“Save from oblivion – the dance culture of the old villages of the city of Poznań” scholarship project “Master – Apprentice” of the National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage

Poznań and its old villages, now parts of the city as districts, are an area that, thanks to strong traditions of folk culture, has preserved many old dances – both native and those adopted from outside, called “newcomers”. These dances were performed by the local rural population, including “Bambry” who settled in these areas – German settlers who settled in deserted villages.

In the natural conditions of the rural community, a dance repertoire was formed, distinguished by its style and manner of performance, passed down from generation to generation. The songs and dances included in it were well known to the entire community and were characterized by relative stability of form, although they allowed for differences resulting from the personality, temperament or imagination of the performers. These features influenced the individual style of performance and the way of dancing characteristic of a given social group, closely related to local custom, ritual and custom.

Over the years, as villages were incorporated into the city limits and natural bearers of tradition left, local musical, dance, ritual and costume folklore began to disappear.

Thanks to many years of research and activities of Piotr Kulka, it was possible to recreate it and bring it back to life both in the natural environment and on stage. Piotr Kulka became the only expert and teacher specializing in the old dance folklore of Poznań villages.

As part of the scholarship of the National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage “Master – Apprentice”, Piotr Kulka’s knowledge will be passed on to the younger generation and will be continued and popularized in the following years. During the project, the student – Filip Laskowski – will learn directly from the Master the skills related to performing traditional steps and figures characteristic of the dance culture of old villages around Poznań. During 140 hours of workshops, the student will become familiar with local native dances, such as: “wiwaty”, “chodzone”, “marsze”, dances with rhythms of mazurek, ritual dances and polkas. The course will also include applied dances such as: “walcerki”, “lendry”, “szocze”, “tyrolinki” and dance games. The student will also learn about local annual and family customs, and the steps and figures they have mastered will enable them to conduct workshops and create their own choreographies in line with the Poznań dance tradition. The knowledge and skills of the Master will allow them to preserve unique forms of movement and protect valuable local cultural heritage from oblivion. Filip Laskowski will also learn about the history of settlers and characteristic costumes – both the Poznań village costume and the costume of the Poznań Bambry – which were an important distinguishing feature of the local identity. The project will culminate in the artistic development and presentation of the Easter custom of “Gaik” during educational concerts for children and youth. During these, young participants will have the opportunity to learn about Poznań games and dances passed on to the student by the master. The project will end with an exhibition of photos and a film documenting all the activities, organized in the Provincial Public Library and the Center for Cultural Animation in Poznań.

Piotr Kulka – the master of the project – is a regionalist, traditional dancer and expert in Wielkopolska folklore. He is the only one in Poland who specializes in local dance and music folklore of the old villages of the city of Poznań. He acquired his knowledge from Mirosława Bobrowska – a researcher of Wielkopolska folklore, regionalist and traditionalist, collaborating with Jadwiga and Marian Sobieski, among others.

Thanks to many years of field research, contacts with authentic bearers of tradition, ethnographers and ethnochoreographers, Piotr Kulka has delved into the secrets of dance and music culture of Wielkopolska, and especially – almost completely forgotten – dance culture of old villages of Poznań. As part of his activity, he has recreated both native dances and introduced dances, characteristic of this Poznań area. In cooperation with regionalists and museum curators, he has reconstructed two types of costumes occurring in the region: the Poznań village costume and the costume of the Poznań Bambry. His most important achievements also include the reconstruction of old customs and rituals, including the Poznań “Podkoziołek”, the Poznań “Oczepiny” and – currently under preparation – the custom of taking away the young bride’s wreath. Dances such as wiwaty, przodki, szocze, lendry and others – with steps and figures characteristic of the region – are today presented not only on stage, but also as part of educational concerts in cultural and educational centres in Wielkopolska and during workshops conducted also for Polish communities abroad, including in the United States and Canada.

Filip Laskowski – a student of the project – has been strongly associated with Polish folk culture for years – he began his adventure with folklore as a seven-year-old.

The dancer and certified folk dance instructor from Poznań has been exploring the traditions, dances and rituals of Wielkopolska for years. As a long-time member of the “Wielkopolanie” Folkloristic Group, he has performed at prestigious festivals in Poland and abroad, promoting folklore as an ambassador of Polish culture and the Wielkopolska region. A scholarship holder of the Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region in the field of culture, he completed a specialist instructor course “Mazowiecka Akademia Tańca” of the Mazovian Institute of Culture in Warsaw and today he shares his knowledge by conducting educational concerts for children and workshops for students, including in English for international students of the Erasmus+ program. He develops and documents local tradition with great commitment, cooperating with many experts and dance teachers in Poland, including the Master of the project Piotr Kulka – an outstanding expert in the culture of Wielkopolska – focusing on the already forgotten culture of the old villages of the city of Poznań.

In his daily activities, Filip Laskowski not only takes care of the authenticity of the message, but also inspires younger generations to discover the values of local tradition. He wants to cultivate the knowledge transferred as part of the “Master-Student” program among the next generations of children and youth.