Day of the georgians and the podhale highlanders / main concert

Wednesday. Today’s ensembles could practically wave to each other every day. The Khulo region lies at the heart of mountainous Adjara, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres above sea level, whereas the comrade town of Zakopane ranges in altitude from 750 to 1,126 metres above sea level.

Just four letters, yet they mean so much: HOME. The place where we grow, where we come from, and where we return to. A synonym for safety and excellent relationships. A home is about walls, a roof… but perhaps most importantly, a home about people: mum, dad, siblings… sometimes grandma and grandpa…

At the start, the announcers remind us where we are and what a wonderful event this is. And that’s quite right. In today’s world, it’s really easy to feel lost.

And the special guests on Tuesday evening are: Joanna Staszak, who serves as Head of the Culture Department at the Zakopane Municipal Office. At the same office, Katarzyna Stachoń-Tylka is a senior specialist... also present in the audience. We have also been visited by Jan Kulpa, the head of the Nawojowa Community Centre. Last but not least, Wojciech Luberadzki is greeted, although it would be difficult to describe him as a guest in the present context. As the manager of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre, he is actually the host of this place.

Aunt Hania loves Podhale; she grew up there, and now is sharing her joy with us, for today MAŁY HOP CUP, a Zakopane-based ensemble will be showcasing her native culture.

A hand-cranked whetstone. A senior shepherd is whetting shears. The sound of grinding drowned out by the singing of two lads. Now he’s going to show them how to sharpen a tool, but first they must sing for him, because they sing beautifully. A song about sheep, and then they set about sharpening their tools. 

On the other side, two more lads. You can see a conflict brewing, much like the one between Argentina and Spain after the final of this year’s World Cup. Fortunately, there are some lasses, who are walking embodiments of peace. Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. As it turns out, highlander singing works has the same charms, because just one song is enough for the lads to make up.

What wonderful times those were, when a single long piece of rope made a good toy. You can jump over it like a skipping rope, play the rat, or run away from someone who’s trying to hit you with the rope.

What wonderful times those were, when a long plank and a tree stump were all you needed to have some fun. Two boys stand at either end of the plank resting on a tree stump and try to keep their balance without letting the plank touch the ground. Not easy. You can tell they’re really enjoying themselves. And then it turns out that a plank like that on a block was the great-great-grandmother of the skateboard.

What wonderful times those were, when – however it sounds – a friend was enough to be entertained. One, two, three… and two lads, a third lad, a fourth lad… it’s hard to describe. 

What wonderful times those were, when you didn’t need toys at all. A group was all it took: the younger children, who have only just run onto the stage, are playing the game of the mill wheel. The others are jumping over the rope again – seeing who can do it the most times – or riding a board with a single ‘wheel’, i.e. a tree stump. The younger ones recite a counting rhyme to decide who is going to be the wolf catching the geese that want to go home. There are too many wanting to play blind man’s buff, so another counting rhyme is necessary, but a different one this time. And next to them, the rope is spinning again; the children are jumping over it in a circle, and whoever fails to leap up in time, stands in the middle and spins the rope.

You can hear some sounds… that’s right, but what instrument is this? An elderly highlander tells the children that it’s bagpipes, and that people used to play them whilst herding sheep. And even today, you can dance to this kind of bagpipes music, as demonstrated by a couple from the MAŁY HOP CUP ensemble. A Podhale dance step - so familiar, so traditional, so inimitable… a girl spins to the rhythm of a boy’s claps, and then they’re back in the circle together. And here’s another couple who deserve praise from others: “they are dancing beautifully,” “marvellously.”

In the background, on the LED screen, a dirt track winds its way between the trees towards a low cottage with a shingle roof – presumably a cottage “in Pardałówka.”

And here are some more couples. The dancers are older and fitter. There are more and more movements, and the music seems a bit faster too.

The musician has to leave, so everyone sets about tugging the rope. The girls win. Here comes the senior shepherd – the one from the beginning – now he’s happy that he’ll have so many children to help him card the wool. But just like in the parable about the banquet and the king: some make some excuse, others make another, and the third group of invitees… well, these simply run away. Only two lads stay. They’re probably the ones who learnt how to sharpen the shears. They help out, thereby earning the senior shepherd’s gratitude.


In the increasingly well-known song about the “Comrade friend” we sing about how we’re… together.


With a powerful sound, the accordion and the drum summon two dancers onto the stage. She is dressed in white, taking tiny steps, gliding along. He is dressed in black, with his arms raised. In the background, Georgian landscapes from the place where - according to legend - God created Eden; and here, a contrast of colour, movement and gender.

A second drum joins the band, but it’s hard to say which is louder: the slap of a hand against the membrane, or the thud of twenty-two heels as the eleven ARGINETI lads conquer the stage. Yes... “conquer” is the right word – as if they were attacking it, as if they wanted to send floorboard splinters flying, so that no one would have any doubts as to who’s in charge on stage now, who’s taken absolute control here, who has “boarded” the stage.

The MAŁY HOP CUP children are coming back. Alternately: dancing and singing. Now in traditional highlander costumes. The costume is about identity, which is why, since yesterday, Patryk and Hania have been encouraging the audience members to come dressed in traditional costumes, if they have any. There hasn’t been much of a response so far, but… let us wait and see.

The children from Georgia have also changed their outfits. The girls are dancing in beautiful, delicate, almost everyday-looking sky-blue dresses, with sky-blue scarves and white aprons tied around their waists. The boys no longer look quite so feisty; they’ve taken on a softer look in their white tops and black trousers.

Just a few more previews of tomorrow’s concert, and so the third evening has come to an end, which means… we’re past the halfway point.