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 * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''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 (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

("Śląsk") region. It is based at

Koszęcin palace Koszęcin Palace (; ) is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical palace in Koszęcin in Lubliniec County, in the Silesian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest palace complexes from the neoclassical period in Poland. Originally a wooden castle ...

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 ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

, and the

Beskids The Beskids or Beskid Mountains (, , , (), ()) are a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west along the border of Poland with Slovakia up to Ukraine in the east. The highest mountain in the Be ...

. 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

* Award from the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

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

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slask Song And Dance Ensemble Culture of Silesia Polish dances Music of Poland Polish folk groups 1953 establishments in Poland