The Artistic Committee of the 31st FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS

An ethnologist and culture researcher, one of the foremost instructors of folk ensembles in Podhale, a highly committed cultural life animator. She took a graduate degree in ethnological studies at the University of Silesia (the Cieszyn Branch), and a post-graduate degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Warsaw. In 2018 she defended her Ph.D. dissertation in ethnomusicology at the Institute of Art at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. In 2000-2004 she acted as the head of the Community Centre in Poronin. She is also the chairwoman of the Museum Board of Władysław Orkan Museum in Rabka-Zdrój. In 2005 she established the Association of Folk Culture Lovers, and MAJERANKI Children's Folk Ensemble in Rabka-Zdrój. She is an expert affiliated with the Polish section of CIOFF, a member of the Programme Board of the National Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw, and the Scientific Board of the Podhale Inhabitants’ Association in Poland. Besides, she acts as a jury member in numerous folk festivals and contests. Member of the CIOFF Traditional Culture Commission.

Dr Tomasz Nowak, a musicologist, anthropologist and dance instructor with a habilitation degree in arts. An assistant professor and head of the Department of Systematic and Cultural Musicology at the Institute of Musicology of Warsaw University. He also teaches dance as an adjunct professor at Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. He is an author of several books and more than eighty academic articles on, inter alia, traditional music and dance performed by communities inhabiting Poland and the neighbouring countries. Dr Nowak is a laureate of the CLIO Award, Rev. Prof. Hieronim Feicht Award, as well as the Award for the best written work on the history of Polish music.

An assistant professor at the Institute of Ethnology, Folklore Research, and Ethnography Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; an ethnochoreographer at the Department of Ethnomusicology and Ethnochoreology. An author of more than 50 articles published in scientific journals. In her research she mainly focuses on dance music and folklore, contemporary folk events, and folklore in the Balkans. She is a choreographer and artistic director for dance ensembles in Sofia, a member of the Expert Board for Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, of the Choreographers Association in Bulgaria, and of the Bulgarian Section of CIOFF.

A graduate in ethnography at the Jagiellonian University. Since 1976 he has been professionally involved with the Provincial Culture Centre - currently SOKÓŁ Małopolska Culture Centre in Nowy Sącz - where he has been employed as the chief folklore specialist. He has originated many folk festivals and contests. In 1979 it was on his initiative that the Department of Folklore and Folk Arts was established; he served as its manager for 24 years. He acts as a juror and consultant for major contests, festivals and competitions, both local, all-Poland and international ones. In 1988-1993 he was a member of the Board of Experts at the Ministry of Culture and Arts. He is a member-founder of the Polish Section of CIOFF, and a member of the CIOFF Programme & Arts Board. In the 1980s he was also a member of the Artistic Board of the “Folk Stage” at the National Management of the Association of Rural Youth. He gives lectures at seminars, conferences and training sessions in folklore, organized by SOKÓŁ Małopolska Culture Centre, and other domestic institutions. Currently, he serves as a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Team at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Dr. Dusittorn Ngamying has experience in culture, education, performing arts, history and archaeology. Currently, she is teaching at the Department of Dance Education of Humanities and Social Sciences, Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University under royal patronage, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. „Performing arts are a microcosm of life. We take on characters, face challenges, learn, and grow through diverse perspectives. Acting is not just play; it's a reflection of life, fostering understanding, healing, and development that enrich our existence.”

Laura is passionate about folklore and engaging new generations in it. She is reading for an MA degree in Arts Management and Cultural Policies in Mexico. She has a BA in International Relations, with a minor in Anthropology, and a specialization in Social Projects Management. She has taken extra-curricular studies on Intangible Cultural Heritage management. She has acted as a folk dance interpreter for more than 15 years for a variety of ensembles in Colombia; she is a graduate of the Colombian folk dance programme with a scholarship from the ESARTEC Foundation. Currently, Laura is working as a technical advisor for a cultural corporation affiliated with the Colombian Ministry of Culture (CoCrea). She has been a member of CIOFF® for 9 years, working on different projects dedicated to the promotion and preservation of forms of folk expressions around the world; she has also been acting in the capacity of a Colombian and International Youth Representative, an advisor for Colombian folk groups’ international promotion, and currently a chairperson of the Communications Commission. She was a leader of the project ‘Heritage without borders’ funded by UNESCO in 2020 and developed by CIOFF® Youth, and a coordinator of the International Forum of CIOFF® Festival Directors held in 2023. She has been a project coordinator of the Foundation for promotion of Colombian and Mexican Art (ARCOLMEX A.C), which includes a folk dance group of Colombian migrants in Mexico. In 2022 Laura received the Albert van der Zeiden for her contribution to the Heritage Alive project from the Forum of NGOs accredited by the UNESCO ICH Committee. Laura advises folk ensembles with regard to the development of various management strategies, e.g. project writing, fundraising, artistic portfolio, ethnographic research, communications.