pm. For information call (516) 333-0048 ext. 301.

2010-09-18T18:55:00.001-07:00

Solidarity Panel at Kosciuszko Foundation - NYC

2010-09-18T08:55:00.001-07:00

Solidarity: The Peace Movement that Brought Down the Berlin Wall & Ended the Cold War - a panel discussion on Solidarity & a private screening of "Upadek Imperium" (Fall of the Empire) - a documentary by Andrzej Titkow will take place at The Kosciuszko Foundation 15 East 65th Street, NYC) on Wednesday, September 29^th at 6:30 pm.

Following the screening there will be a discussion by journalists who covered the changes in Eastern Europe: John Darnton (The New York Times), Andrew Nagorski ( former senior editor at Newsweek), David A. Andelman (Editor of World Policy Journal) and moderated by Alex Storozynski.

Call to reserve seating: 212-734-2130.

MAZOWSZE on NJN-New Jersey Network and WHYY-Philadelphia

2010-09-11T04:49:00.001-07:00

In anticipation of Mazowsze's upcoming November-December tour, PBS will be rebroadcasting The Music and Dance of Poland: Mazowsze on their affiliate stations.

NJN - New Jersey Network will air the program on Sunday, September 12 at 8:00 pm and

Thursday, September 16 at 9:30 pm.

Hosted by Nichol Gee and PAJ's Culture Editor Staś Kmieć, the PBS resident expert on Polish Culture, Kmieć will offer insight into the history of the dance company and provide background of Polish dance and costume during the pledge breaks.

The program will air on WHYY- Philadelphia on Thursday, September 16 at 8:30 pm. Kmieć will again be on hand for live on-air commentary.

During the pledge breaks premiums such as the DVD, CD and concert tickets will be available.

Mazowsze will begin their tour on November 14: Philadelphia, PA at the Kimmel Center and close the tour on December 12: New Brunswick, NJ at the State Theater.

PBS AIRDATES - Mazowsze

2010-08-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

THE MUSIC & DANCE OF POLAND: MAZOWSZE will be rebroadcast on the following PBS stations:

Tampa, St. Petersburg & Sarasota, FL

WUSF-DT Monday 8/2/10 3:30 PM
Western New England

WGBY-DT Wednesday 8/4/10 9:30 PM
Washington, DC
WETA-DT Wednesday 8/4/10 9:30 PM
WETA-DT4 Wednesday 8/4/10 9:30 PM
WETA-DT Thursday 8/5/10 3:30 AM
WETA-DT Thursday 8/5/10 2:30 PM
WETA-DT4 Thursday 8/5/10 2:30 PM
New Hampshire
WENH-DT3 Friday 8/6/10 8:00 PM
WENH-DT3 Saturday 8/7/10 12:00 AM

For dates of Mazowsze's upcoming North American tour consult: http://pajtoday.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

The television program was produced by WLIW in collaboration with the Mazowsze company.

MAZOWSZE – 2010 North American Tour

2010-06-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

There have been some additions and changes to North American Tour Dates for Mazowsze. Further updates will appear on this site.

The current schedule and theater contact information are as follows:

November:

11/14: Philadelphia, PA - Kimmel Center (215-893-1999) www.kimmelcenter.org
11/16: Utica, NY - Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute (315-797-0055, (800) 754-0797) www.mwpai.org/performing-arts/
11/17: Amherst, MA - University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center (413-545-2511, 1- 800-999-8627) www.umass.edu/fac/index.html
11/18: Schenectady, NY - Proctor's Theater (518-346-6204) www.proctors.org
11/19: Buffalo, NY - Shea's Performing Arts Center (1-800-745-3000) www.sheas.org
11/20: Toronto, ON - Sony Centre (416-393-7469) www.sonycentre.ca
11/21: Hamilton, ON - Hamilton Place (905-546-4040) www.hecfi.ca/hecfiEntertainment/index.php
11/23: North Bethesda, MD - Music Center at Strathmore Theater (301-581-5100) www.strathmore.org
11/26: Pittsburgh, PA - Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall; Box Office contact TBD; www.soldiersandsailors.org
11/27 & 28: Chicago, IL - Symphony Center (312-294-3000) www.cso.org
11/29: St Paul, MN - The O’Shaughnessy at St Catherine University www.oshaughnessy.stkate.edu
sponsored by The Dolina Polish Folk Dancers & Polish Cultural Institute of America

December:

12/1 Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Center - Uihlein Hall (414) 273-7206 www.marcuscenter.org
12/3 & 4: Detroit, MI - Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts (313-887-8501) www.musichall.org
12/5: Youngstown,OH - Dance Class Workshops, lectures and performance (details tba) Overture Restaurant - Polish Youngstown (330) 646-4082 www.polishyoungstown.com
12/6: Cleveland,OH - Palace Theatre/Playhouse Square Center (216-241-6000, 866-546-1353)
www.playhousesquare.org
12/8: Worcester, MA - The Hanover Theatre (508-831-0800 or 1-877-571-7469) www.boxoffice@thehanovertheatre.org
12/9: Baltimore, MD – France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (410-837-7400, 1-800-551-7328) www.france-merrickpac.com/home.html
12/10: Waterbury, CN - Palace Theatre (203-346-2000) www.palacetheaterct.org
12/11: Bronx, NY - Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (718-960-8833) www.lehmancenter.org
12/12: New Brunswick, NJ - State Theater (732 246-7469) www.statetheatrenj.org

The PBS television special: Mazowsze: The Music and Dance of Poland will be rebroadcast nationally during the month of August. The program will offer special ticket package options in select tour city locations. PAJ's Culture Editor Staś Kmieć will be PBS's resident culture expert during the breaks to offer additional insight regarding the costumes and dance history of Poland, and the Mazowsze company.

* The tour performance program will differ from the PBS television special

Times and dates of the broadcast will be on this site, when made available.

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Contemporary Wycinanka design by Helena Mazek

Malysz Wins Silver at Winter Olympics

2010-02-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

32-year-old Adam Malysz was the first of Poland's Olympic team to win a medal in Vancouver.

The men's downhill was supposed to be the first medal of these games, but it was postponed because of warm, wet weather in Whistler. That put the ski jumpers at the head of the list. Malysz took silver medal

Adam Malysz first rose to fame nearly a decade ago, when he won the Four Hills tournament, considered the annual Super Bowl of ski jumping... That victory made him an enormous star in his native Poland.

He has struggled to find his best form on the World Cup circuit so far this season with just one podium finish. However, the Polish veteran has a habit of performing well on big occasions, winning a silver and bronze medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and taking four world championship titles between 2001 and 2007.

Poland’s Olympic Tradition

2010-02-13T16:53:00.002-08:00

Poland is one of 12 countries to have participated in every Olympic Winter Games since 1924. It has won eight medals (one gold, three silver, four bronze).

Wojciech Fortuna won the country's only gold, using a spectacular first jump to clinch the ski jumping large hill title in Sapporo 1972.

Franciszek Gasienica-Gron won the country's first medal, claiming the bronze in Nordic combined in Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956.

The introduction of women's speed skating in 1960 allowed 1500m competitors Elwira Seroczynska (silver) and Helena Pilejczyk (bronze) to become the first and only women to win medals for Poland.

Ski jumper Adam Malysz won both of Poland's medals in 2002 (one silver, one bronze).

In 2006, biathlete Tomasz Sikora took silver in the 15km and cross-country skier Justyna Kowalczyk took bronze in the women's 30km event.

2010-02-13T16:53:00.001-08:00

Chopin Bicentennial Celebrations Begin

2010-01-03T18:26:00.001-08:00

Poland officially began commemorations of the bicentennial of the birth of its most celebrated composer, Frederic Chopin, on Friday with a ceremony at his birthplace, Zelazowa Wola, about 50 miles west of Warsaw, and a concert in the capital featuring the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. More than 2,000 events, nearly half of them to be held outside Poland, are planned during the bicentennial, including films, jazz performances, exhibitions and the 16th annual Chopin International Competition. Warsaw will also host a Chopin festival that begins this week with a performance by the Chinese pianist Lang Lang; Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich will be featured performers later in the year.

NEWS: Auschwitz Sign Theft Linked to Terrorist Plot

2010-01-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Photo: Jacek Bednarczyk

New developments in the investigation into the disappearance of the entrance sign at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland suggest that the theft was part of a larger far-right terrorist plot in Sweden.

The sign -- which famously read "Arbeicht Macht Frei" ("Work Sets You Free") -- was mysteriously stolen from the entrance to Auschwitz (now a museum) in the early hours of Dec. 18. The Polish government declared a state of emergency, closed its borders and launched a national-level search for the perpetrators of the crime.

The theft was initially assumed to be the work of neo-Nazis, although a number of conspiracy theories also surfaced.

Just before Christmas, Polish police arrested five men in connection with the theft, after recovering the sign (which had been cut into three pieces). Early reports labeled these men as "ordinary criminals," dismissing the idea that they were "far-right sympathizers." The thieves returned to Auschwitz with the police to demonstrate how easy it had been to breach security (although they made the fateful error of dropping the "i" in "Frei" on their way out, ultimately leading to their capture). It seemed to be the work of a bunch of common thugs, out for financial gain.

It now appears that while the thieves were not themselves neo-Nazi sympathizers, their sponsors were. Apparently, the theft was inspired by a far-right neo-Nazi group in Sweden that planned to sell the sign to a collector of Nazi memorabilia, the proceeds of which would then be used to finance a string of terrorist attacks in Sweden.

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has revealed that there is a neo-Nazi group in Sweden -- the financial arm of which has been specializing in this sort of "art" robbery -- which it then uses to help fund its military arm. The militants are believed to have Russian weapons, explosives and machine guns and an assault group of five people to carry out attacks.

2009-12-21T04:46:00.001-08:00

NEWS: Polish Police Find Stolen Auschwitz Sign

2009-12-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

The Auschwitz sign which had been stolen a couple of days ago has been found in northern Poland. Police detained five men aged between 25 and 39, who are being transported to Kraków for questioning.

The sign was cut into three pieces, each containing one of the words.

A police news conference to explain the issue is planned at 08:00 GMT (3 a.m. EST) Monday. The police refused to divulge any details of the circumstances in which the sign was found or to speculate on the motive.

The sign that topped a main gate at the Auschwitz memorial site was stolen before dawn on Friday. State authorities made finding it a priority and appealed to all Poles for assistance.

More than 1 million people died in the gas chambers or from starvation and disease while performing forced labor at Auschwitz, which Nazi Germany built in occupied Poland during World War II.The camp was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan.27, 1945.

The museum is preparing for solemn observations of the 65th anniversary of liberation.

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Polish Consulate Observes Independence Day - NYC

2009-11-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

by Staś Kmieć

The National Independence Day of the Republic of Poland (Narodowe Święto Niepodległości) was celebrated at the Polish Consulate in New York. The commemorative event began with the national anthems of Poland and the United States of America - Mazurek Dąbrowskiego and The Star Spangled Banner sung a cappella by mezzo-soprano Marta Wryk.

“Since the gloomy days of November begin to mark the end of the year, we traditionally use our National Independence Day for the reflection of the time-passing and the joy of where we came to and what we achieved,” said Consul General Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk. “2009 has been truly significant year. In Berlin our Polish living legend of Solidarity, Mr. Lech Wałęsa, pushed the first brick of a domino taking us twenty years back to the unforgettable moments of happy crowds demolishing the Berlin Wall. But the fall of that infamous wall started half a year before, with the Round Table negotiations in Poland which led to the first free elections in the Soviet bloc and forming the first non-communist government within the Soviet bloc.”

Independence Day is a public holiday in Poland celebrated on 11th November to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's independence in 1918. After 123 years of partitions, Poland reappeared on the map of Europe as a sovereign democratic state. The Independence Day is strongly connected with General Józef Piłsudski. Ninety-one years ago the Regency Council appointed Piłsudski Commander in Chief of Polish forces entrusting him with the task of creating a national government for the newly independent country.

“We face the same challenges as entire global community but we look into the future with self-confidence and our collective pride of the unprecedented achievements of the past 20 years of freedom and progress,” said Kasprzyk.

The Consul General recalled the seventy year anniversary of the horrific event of November 6, when the Nazi Gestapo entered Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Aimed as an extermination of the Polish intellectual elite, 144 distinguished professors and scholars were deported to the concentration camps of Dachau and Sachsenhausen. A small exhibit was on a display in the main foyer.

State distinctions from the President of Poland were bestowed upon a Polish American and two Americans. The Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland was awarded to Vincent Brunhard Jr. – founder and owner of “Polonaise Terrace” restaurant and banquet hall and founder/operator of the former movie house – the Chopin Theater in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Brunhard worked as a lobbyist to gain Poland’s entry into NATO and is Executive Vice-President of Downstate Division of the Polish American Congress.

Gold Crosses of Merit were awarded to Eric and Suzanne Klara Walther – members of the Board of Directors of the New York Dance and Arts Innovations; they are co-organizers and co-sponsors of the annual “Chopin and Friends” Festival. In the past, both were editors of Magazine Art.

A sculpture exhibit - The Spirit of Polonia – a Legacy to Mankind – the work of artist and sculptor Tracy H. Sugg was unveiled. These pillars of Poland’s national identity, heritage and culture included Kopernik, Kościuszko, Pułaski, Chopin, Madame Sklodowska–Curie, Sienkiewicz, Modrzejewska, Plater, Mickiewicz, Paderewski, Queen Jadwiga, King Sobieski, and the beloved Pope John Paul II.With a lifesize statue tribute to Kościuszko for the Redbud Springs Park in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Sugg (who is not of Polish descent) began a passionate fascination with Polish historical figures and research. Alex Storozynski, President of the Kosciuszko Foundation noted that the pieces would be for purchase at the Foundation.

Kasprzyk displayed to the audience the original copy of the invitation that the pioneering Consul General of Poland sent out in 1919, when the Consulate of the re-born Poland opened in New York.

Polish American pianist Violetta Koss played classical selections, while theinvited guest were treated to fine Polish cuisine prepared by `the chefs employed by the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.` Among the distinguished guests were Andrzej Towpik, Ambassador of Poland to the United Nations and Honorable Consuls General from several countries.

In Poland, officials remembered 91 years after regaining independence during a ceremony at the Piłsudski Square in Warsaw, the streets in Poland’s capital city hosted the reenactment of events which took place in 1918 with historical army formations marching along the Royal Route, jazz artists performing “Marsz Pierwszej Brygady” (“We of the First Brigade”), one of the best-known songs of the Polish Legions. The Museum of Polish Army held a large event entitled Touch Independence.
Clockwise from Top left: -- Consul General Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk; Mezzo-soprano Marta Wryk; Pianist Violetta Koss; the guests; Paul T. Sosnowski, Executive Vice President Polish & Slavic Credit Union, Consul General Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk, Rep.Michael McMahon, and Counsel Carmen J. Cognetta; Tracy H. Sugg; Kasprzyk honoring Suzanne Klara and Eric Walther; Vincent Brunhard Jr. in the background

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CONCERT: Legendary Punk Band in NYC

2009-11-06T15:52:00.001-08:00

As part of Performing Revolution in Central and Eastern Europe Festival, The Polish Cultural Institute of New York, in collaboration with The Hungarian Cultural Center will present Poland's legendary punk band Dezerter in Rebel Waltz: Underground Music from Behind the Iron Curtain on Saturday, November 7 – 11:00 pm at (Le) Poisson Rouge - 158 Bleecker Street at Thompson Street, NYC.

In spring 1981, the heyday of the Solidarity movement, the young musicians came together as SS-20, a name provocatively referring to a Soviet nuclear missile. A month after the group's debut concert, the regime imposed Martial Law, temporarily ending Solidarity's gains. When their name was then banned from posters they changed it to Dezerter. Despite censors' restrictions they officially released the first punk single to critique the system, which sold 50,000 copies before a re-issue was cancelled. The band is still going strong after three decades.

At 4:00 pm there will be a public discussion with the bands and a screening of Beats of Freedom, a documentary on Polish music of the 80's at The New School, Arnhold Hall, 55 W. 13th Street, Rm 531.

2009-11-06T14:06:00.001-08:00

CONCERT: Warsaw Village Band’s Antique Instruments

2009-11-06T13:37:00.001-08:00

Photo: (clockwise from top left):bębenek, lira korbowa, fidel Płocka, bas, cymbały, suka Biłgorajska; Maja Kleszcz (center)

Under the auspices of The Polish Cultural Institute of New York, The Warsaw Village Band (Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa) has been touring the United States.

The last dates to see them are:
Friday, Nov. 6 – Somerville, MA at Somerville Theater
Saturday, Nov. 7 – Washington, DC at National Geographic
Sunday, Nov. 8 – New York City at World Music Institute - Highline Ballroom

Antique traditional Polish instruments are a major inspiration for the Band which infuses contemporary rhythms and haunting cutting-edge vocals into folk forms. Among these are: cymbały (hammered dulcimer), bębenek obrzęczowy (cymbaled hand drum), baraban (double-headed side drum), lira korbowa (hurdy-gurdy), fidel Płocka (chordophone violin) and the suka Biłgorajska – a 16th century knee four string fiddle with and archaic wide but short neck, flat bottom, resonance case made from one piece of wood. A shout singing style, biały głos (white voice) accentuates the folk tunes.

THEATER: US Premiere of Wormwood – New Haven and NYC

2009-11-05T18:31:00.001-08:00

The Polish Cultural Institute of New York, the Yale Repertory Theatre, and the World Performance Project at Yale present the US premiere of Wormwood by Theatre of the Eighth Day (Teatr Ósmego Dnia) of Poznań on November 5-7 at 8:00 pm at the Frederick Iseman Theater -1156 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT For tickets: (203) 432-1234.

Related programs, Free and open to the public are: a lecture The Poetics of “Going against the Tide”: 45 Years of the Theatre of the Eighth Day on Monday, November 2, 5:30-7:00 pm at the Whitney Humanities Center and a workshop with the company on November 3, 6:00-8:00 pm at the Theater Studies Ballroom.

In New York City, as part of Performing Revolution in Central and Eastern Europe, a performing arts festival marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, The Polish Cultural Institute and the Abrons Arts Center will present the New York premiere of Wormwood on November 11-15 - performances are at 8:00 PM, except Sunday at 3:00 PM at the Abrons Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement - 466 Grand Street, New York, NY. For tickets: 212.352.3101 or abronsartscenter.com

Founded in 1964, the legendary Theatre of the Eighth Day was one of the most uncompromising theater groups in Communist Poland and remains just as uncompromising today. The revival of their celebrated production Wormwood, with the original cast was first presented in Poland in 1985. It was famously banned at the time because of its open and frank depiction of life in Poland during Martial Law. The Polish Communist Party shut down the production, and the would-be audience was met by a police barrier at the scheduled premiere. The ensemble outwitted local party officials and the police by organizing a secret premiere the following day at a different time in the same location. Performances in churches and clubs of the independent culture circuit in many Polish cities, followed.

Wormwood will be performed in Polish with English supertitles. Wormwood has a running time of approx. 60 min., and each performance is followed by a talk back with the artists.

PERFORMANCE ART: The Communist Future, if it still existed

2009-11-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Performa in association with The Polish Cultural Institute of New York will present Christian Tomaszewski, in collaboration with video and performance artist Joanna Malinowska in Mother Earth Sister Moon on November 4 – 21. An installation, with special live performances on: November 6, 14, and 21, 6:00 & 8:00 pm at Performa 09/Chashama - 679 Third Avenue at 43rd Street, NYC. Installation admission free. Hours: Installation on view Tues.-Sat. 12:00 - 6:00 pm.
Performance tickets: 212-366-5700.

Tomaszewski and Malinowska consider how the future was imagined by the Communist regimes of the former Soviet Bloc. Mother Earth Sister Moon explores this theme by examining the fashion and style elements of a diverse range of Eastern Bloc phenomena, including the Soviet space program, sci-fi film and literature, and the cults surrounding the mysterious 1908 explosion over the Tunguska River Valley in central Siberia.

Both Polish-born, the two are New York-based artists.

2009-11-05T13:44:00.001-08:00

FROM POLAND: Mazowsze Opens New Center

2009-11-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mazowsze has written a new chapter in its history. Years in the making, the song and dance company recently opened a new facility – Matecznik Mazowsze as a cultural center for visitor exchange between folk artists from around the world. Located on the premises of their picturesque Palace and complex in Karolin (near Warsaw), Matecznik is comprised of a rehearsal center, meeting rooms, wellness area with personal gym and sauna, a 98-person Guesthouse Inn, an 80-seat traditional Polish cuisine tavern– Karczma Staropolska, and a 3766 sq. ft multi-use amphitheatre arena – created for both indoor and outdoor concerts, which seats 563.

“Matecznik Mazowsze will help us foster the spiritual and cultural dimension of our lives,” said the main advocate of the project, Mazowieckie Voivodship Marshal Adam Strużik. “This is a unique opportunity for Poland and the Mazowsze region to promote our country’s culture and art.”

The opening ceremony was entitled Inspiracje Chopinowskie (Chopin Inspirations) featured pianist Krzysztof Jabłoński and the Polish Radio Orchestra under the direction of Tadeusz Kozłowski playing Piano concerto in F minor op. 21; a presentation of a fragment of the film Podróż Sentymentalna about Polish-born conductor Arthur Rubinstein’s 1979 return to Poland and connection to Mazowsze; and an excerpted performance by the Song and Dance Ensemble. In addition to its repertoire the company performed Witold Zapała’s ballet impression to Frédéric Chopin’s Rondo à la Krakowiak and folk songs by Chopin: Życzenie, Laura i Filon and Hulanka.

Among the invited guests were Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak and Cardinal Józef Glemp, Primate of the Poland.

FOLKLORE: Virsky Dance Company - Bronx, NY

2009-11-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Virsky Company to Perform in the Bronx

As plans are underway to bring Mazowsze back to North America for a more extensive tour in 2010, folk dance enthusiasts can fill the void by experiencing the renowned Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company.

The spirit of Ukraine will come alive in swirls of color and precise patterns of dance when the company makes a return visit on Sunday, November 15 - 6 pm at the Concert Hall at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx. This stylized folk-inspired troupe was created in 1937 by Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, and guided by Virsky until his death in 1975. In 1980, the company's artistic direction was overtaken by Myroslav Vantukh, Virsky’s disciple, who is creating new dances.

Many similarities and historical connections and shared boundaries can be found between Poland and Ukraine, not to mention the once-Polish city of Lwów, and the plight of the Eastern Carpathian Hutsul ethno-cultural group. Culturally and anthropologically the Hutsuły comprise a mix of Ukrainian, Hungarian, Rumanian, Polish and other types. Depending on the ever-changing boundaries, their inhabited territories sometimes included Poland - the last time being during the interwar period, when their land divided between Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania.

Tickets for Virsky can be purchased at www.LehmanCenter.org or 718-960-8833.

NEWS: Nowy Dziennik Makes Endorsement in NYC Mayoral Election

2009-11-03T03:19:00.000-08:00

Today is Election Day, so go out and vote!

In the NYC election - The Polish-language Nowy Dziennik - Polish Daily News has strongly endorsed incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his bid for an unprecedented third term re-election. Nowy Dziennik has a circulation of roughly 22,000 and is distributed across the five boroughs.

The Mayor’s total number of newspaper endorsements now totals 60 with a broad group of publications from across the city including: The New York Times, The New York Daily News, New York Post, community and ethnic media.

Excerpts in translation of the endorsement Nowy Dziennik printed:

· “With no hesitation Nowy Dziennik – Polish Daily News, the voice of the New York Polish community, endorses Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the third term.”

· “In the last eight years Bloomberg has proven himself as a skillful mayor, whose comprehensive experience in managing such a big city does not compare to any of his opponents.”

· “The Mayor's achievements, especially during the second term, are outstanding and incomparable.”

· “We applaud Mayor Bloomberg for his continuous efforts to improve the quality of life in New York City. Unquestionably, the Big Apple has turned a beautiful and friendlier city thanks to the recent improvements…”

· “Bloomberg has introduced a gamut of immigrant friendly initiatives like interpreter services in city agencies and has recently promised further integrative and language programs for foreign born New Yorkers. Polish ethnic group profits greatly from all initiatives meant to improve the lives of immigrant communities.”

· “Personally speaking, Michael Bloomberg won our gratitude with his attendance at the recent Pulaski Parade. We hope that when chosen for the third term he will be a more frequent guest at Polish events and he will tighten alliance with our community.”

Exercise your civic right and VOTE!

2009-11-02T11:22:00.001-08:00

ART: Aleksander Grzybek on Exhibition in Greenpoint-Brooklyn, NY

2009-11-01T18:13:00.001-08:00

Starbucks Coffee in Greenpoint is the place to see contemporary art by Polish artists. Aleksander Grzybek is presenting his paintings in an Art Exhibition entitled WALKING...– November 1- 30, at Starbucks Coffeehouse, 910 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint-Brooklyn.

Grzybek was born in Białystok, Poland, where he lives and works. He graduated from the UMCS University in Lublin. His works can be found in the collections of the Podlaskie Museum, the Gallery "Arsenal" both in Białystok, the Association “Stopka” in Łomza, and in private collections at home and abroad. The main theme of his work is man - the human figure is reduced to a graphic symbol. The artist paints on canvas and on the boards or parts of the old beams from abandoned houses and barns.

FOLKLORE: Goblins, Ghouls & Baba Jaga

2009-10-31T12:25:00.001-07:00

It is Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) and while Poland does not celebrate this very American holiday directly, it does have subtle cultural similarities. Two days later on November 2, Poles honor those who have passed on the Catholic observance of All Soul’s Day (Święto Zmarłych, Dzień Zaduszny or Zaduszki) . Foretelling and magical occurrences take place on St. Andrew’s Eve (Andrzejki).

Poland has its own monstrous folklore figure with the mythical, archetypal witch – Baba Jaga. Any Polish child would be very upset if there were no fairy tales with Baba Jaga. This character exists in several cultures. She is the Hindu Goddess of Death, Kali, In Macedonia she is Baba Pora, in Serbia she is Baba Roga.

In Slavic folklore Baba Jaga is a witch-like character. She flies around on a giant mortar or broomstick, kidnaps (and presumably eats) small children, and lives in a house which stands on chicken legs. In most Slavic folk tales she is portrayed as an antagonist; however, some characters in other mythological folk stories have been known to seek her out for her wisdom, and she has been known on occasion to offer guidance to lost souls, although this is seen as rare.

In Polish folklore Baba Jaga’s house rests on a single chicken leg and she wears the the black and red striped weaved cloth of the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains. She is an unofficial symbol of the area’s Kielce region, which has a folklore rich in legendary witches Sabbaths on Łysa Góra (the famed Bald Mountain).

Баба Яга is used as a stock character by authors of modern Russian fairy tales, and from the 1990s in Russian fantasy.

The name Baba Jaga is composed of two elements: Baba means "old woman, grandmother" used in most Slavic languages; and the second Jaga, is from Proto-Slavic (j)ęgа, which may be related to Lithuanian ingis meaning ‘lazybones, sluggard', Old Norse ekki – 'pain', and Old English inca – 'question, scruple, doubt;, grievance, quarrel.’ It has also been suggested that Jaga may be a diminutive of the female name Jadwiga.

There are several stories attributed to Baba Jaga. One version says with each question asked of her she ages a full year. The only way to regress in age is by brewing a special tea from blue roses. She is a wise hag who imparts advice and magical gifts to heroes of the pure of heart. Baba Jaga is all-seeing, all-revealing, and all-knowing. She is a forest spirit who brings wisdom through death and rebirth.

Happy Halloween and watch out for Baba Jaga!

Is Halloween Celebrated in Poland?

2009-10-31T08:37:00.001-07:00

Poland does not celebrate Halloween

A bit more of this American holiday (just like America’s Santa Claus and holiday culture) has entered Poland’s mainstream to an increasing degree each year.

Zazzle offers a “Polish Halloween” T-shirt: http://www.zazzle.com/polish_halloween_tshirt-235517878001235801.

YouTube shows one couple celebrating the holiday on their balcony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMjxNQ_hqCQ.

2009-10-29T17:50:00.001-07:00