Spring Polka!
/Five countries, five different workshops, more than one hundred participants and three common goal – sharing traditions, meeting other cultures, and having fun!
“Spring Polka! Eastern European Dance Night” happened in the theatre at St. Vladimir Institute on Saturday March 25th.
Polky Village Band, representing Poland; Csango Unchained - Hungary; Vychodna Slovak Dancers, representing Slovakia; Stephania Woloshyn from the Lemon Bucket Orchestra representing Ukraine, and Danču Vakars, the Latvians, gathered to meet, and to dance!
Each group taught a few traditional dances from their country. There were mostly couple dances like polka, krakoviak, and waltz, but also circle dances. The most energetic and simple dances were the Hungarian dances with their charismatic dance workshop leader screaming: “That's good enough, but not good enough for me!”
Eastern Europeans like dancing and celebrating their own traditions but they also like to eat and drink! Pierogies kept people’s energy up and Eastern European drinks were there to quench the dancers' thirst.
The event was co-organized by Folk Camp Canada, Kosa Kolektiv and St. Vladimir Institute and was a big success, and there is a plan to have similar events throughout the year. Get ready for the next one, because the organizers are already thinking about a “Summer Polka!”
In the meantime, come dance and celebrate spring with us at our annual Haivky- Spring Revels in the Park, in the ancient Eastern European tradition of calling spring with songs and ritual dances.
