August with Master and Apprentice
Another month of meetings between Master Piotr Kulka and Apprentice Filip Laskowski, as part of a scholarship project run by the National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage, has passed. In August, dance workshops and lectures presented traditional dances typical of Poznań’s historical villages: “walcerki”, “lendry”, and “szocze”. During the meetings, the historical origins of these dances were discussed, as well as their cultural significance among settlers who arrived in the Poznań region.
“Walcerki” are dances performed in the odd meter of 3/4, less frequently 3/8, and most often accompanied by a song. They arrived in the Poznań region under various historical circumstances, primarily from Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria, and were adopted and transformed by the people, both musically and dance-wise, under the influence of local folklore. The rotating steps, gaits, and turns used were influenced by the atmosphere, custom, ritual, and, above all, the imagination of the participants.
“Lendry”, a group of dances belonging to the group of introduced dances, arrived in the Poznań region with Dutch settlers. Through the influence of native musical features, choreotechnics, customs, and rituals, new and diverse forms of Lendry were created and incorporated into the repertoire of local dances. They have even meters, and most melodies are accompanied by a song. The basic steps of Lendry, as pair dances, are the back-and-forth steps and the rotation from foot to foot. They were most often performed around the circumference of a circle and along its radial paths, inward and outward. Lendry became very popular among participants, hence most often performed during playful gatherings.
“Szocze” are dances of Scottish origin, whose form resembles the polka. Adopted by the people of Greater Poland, like other dances, they were adapted in musical and choreographic form to suit the needs of the performers. Performed in even meters, they were referred to by Oskar Kolberg in his multi-volume work “People” as “sliding polka.” Szocze, as a couple dance, is performed slower than typical polkas. Characteristic steps include flat forward and spinning polkas, jumps performed in place and spinning, kicking the legs forward and backward, and three-times stomping on the last beat of the phrase. Szocze have also become popular in other regions of Poland, such as Kashubia and Silesia.
We invite you to see photos from the implementation of the fourth stage of the project, as well as a short video summarizing the fourth month of work of the Master and the Apprentice:
The project “Save from Oblivion – the Dance Culture of the Old Villages of Poznań” is a project of the “Master-Apprentice” scholarship program of the National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage, funded by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
