Poland 2008

XIV International Folk Dance Festival in Rzeszow

XIV Światowy Festiwal Polonijnych Zespołow Folklorystycznych Rzeszow 2008

The Rzeszow Festival is an event during which dancing becomes not only a way of life but a way of uniting people from all over the world. This year 1300 young adults came together at the Rzeszowski Festival to share this common interest with one another. Although many of the dancers were returning participants some were new comers. But wether new or old, the difference in experience did not create a single barrier between the dancers. Together we further developed our knowledge of the Polish culture and celebrated it.

The festival is organized in a way which integrates everyone from the very beginning. Soon after arrival people from all the neighboring dorms began to mingle. I must say that meeting people from all over the world was an experience that I really enjoyed. Although I may not be the most outgoing person, everyone was very welcoming and friendly and this made it very easy to talk to other young adults about not only their dancing experience but about their lives in the foreign countries. A very popular topic of discussion was that of how the Polish culture prospers all around the world and continually influences the lives of Polonia in those nations. These conversations were not only very informative but also very uniting.

However, the festival was not all pleasure. Our days began bright and early and were filled with practices, rehearsals, performances, and many other activities that kept us nice and busy until after dusk. At the end of the day when we finally had some free time, we often chose to spend it dancing into the depth of the night, sometimes even greeting the rising sun. This is no surprise, because when such a large amount of young adults that are that passionate about dancing gather from all around the world, no less can be expected.

-Karolina Maslanka