Once banned, Poland's stately 18th century dance garners UNESCO honors (2024)

Summary

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Once banned by rulers dispatched from Moscow, Poland’s stately polonaise dance that nurtured the country’s spirit even through the dark years of its partition is now honored by UNESCO. This 18th century dance has been performed from aristocratic balls to village celebrations, inspiring composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederic Chopin. It still figures prominently in big national occasions, pre-graduation balls and weddings. On Dec. 5, this living tradition was ensconced into the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a “form of joint celebration,” which “commemorates important moments in family and community life and symbolizes cooperation, reconciliation and equality.” Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, which petitioned for the dance’s inclusion into UNESCO’s list, said its initiative was met with huge public support. “Thousands of people on Facebook and on other social media were supporting the (UNESCO) entry,” Joanna Cicha-Kuczynska of the ministry’s Department of Monuments Protection, told The Associated Press. She said there is a huge community, including entire families, that dance the polonaise and pass the tradition on. Performed in pairs, it is led by the first and most prominent pair which improvises various figures, such as raising joined hands to form bridges under which other dancers can pass. “The most important in the polonaise is that the whole group can jointly dance the choreography, and among the personal features the most important are the dignity of the men and the ethereal nature of the women,” said Marcin Pracki, a dancer of the Warsaw University’s Dance Theater “Warszawianka.” Another “Warszawianka” dancer, Monika Fiugajska, said the dance’s simplicity is its strength. “It is a very simple dance, the simplest among our national dances but at the same time it has an exceptional soul and one can express emotions in it in an exceptional way,” Fiugajska said. This slow-paced procession dan...