Polish American Folk Dance Company
Celebrates 75 Years!
Brooklyn, New York – The Polish American Folk Dance Company will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding with a 2-hour performance at NYU Skirball Center on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 7:00 pm. The concert will showcase the rich diversity of Polish folk culture, and will include both national and regional dances of Poland, as well as song medleys by Kapela Ludowa (folk band).
As part of the celebration PAFDC is premiering three new dance suites choreographed by Zofia Czechlewska. Kołomajki is from the Śląsk region of Poland, and Mazurka features girls’ games at the court balls. Both suites are performed solely by women. Szamotuły is from the western part of Poland, where the influence of the region’s equestrian past is reflected in dances where men demonstrate their skills in handling whips. The dances are characterized by dignity and respect. Zofia Czechlewska was a soloist and ballet instructor at Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble of Poland for 30 years. PAFDC will debut two dance suites newly created by its choreographer Tomasz Orzechowski: Kurpie, dances from the White and Green forests of eastern Poland, and Mazur Kopciuszek, which features a Cindrella theme.
Tickets for this special gala performance are available through:
• NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, New York, New York,
212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111, www.nyuskirball.org
• Polish National Home, 261 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 718-387-0505
• Forum Travel, 616 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 718-389-1010
Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and students with ID, and $20 for children under the age of 15. Group rates are also available. (See advertisement page 5)
About Polish American Folk Dance Company (PAFDC):
Founded in 1938, PAFDC today is recognized as one of the premier amateur Polish folk dance ensembles in the world. The Company consists of separate adult and children’s dance ensembles and a folk band, and has a performing wardrobe of over 600 costumes representing most regions of Poland. The Company has been honored twice by the Republic of Poland for its success and dedication to researching, preserving, and presenting Polish folk culture in America, receiving the Oskar Kolberg Award in 1979, and the Order of the Merit of Culture in 2003. While it has performed in most major U.S. cities and in Poland, Hungary, and Canada, PAFDC maintains an active schedule of performances throughout New York City and the surrounding metro region.
Polish American Folk Dance Company is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The 75th Anniversary Concert is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, as well as the generosity of other friends and donors.
For more information about PAFDC please visit www.pafdc.org.
For more information about the event, call Margaret Pasanowic, PAFDC Chair 75th Anniversary Concert Committee, 212-662-0553, mpasanowic@gmail.com