The Polish Folkloric Ensemble Syrenka grew from a Folkloric Dance Group formed in 1968, and established
in 1971. Including its major debut at the National Shell Folkloric Festival
for the Opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, the Ensemble has performed
for most Shell Folkloric Festivals, at all PolArt festivals in Australia since
their beginning in 1975, and has travelled throughout Australia to perform at
various concerts, displays and exhibitions. The ensemble gives approximately
25 performances per year. The Ensemble has taken part in many competitions throughout
NSW and has always gained a place. Year round fundraising, donations and such
prize money has enabled the purchase of the group's extensive range of authentic
costumes from Poland. Each dance comes from a different region of Poland, and
hence the variety of costumes, though most are bright and colourful and beautiful
to look at.
Syrenka's style of dance is fun - beautiful costumes, singing, acrobatics and
unique traditional choreographies which tell a story the audience can enjoy
- though often with unexpected surprises and outcomes!
The Ensemble's joint choreographers, Wieslawa & Mark Voynich, bring a wealth of
experience in professional dance, teaching and arts management, while the Music Director,
Jerzy Scislowski, composes music and draws on decades of study, performance and teaching
to ensure the group sounds as good as it looks. The group’s current elected President
is Alex Brak, a veteran dancer who along with a number of Syrenka’s other senior dancers
has trained with Poland’s State Folk Song and Dance Ensemble “Mazowsze”. The ensemble's senior group
still counts amongst its repertoire dances choreographed for the group by previous
Artistic Directors, including Iwona Kower, herself a former Syrenka dancer,
graduate of the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London, holder of a diploma in
Polish Folkloric Dance & Song for Choreographers & Instructors from the University
of Marie-Curie Sklodowska in Lublin and possed of extensive experience in arts management, as well
as the late and dearly missed Stanislaw Paduchowski, former principal soloist with Mazowsze.
The aim of the ensemble is to promote Polish culture in Australia to the Australian
and Polish communities, and educate the general public about the Polish culture
and the Polish community in Australia. Our objectives include not only the promotion
of Polish culture, but to educate the youth which join our ensemble about Polish
culture and encourage them to be proud of their heritage and continue with Polish
traditions and the Polish language. We feel that the best way to teach this
to the youth is in a fun and social environment through the ensemble and its
teachings of Polish songs and dances.
The Polish Folkloric Ensemble Syrenka is an incorporated non-profit charitable
organisation. Strict financial records are
kept and audited on an annual basis, and together with our Constitution, membership
quota and monthly committee meetings (whose minutes are also audited and registered
with our Financial records with the Department of Fair Trading), fulfill all
legal and moral obligations. The committee is elected at Syrenka's Annual General
Meeting.
Syrenka consists of three different aged groups (6-10 years of age, 11-16
years of age and the senior group has ages 17-30 years), and currently has over 100
members. We rehearse at the Polish Club in Ashfield for four (4) hours per week,
more frequently for major events.
In 1999, the senior group attended and performed in a world-wide festival in
Europe which was televised throughout Europe and America, where the group not
only performed traditional Polish dances but represented Australian culture
by performing contemporary Aboriginal dance, choreographed by renowned Aboriginal
choreographer, Matthew Doyle. It is only the second time in the festival's thirty
(30) year history that an Australian group attended, and we were highly acclaimed,
featuring on the front pages of many newspapers and giving many television interviews.
In 2002, the senior group once again attended and performed in the international
festival of Polish folkloric dance at Rzeszow. This time, Syrenka attended as an
independent entity, having built the group's membership and repertoire such that it
could finance it's own trip by a fundraising effort above and beyond any prior precedent.
As previously in 1999, the event was a fantastic success. This time, Syrenka's
performance of their trademark "Szalony Folklor" was the highlight of one of the
largest open-air concerts, even being singled out in the city's leading newspaper. Two
of Syrenka's senior performers were among the three solo vocalists leading the Gala
concert's closing act.
In December 2006 through January 2007, Syrenka performed in PolArt 2006, a
three-yearly Festival of Polish Arts and Culture, featuring the works of Polish artists
across Australia and New Zealand, held in Hobart for the first time. Syrenka performed in the festival's
concerts, featuring both trademark dances of the group as well as new and
exciting choreography prepared for the event.
In 2008 Syrenka celebrated its 40th anniversary with a sold out formal ball catering
to over 500 guests and 100 performers.
More recently, Syrenka has participated in numerous local and regional festivals
including the World Culture & Arts Festival at the Sydney Town Hall, Canberra
Floriade and the 2009 National Multicultural Festival in Canberra.
