This year Mali Poligrodzianie folk group will celebrate 30 years of activity. On this occasion the youngest artists will go on a concert tour around Greater Poland. His Magnificence prof.dr hab.inż. Tomasz Łodygowski, Rector of Poznań University of Technology and mgr Elżbieta Walkowiak, chief education officer of Greater Poland in Poznań, took Honorary Patronage over the Jubilee.
The tour will open with a concert in Aula Nova at the Musical Academy in Poznań on 9 April. Then, the little artists will perform in Tarnów Podgórny, Międzychód, Konin, Bnin, Gniezno. The concert composed of 8 mini-shows will present the works of Mali Poligrodzianie:
- Children’s folklore from the region of Dąbrówka based on games, rhymes, counting-out games and dances.
- A suite of dances derived from Szamotuły which demonstrate the dignity and vibrancy of local folklore. Boys show their skills at cracking whips, girls wave their handkerchiefs called wiwatka in a characteristic manner.
- The folklore of Lower Silesia based on joyful and lively polka The choreography won the first place at 4th International World Folklore Review in 2013.
- Dances and songs derived from the Silesian Beskids – spectacular men’s acrobatic tricks in żabiok and zając
- Plays, counting-out games, rhymes and simple dances that present the folklore of the Mazovia of Kołbiel.
- A suite of dances and songs derived from the Łowicz region. The main theme is an exchange of teasing remarks between boys and girls.
- The national krakowiak with genuine Cracow-born lullabies and songs.
- Folklore of Lachy Szczyrzyckie – a theatre and music performance full of vibrant polkas with numerous accents and skips.
- Folklore of Żywiec region – dance steps characteristic for the region in typical children’s games, e.g. hajduk during rope skipping.
The motive behind the foundation of Mali Poligrodzianie in 1985 was to teach children to be sensitive to arts, respect folk traditions and Polish culture. The motive is valid to this day. The activity of the group is aimed, on one hand, at developing artistic skills of its members, who through years-long participation in classes and concerts develop skills at performing arts (dancing, singing, acting), and on the other – at influencing the education of audiences composed of school-age children by presenting the wealth of Polish folk and national culture.
The repertoire is prepared on the basis of sources as close as possible to the “roots” of Polish folklore. The nature and mode of conduct and performance characteristic for a particular region, and a typical line-up of instruments, are preserved.
The Mali Poligrodzianie group was founded in 1985 at the side of folk dance group of Poznań University of Technology called Poligrodzianie. The group is composed of around 40 young dancers aged 6-14. Over the past 30 years they have visited nearly 20 countries on three continents (e.g. South Korea, Canada, Turkey), they have danced and sung hundreds of concerts, including a number of charity concerts, to present the wealth of Polish culture, with emphasis on their native land. High artistic level has won the group prizes in a number of competitions, reviews and festivals, e.g. the First Prize at the 2003 Voivodeship Folklore Review in Nowy Tomyśl, Special Prize of the Voivode of Lubuskie Voivodeship during 2004 11th National Festival of Children and Teens Dance Groups in Gorzów Wielkopolski, or the First Place in 2014 4th International World Folklore Review held in Zduńska Wola.
