The meeting continued the series of meetings with seniors launched last year as part of the observance of the European Year for Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity.
The meeting began with an introduction to the children of the appearance of folk costumes and the sounds of musical instruments.
The “Jutrzenka” Song and Dance Ensemble is the best-known ensemble in our region cultivating the folklore, culture and traditions of the former Yugoslavia (Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian). The ensemble presented the children not only with Polish folk costumes, but also with Croatian and Serbian ones. The children learned about the individual elements of these costumes and their names. They saw instruments such as the accordion, trumpet, clarinet and guitar up close and learned about their sounds.
The children then listened to a concert by “Jutrzenka”. The ensemble’s repertoire included songs in Polish and Croatian, which the young audience listened to with great interest.
During a break in the concert, each kindergarten group presented the guests with a song and a dance. The seniors listened to “Cha-cha for Grandma and Grandpa”, “Little Wnusia” and “The Golden Fish”, and admired how the young performers handled the prepared dance routine.
The youngest children danced the “Grozik”, the middle group performed the integrative dance “Het Carillon”, and the oldest children performed a routine to the melody “Little Blue Handkerchief”. The ensemble members received the children’s performance with great enthusiasm and rewarded them with thunderous applause.
Later in this exceptionally successful meeting, the “Jutrzenka” ensemble presented Kolo, a Croatian folk dance, and then invited all the groups, one after another, to dance together. Although some of the children got their “legs tangled”, the group dance brought everyone much joy and provided unforgettable experiences.
The children also had the opportunity to sing several songs together with the ensemble, including the well-known folk song “Szła dzieweczka” and the song “It Is Snowing”.
The meeting had a unique atmosphere and proceeded in a very pleasant mood. Despite the considerable age difference, the children and seniors established excellent rapport. The variety of the repertoire, the excellently presented programme and the amazing costumes worn by the ensemble made a tremendous impression on the children, inspiring delight and happiness.
The invited guests unanimously stated that meetings of this kind are not only an opportunity to instil a love of folklore in the younger generation, but also help reduce the distance between generations.
(information: MMP No. 3 Branch/ii)