Located in Eastern Poland is the city and region of Lublin where folklore is to this day still very popular. The folk music and dances of this region can be traced back to the 16th century. Lubelskie dances are not complex but offer simple movements and figures, but when done with vigour and grace can be quite beautiful. I have combined two Lubelskie dances below. The first is “Osa” which originated in Tatary (one of the districts of the present day city of Lublin) followed by “Mach”, a fantastic show-off dance done at weddings, consisting of four parts that begin slowly and elegantly and increase in tempo as we dance through all four partitions ending with a whirlwind of spins. I was taught this dance in the early 1970’s by my teacher Leokadia Magdziarz and was subsequently throughout the years, shown several other interpretations and variations by experts from the region. My thanks and appreciation to Jan Pogonowski, Zenia Stepowicz and the late Ignacy Wachowiak for their contribution.
LUBLIN – Osa and Mach
