Olivia Kowalik gra solo |
As new members of Lajkonik, my younger siblings Emma and Sam and I found the trip to Floriade in Canberra invigorating and enjoyable. This was our first time away with the ensemble, and Lajkonik's first time performing at Floriade. Many of our friendships and relationships with members of group have grown in the short time that we were away. For me, the connections I made when I first joined only got better. As any 16 year old will tell you, a 3 hour car trip squashed between your brother and sister is not exactly how you want to spend the last Friday of your holidays, (not including all the time you have to spend packing!) however, it was well worth the trip.
My family - five in all, left Friday afternoon and like so many others made our way south, battling the torrential rain but safely made it there in one piece. We met up with some of the group for dinner in Turner at a lovely little Polish club for some traditional deliscious Polish food and afterwards danced the night away (well practised our routines anyway) with Pani Ula our great teacher/artistic Director. Lajkonik stayed as a group at the Priests' Conference Centre at Narrabundah, before heading back to Sydney after Mass on Sunday. The centre was lovely and the Priests were always smiling, which made our stay very pleasant.
Floriade was very beautiful. It was almost as if a painter had meticulously used his colour palette all over the place. Bright yellows of one tulip variety was contrasted with the deep crimson of another and the layout of every single plant was designed so when combined, they formed beautiful pictures when viewed from above. The only downside to the trip was the weather, which decided to have a temper tantrum every day and change from sunshine to rain every 20 minutes!
Our performance on the Carnival stage was interesting... This was a smallish tent with only enough seating for approximately 40 people as the sides of the tent had been lowered to keep out the rain. In my opinion however we worked quite well with the small and uneven surface we had to work with. The tent ceiling was draped, which meant it was tall in the middle and sloped at the edges and as we need to dance the entire floor and a number of us are rather tall, we managed to hit our heads on more than one occasion which actually added to the fun of the performance.
Lubelskie Mazur |
Gabriel with Iza & Monika |
We're all looking forward to the next time we go to Floriade in Canberra, as we'll know what to expect and be even more prepared than we were this time. Hopefully the rain will stay away too, so we can explore Canberra together. The rain meant we were often kept indoors, though we managed to squeeze in some exciting spins other than on the dance floor after our performance! Before dinner, a number of parents went along with some of the older group members to Hume Go-Karting! Apart from determining which members were terrible drivers, the experience showed me an aspect that I had never explored before with anything else I have ever done outside of school. It was fantastic!
The weather was fine on our way home and we stopped for an early lunch at the Rendezvous Cafe in Queanbeyan - the place to go when you're really hungry! The rest of the trip home was a bit of a blur. A full stomach, the rocking motion of the car... and zzzzzz's
Though the members of Lajkonik (senior group) range in ages from 12 - 30+, we dance together as a celebration of the culture of our forefathers. We truly enjoy being together, not just to 'work' at dancing, but to spend time with each other and make a Lajkonik Polish Song and Dance Ensemble that is not made up of estranged individuals, but unified friends who truly enjoy what they do.
Kate Gogolewski
16 years old - Lajkonik Member (senior group)
Multitalented Olivia Kowalik |
Kate and Emma Gogolewski with Robert & Adam Chorobski |
Bravo! Krzysiu & Kasia |
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