We are the oldest Polish folk dance group!
Jadwiga Hryniewiecka's “Harnam” Folk Dance Ensemble is one of the oldest and most renowned folk dance groups in Poland. Founded in 1947 in Lodz by Jadwiga Hryniewiecka, an outstanding dancer, choreographer and educator, the ensemble has become an important center for the cultivation of Polish dance and music traditions from the very beginning.
Jadwiga Hryniewiecka, who is now the patron of the Ensemble, was the main inspiration for its creation and development. Her passion for Polish folklore and her commitment to educating young people meant that “Harnam” quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading dance ensembles in the country. Hryniewiecka placed great emphasis on authenticity in the portrayal of Polish folklore, taking care to faithfully reproduce both dance routines and folk costumes.
Jadwiga Hryniewiecka. Archives: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe,
Syndicate: Koncern Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny - Illustration Archive, ref. 1-K-11819.
The “Harnam” ensemble specializes in folk dances and songs from various regions of Poland, presenting the richness and diversity of Polish cultural heritage. The group's repertoire includes national dances such as the polonaise, mazur, oberek and kujawiak, as well as regional dances, characteristic of different parts of the country, such as Podhale, Kurpie, Silesia and Kashubia.
Over the decades, “Harnam” has performed at numerous festivals and reviews both in Poland and abroad, winning numerous awards and honors. The ensemble has repeatedly represented Poland at international folk festivals, contributing to the promotion of Polish culture around the world.
“Harnam” is not only an artistic ensemble, but also an important educational institution where successive generations of young people learn folk dances, develop their artistic talents and gain awareness of Polish folklore. The group regularly organizes workshops, courses and lessons to explore the secrets of folk dances and songs
Today, the Jadwiga Hryniewiecki “Harnam” Folk Dance Group continues its mission to promote Polish folklore, combining tradition with modernity and adapting its performances to contemporary audience expectations. The group remains one of the most important ambassadors of Polish folk culture, inspiring successive generations to cherish and develop traditions that are an integral part of Poland's cultural heritage.
Representation
The Representative Group is the majority of our Group's alumni, who have been studying dance at Harnam from an early age. These are individuals from 15 to 30, who represent a high level of dance skills which gives them the opportunity to present the most difficult items of the group's repertoire, on Polish and foreign stages. Dancers of the representative group are those who demand a lot from themselves, and dance is their way of life. It is safe to say that they are amateurs of dance at a professional level, so participation in the team is for them a systematic and commitment that translates into a satisfying artistic effect.
Harnam in movies
It has appeared in more than a dozen Polish feature films and documentaries, and has repeatedly participated in television programs in Poland and abroad. The ensemble was a performer of dance scenes in, among others, the Golden Palm-nominated film of Oscar winner Andrzej Wajda, “Ashes” or “Pan Wolodyjowski” by Jerzy Hoffman, as well as “How I Unleashed World War II” by Tadeusz Chmielewski and many other Polish productions. Harnam was also recognized and invited to collaborate in the recent film directed by Jerzy Stuhr titled: “Citizen”, where members of the Harnam Band played the role of dancers of the “Kujawiak” Ensemble. The film premiered in the fall of 2014.
Harnam on the road
So far, 8 million people have watched the performances of the group, which has given a total of 3,700 concerts. The group's colorful costumes and dances have been admired in 32 countries and 110 localities in Poland. The group has been applauded by audiences in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Algeria, Tunisia, Moldova, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Morocco, Syria, Egypt, Turkey. Over 75 years of activity, as many as 30,000 people have practiced and worked with “Harnam.”
Awards
“HARNAM” is the winner of world dance competitions in: Berlin, Bucharest, Chisinau, Nice, Venice, Vienna and many other prestigious folklore festivals around the world. The group has won many prestigious state, provincial and municipal awards and prizes. In 1997 it was awarded the Prize of the City of Lodz, the Medal for Merit to the Lodz Voivodeship, the Diploma of the Minister of Culture and Art, and the pedagogues of the Ensemble Mrs. Maria Krynska and Mr. Krzysztof Sitkowski were awarded the Orders of the Smile. In May 1999, the “HARNAM” Ensemble achieved a significant success, winning the Main Prize - GRAND PRIX at the VII National Review of Polish National Dances in Rzeszow.
Harnam in the olden days:
Zespół Harnama:
Maria Kuśnierz – Skonieczna
Manager and choreographer of the “Harnam” company, where she started in 1980 as a dancer, first in the children's group and then in the representative group. She graduated with a master's degree in “ballet pedagogy” from the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and completed postgraduate studies in dance theory. She prepared many original choreographies for the group and recreated Jadwiga Hryniewiecki's arrangements, which the group performs to this day.
Łukasz Skonieczny
Graduate of the S. Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdansk. In the band “Harnam” for twenty years as an accompanist, arranger and composer. Author of numerous arrangements and stylizations , enabling the realization of new choreographies of the ensemble.
Ewa Ryszkowska
Senior Specialist ; secretariat , administration , educational workshops, photo-photographer. Previous 12 years associated with the Grand Theater in Lodz.
Dorota Kuźnicka
She began her adventure with folklore in the Song and Dance Ensemble at Lucien Elementary and Middle School. She holds a master's degree in art with a specialty in eurhythmics. She also studied choreography at the G. and K. Bacewicz in Lodz and choreography in the specialty of folk dance at the AHE in Lodz. In ZTL “Harnam” she is a pedagogue of dance and singing of children's groups.
Martyna Knot
Rhythmics classes, student of the Academy of Music in Lodz on the faculty of composition and theory of music , specialization in eurhythmics .Graduate of the Marcin Józef Żebrowski Music School Complex in Częstochowa. She works with children based on Emil Jaques - Dalcroze method.
Krystyna Urbaniak
She was educated at the Poznań Ballet School. She began her professional career in the “Mazowsze” Ensemble, and then continued in the Grand Theater in Lodz as a ballet coryphée. She has been at “Harnam” for 15 years, as a classical dance teacher.
Anna Włodarczyk – Rurak
Graduate of the State Ballet School in Lodz and the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, majoring in ballet pedagogy. Long-time teacher of classical dance at the F. Parnell National Ballet School in Lodz. Lecturer at the G. and K. Bacewicz of Lodz. She has been teaching classical dance at “Harnam” for four years.
Katarzyna Zając – Caban
Graduate of the Faculty of Vocal and Acting at the G. and K. Bacewicz Academy of Music. Bacewicz of Lodz. She has participated in many master classes conducted by outstanding pedagogues. Since 2009 she has been a teacher at the S. Moniuszko Music School Complex in Lodz, where she teaches a solo singing class. In “Harnam” she serves as a singing pedagogue of senior groups.
Maciej Klimek
Student at the G. and K. Bacewicz Łódź, majoring in choreography and dance techniques. Associated with folk dance for more than 10 years. He danced in the “Kujon” and “Anilana” groups in Lodz. He has won many awards at Polish Dance Tournaments. In “Harnam” he is an instructor of children's groups.
Michał Mroziński
Graduate of the Music Academy named after G. and K. Bacewicz of Lodz. He has taken part in many international master classes conducted by outstanding pedagogues. He cooperates with the Musical Theater in Lodz. For fifteen years he has been in love with the folklore of Poland. In “Harnam” he has led the band and played the accordion for four years.
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