We began on Friday, June 15, with a strong sporting program. The audience gathered in the sports hall at the school complex was quickly roused to enthusiastic cheering by competitors in the Thai boxing discipline Muay Thai. These were supposedly only exhibition bouts, but medical services had to intervene twice. Among the competitors were such prominent figures in the discipline as Grzegorz Nazar, the current Polish runner-up. After a short break came basketball at a level never before seen on our courts. Second-league Sudety Jelenia Góra faced TOP Bolesławiec, aspiring to the third league and additionally supported by Krzysztof Roszyk, a player for first-league Prokom Trefl Sopot. Despite the fantastic support, TOP had to acknowledge Sudety’s superiority, ultimately losing 89:94. Krzysztof Roszyk received the title of the match’s best player.
Saturday was filled with attractions of an entirely different kind. Artists inspired by Ukrainian, Polish, Balkan and Borderlands cultures performed on stage. It was all part of the Meeting of Four Cultures. The audience seemed especially warmly to welcome the Łastiwoczka vocal ensemble, rooted in Ukrainian culture, as well as the young people representing the Ukrainian-language IV General Secondary School in Legnica. The performance by Bolesławiec’s Jutrzenka was only slightly less popular. The audience was captivated by displays of national dances in picturesque period costumes, performed by young people who ordinarily dance at the National Dance Club at the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre and were trained by Anna Serkies, an artistic dance instructor who puts her whole heart into her work. The cultural afternoon concluded with a concert by Baltic Sevdan. The lively music, steeped in Bulgarian, Albanian and Croatian styles, easily found its way into the hearts of local residents—the older generation still feels a strong fondness for Balkan culture and music.
Sunday’s program was probably the most attractive. We began with a concert by the choir of the Bolesławiec Municipal Brass Band. We listened to vocal and dance performances by children from local schools and kindergartens. Eucharistic teams competed in sporting events initiated by Father Doctor Piotr Bizoń. The hope of a fine theatrical spectacle was fulfilled by the performance “Dragons from the Luminous Land,” prepared by the Puppet Theatre from Wrocław. Puppeteers on gigantic stilts, accompanied by poignant, atmospheric music, created an effect of both horror and amusement that affected nearly all the spectators. The puppeteers then gave way to jockeys and horses from the stud farm in Jaroszówka, competing in a show-jumping contest. The standard of competition was truly impressive. The day ended with two musical highlights, bringing the three-day marathon to a close. First came a concert by Agata Werner, promoting pop/dance music. Young people naturally enjoyed it; older attendees somewhat less so, but overall the performance was dynamic and electrifying. Finally, late in the evening, there was a Silesian feast originating from Gliwice, featuring characteristic Upper Silesian humour and singalong songs. The audience had a wonderful time.
We witnessed an event that had truly been prepared with professionalism and offered a diverse artistic and musical program. Considering its scale and proportions, this year’s Dni Gromadki can be compared with the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival, the most representative event in our region. And in this symbolic rivalry, we certainly do not consider ourselves doomed to lose.
(information and photographs by Tomasz Matyjewicz /GA)
(paid information)