POLONAISE POLONEZ

POLONAISE

HISTORY Danced at the end of the sixteenth and seventeenth century at the court of Polish kings. Polonaise was a kind of parade when the nobility presented themselves to the king. This dance was an essential element of the court ceremonial as the opening part of every major event. It was danced in a serious, dignified way. The most eminent couple started the polonaise and danced as the first pair. The other couples walked behind them. Since the mid-seventeenth century, polonaise was known among all social classes of our country and from then on it has been considered as a national dance.

DANCE CHARACTER Polonaise is a team dance. In order to look good and have a proper stance one should be guided by an experienced leader. Polonaise is a ceremonial procession which expresses the dignity and the national pride of the Poles.

Every year, on the occasion of a ball held a hundred days before the school-leaving exams (Polish equivalent of the senior prom) the youth start preparing a great spectacle with POLONAISE as its constant opening part.

Polonaise in a stylized form, as a style of music had already appeared in the baroque suite, and many later composers made use of it. The world famous polonaise composer was Frederic Chopin, who turned them into masterpieces of classical music, as exemplified by the Polonaise in A Flat Major (one that you are listening to now) often associated with Poland. MUSIC

The largest polonaise dance London was the place where a record was established in the number of people dancing polonaise outside Polish borders. 301 Londoners (including a large group of Poles) danced polonaise. The record was officially approved and entered into the Guinness Book of Records.