Thanks to its performance “Spring in the Beskid Mountains”, Student Song and Dance Ensemble “Katowice” of the University of Silesia won first place in the category of artistically arranged dance groups at the 12th Intercultural Festival “Zagłębie and Neighbors”.
The Festival took the form of a competition and was held on 1 May 2022. The jury included specialists and experts of, among others, the Polish Section of CIOFF (Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et d’Art Traditionnels) – International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts.
Both children and adults take part in the Festival every year. Participants present an authentic programme, faithful to traditional performances or artistically arranged, so as to not deviate from the folk original. In each category (song and dance ensemble, band, and singing group), the winning ensembles are awarded cash prizes and the main prize – the Grand Prix of the Festival. The Artistic Council also provides consultations for managers, musicians, and choreographers of the ensembles.
Over the course of the two days of this year’s edition, more than 1,000 artists from Podhale, Podbeskidzie, Lesser Poland, central Poland, Kielce region, Silesia, and Zagłębie performed on the stage of the Zagłębie Palace of Culture.
Members of the Student Song and Dance Ensemble “Katowice”, photo by Wojtek Korpusik