Resolution
Whereas, In 1991 Marekand Ewa Kus founded the Lajkonik Polish Song & Dance Ensemble with a handful of enthusiastic students with the goal of promoting Polish folk songs and dances in Chicago and throughout the United States by showcasing artistic dances, passionate songs and colorful performances; and
Whereas, Lajkonik's five performing groups of over 100 dancers present a variety of national and regional Polish dances, which feature traditional dynamic steps and songs sung in the Polish language; and
Whereas, The Lajkonik, which describes a masquerading Tatar warrior on his horse, became a symbol of Poland's victory over the Tatars in 1241, and still plays an important role In the Krakowiak, the traditional dance ofthe people of Krakow; and
Whereas, Lajkonik belongs to the Holy Trinity Polish Mission in Chicago and is under the patronage of the Polish National Alliance Group 3241; and
Whereas, Lajkonik dancers have graced many stages including those of the Chicago Public Libraries, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Children's Museum, Daley Plaza, the Taste of Chicago, Millennium Park, Navy Pier and Polish Fest in Milwaukee, and Lajkonik has represented the Chicago Polish Community four times at the International Folk Dance Festival in Rzeszow, Poland; and
Whereas, The group aims to acquaint Polish Americans with the richness of their thousand year-old heritage, and to help build pride in Polish Americans through performances of their dances and songs, and the group also encourages other Americans to learn about and appreciate Polish culture and traditions; and
Whereas, The ensemble also promotes a broader goal of providing its youth and audiences with access to the arts at a time when schools and public organization are cutting their funding for these types of programs, and even though, as a folk dance ensemble, Lajkonik occupies a niche in the arts, its members are still educated in music, dance and theater - artistic skills that have universal applicati...
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