Polonez

The polonaise is one of the oldest Polish national dances, which probably every Pole knows and can dance. Therefore, the placement of the polonaise on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is a great reason for us to celebrate. The decision on the inscription was taken last week, on 5 December 2023..

The polonaise is a group dance with a solemn but also joyful character. It used to be known as ‘walking’ because that’s basically what it looks like. Pairs of dancers march one behind another to form a procession, and they also perform various rather simple figures, for example with their hands raised to form bridges under which other pairs pass, join together in fours and eights or form circles. Some experts draw attention to the symbolism contained in the polonaise, referring to values such as equality, unity and harmony, especially as it is an open, egalitarian dance that unites dancers across divides.

Nowadays, the polonaise enhances celebrations of important national and regional holidays or even weddings. The steps and figures of the polonaise are known to all students in their final year of secondary school, because it is with the ceremonial dancing of the polonaise that the prom begins, i.e. the ball organised about a hundred days before graduation. The polonaise is performed by all dance groups, amateur and professional, as it is part of the Polish cultural identity.

 

The history of the polonaise dates back to the 16th century. It was known among all social classes of our country. It was danced both during balls at royal courts and at village weddings. It was an inspiration for composers such as Fryderyk Chopin, Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Because the polonaise is not only a dance. It is also a beautiful musical genre with triple meter, moderate tempo and solemn character. The most famous polonaises are:

Frédéric Chopin – Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53, called Heroic, composed in 1842, considered an important symbol of Polishness: https://chopin2020.pl/pl/compositions/72/polonaise-in-a-flat-major-op.-53/video

Michał Kleofas Ogiński – Polonaise “Farewell to the Homeland” (1831) (1831) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo3mtx0cgdY

Henryk Wieniawski – Polonaise in D major op. 4 ( 1853) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGExjWfLGyQ

Wojciech Kilar – Polonaise for the film “Pan Tadeusz” by Andrzej Wajda (1999) https://youtu.be/rKaoCndSZI8?si=xv_dPwQevhPTxtnJ

Bartosz Chajdecki – Polonaise from the TV series “Tim of Honour” (2008) https://youtu.be/dnSKRaz8xiY?si=hWFi6WBPcAC7ZLJp

Have a listen!

photos by Paweł Tadejko

The polonaise is the sixth Polish tradition to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Earlier entries include:

– Cracovian cribbage making (2018),

– beekeeping culture (2020),

– falconry (2021),

– the tradition of flower carpets for Corpus Christi processions (2021)

– rafting (2022).