A Polish folk dance group is coming to Powell River and anyone who enjoys international music and dance will not want to miss the show.
Powell River doctor Piotr Pater is helping to bring the dance group to the Upper Sunshine Coast for two shows. They will perform a short version at the Laughing Oyster and then a full show at Evergreen Theatre, Powell River Recreation Complex.
Pater, who is from Poland, and his wife were involved with Polish traditional dancing in New Zealand where they lived for a few years. If they had been in Poland, no dance group would have accepted them due to age, but New Zealand welcomed them.
“Usually it is very young people, like teenagers, who get involved in those groups,” said Pater.
While dancing there the couple made many friends and got to know many groups from Poland. Dance troupes travel the world promoting Polish culture.
“It was very beneficial to our group that we would invite groups from Poland to come and visit and dance for us,” he said. “They would teach us additional things.”
Jedliniok, the name of the group coming to Powell River, is from Pater’s hometown, Wroclaw, a large city in the south west of the country.
The dance group is based out of the University of Wroclaw and other schools in the city and its dancers are principally students.
“Most of them are about 20 years of age and they do this on top of their studies and are quite professional,” said Pater.
The group was established in 1975 and takes its name from a Lower Silesian dance from Jedlina Zdroj.
“Poland is a small country, but there are between 10 to 15 different cultural regions and each of those have different music, clothing and dances,” he said. As such, the performance will be colourful and vibrant with dancers changing costumes to match performances from different regions.
The dancers are also bringing their own band of four musicians, to provide dance music.
They have concerts all over the world, said Pater. “This year they will perform in Canada and then California,” he said. “They’ll also go to China, Czech Republic and Turkey.”
Audiences do not necessarily have to have Polish or Ukrainian backgrounds to appreciate this kind of performance, he added.
Pater said he has known the group since he lived in New Zealand. He heard they were finding it difficult to raise funds for accommodation while performing concerts in Vancouver, and invited them to spend a few days in Powell River.
He told them about Powell River Academy of Music and the support that international groups enjoy here.
“Powell River is very vibrant, so I thought why not have them come to the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
The troupe will perform at 6 pm on Thursday, September 11, at the Laughing Oyster for a short concert and then play a full show at 7 pm on Friday, September 12, at the Evergreen.
Space is limited at the Laughing Oyster, so Pater recommends making a reservation. Tickets for the Evergreen Theatre show can be purchased at Urban Earth Teas (4660 Marine Avenue) and Pater’s office (6935 Harvie Avenue) or by calling Louis at 604.485.0152. Tickets for adults are $15 and children are admitted for free.
