About Polanie
The Polanie Dance Group is a non-profit organization operating in Ottawa. The group was established in 1956 and now operates as a youth group of the Polish Combatants Association of Ottawa. The mission of the group is to share and promote Polish folklore dance and pass on Polish folklore heritage to future generations. The classes are conducted in a friendly and fun atmosphere and are open to all nations and all skill levels.
There are 3 age groups:
Beginner: 5-9 years – Saturday 12:15-12:45 p.m. at St. Nicholas Adult High School (893 Admiral Ave.)
Intermediate: 10-13 years – Saturday 12:15-1:15 p.m. at St. Nicholas Adult High School (893 Admiral Ave.)
Senior: 14 years+ – Monday 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Dom Polski (379 Waverley St.)
The dance year starts in September and ends in May with an end of the year gala concert.
Instructors
Andrzej Borowiec
Andrzej has been an instructor of the Polanie Dance Group since 2005. Prior to moving to Ottawa he was an instructor of a children and youth dance group in Thunder Bay for 5 years. He completed a Polish dance instructors' course in Lublin, Poland.
Rachel Domaratzki
Rachel started learning Ukrainian dance at the age of 7. In 2005, she joined Pomorze Polish Folkdance Ensemble in Halifax to learn Polish dancing, and when she moved to Ottawa in 2008 she was happy to become a member of Polanie. She has been teaching the younger groups since 2010.
Monika Kardyś
Monika has been a member of the group since 2017 and in 2019 completed the second year of the Polish folk dance choreography course at the University of Rzeszow. In her youth, she danced with Lechowia in Missisauga and now helps teach the "Beginner" and "Senior" group.
Marcel Podsadowski
Marcel has began dancing with Polanie since he was 7 years old and completed the second year of the Polish folk dance choreography course at the University of Rzeszow in 2019.
Administration
Emilia Pohl
Emilia is a decades-long volunteer who has invested countless hours of work in Polanie, as Treasurer and now also as Administrator, to maintain and propagate Polish folk dance culture both within the Polish diaspora and the Ottawa community at large. In addition to being the curator of the costume holdings of the ensemble, Emilia also liaises with the local Polish Combatants’ Association (SPK) which so generously supports the dance group.
