ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION:

FEBRUARY 2020

ID: P18

This activity is intended as preparation for the subsequent pupil exchange LTT and for the FESTIVAL OF MULTICULTURALISM event.

PARALLEL STAGE: Participating pupils learn simple steps for traditional dances during an extracurricular dance club or PE lessons.

INTERACTION/ FOLLOW-UP STAGES: During the final LTT, each group of participating students teach the dance steps to their peers and have a common performance. Upon returning to their schools, pupils will teach the steps to their classmates or club members. The dances will also be performed during the FESTIVAL OF MULTICULTURALISM.

POLONAIS, Polish Traditional Dance

The polonaise is a Polish dance and is one of the five historic national dances of Poland. The others are the Mazurek, Krakowiak, Oberek - they are old folk dances. Polonaise originated as a peasant dance known under various names – chodzony ("pacer"), chmielowy ("hops"), pieszy ("walker") or wielki ("great"), recorded as early as the 15th century. Then it gained popularity among the nobility and townspeople. This dance in 3/4 metre was designed to entertain the French royal court. The term polonaise was used over the term polonez at the start of the 18th century. The polonaise is a widespread dance in carnival parties. At high schools the polonaise is always a first dance at a "studniówka" ("hundred-days" before the matriculation exam), the Polish equivalent of the prom that occurs approximately 100 days before exams.