The name appears to be a symbol, a metaphor for the whole idea of children's folklore. In the dialect of the Podhale region, zawaternik is a piece of wood, usually beech, found in an apparently extinguished hearth, smouldering gently. Why? So that, when the time comes, it can be used to start a new fire. Aren’t the souls, the hearts and the minds of the little artists from All the Mountains of the World like zawaterniks that burst into festival flames like the Nowy Sącz Festival?
The forty-two year history of the Children’s Highland Ensemble from Leśnica-Groń has seen many such flare-ups. It would be difficult to list even the titles of their programmes, let alone the venues where they have presented them. The chronicles of the Ensemble’s activities number 30 volumes! Just think how many generations of children and young people have danced and sung their time away in ZAWATERNIK. Thanks to all these years, their awareness of both the tangible and intangible heritage of their little motherland is still smouldering.
ZAWATERNIK means authentic music, dance (solowy, juhaski, zbójnicki), song, children’s games, counting rhymes and nursery rhymes; and all that is integrated into stage performances brimming with traditional customs and rites of the Podhale region. Some of these treasures had to be dug out from under the crust of time, cleaned of their patina, so that they could live again. And that is also the activity engaged in for years by ZAWATERNIK, founded and led by Maria Dudek.
To this year’s Festival they are coming with an age-old problem. Just like the Capuleti and the Montecchi, the Dolanie of Groń and the Górzanie of Leśnica are going to have a face-off. Get ready for some real action! Fortunately, the title of the programme is something of a spoiler: “Toniec nos godzi” - Through dance we kiss and make up.
ZAWATERNIK means authentic music, dance (solowy, juhaski, zbójnicki), song, children’s games, counting rhymes and nursery rhymes; and all that is integrated into stage performances brimming with traditional customs and rites of the Podhale region. Some of these treasures had to be dug out from under the crust of time, cleaned of their patina, so that they could live again. And that is also the activity engaged in for years by ZAWATERNIK, founded and led by Maria Dudek.
To this year’s Festival they are coming with an age-old problem. Just like the Capuleti and the Montecchi, the Dolanie of Groń and the Górzanie of Leśnica are going to have a face-off. Get ready for some real action! Fortunately, the title of the programme is something of a spoiler: “Toniec nos godzi” - Through dance we kiss and make up.