Zespol Piesni i Tanca Slask i Goran Bregovic 007

Zespol Piesni i Tanca Slask i Goran Bregovic 022

Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble (full name: ''Polish National Song and Dance Ensemble "Śląsk" in memory of Stanisław Hadyna'', in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: ''Zespół Pieśni i Tańca "Śląsk" im. Stanisława Hadyny'') is one of the largest

folk ensembles. It was founded on 1 July 1953 by Stanisław Hadyna and is named after the

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

("Śląsk") region. It is based in Koszęcin. Stanislaw Hadyna, the son of a Silesian teacher, is well known for his collection of folk songs. The world of legends and fantasies, ever-present in the tunes of Silesia, fascinated him from his earliest years and made him decide to form an ensemble which could render the richness and originality of Silesian folklore. To achieve his aim he needed talented and sensitive young people who were as yet unmannered by the stage. The performers were chosen from among 12,000 candidates and the castle in Koszecin became their home base. The first performance by "Slask" in the Autumn of 1954 in Warsaw was something of a revelation for the whole country. The aim of the group is to show Silesia's age-old folklore which retains its own very specific identity in a large and much varied area. (excerpts from notes on LP "Slask, The Polish Song and Dance Ensemble, vol. 3". Muza. Polskie Nagrania SX 348) Śląsk originally focused on the folk traditions of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T� ...

, and the

Beskids The Beskids or Beskid Mountains ( pl, Beskidy, cs, Beskydy, sk, Beskydy, rue, Бескиды (''Beskydŷ''), ua, Бескиди (''Beskydy'')) are a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west ...

. It was later expanded to include all Polish regions. The ensemble has performed more than 6,000 shows for over 20 million people worldwide. It has performed in the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, China, Mexico, and many other countries, as well as the Vatican. The Śląsk ensemble has worked with such notable Polish composers as

Wojciech Kilar Wojciech Kilar (; 17 July 1932 – 29 December 2013) was a Polish classical and film music composer. One of his greatest successes came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' in 1992, which received the ASCAP Award a ...

. Some of its most notable songs are ''Szła dzieweczka, Helokanie, Ondraszek, Głęboka studzienka, Karolinka''.

Awards

* Music and Art Award of Silesia (Silesian Music Prize in 1958, Artistic Prize in 1965) * Honorary award from the President of the United States * Honorary award from the ministry of culture of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

* Award from the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian V ...

* Gold Medal from The World Peace Council in Stockholm in 1959

References

External links

Official site (in Polish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slask Song And Dance Ensemble Silesian culture Polish dances Polish music Polish folk groups 1953 establishments in Poland