HISTORY
Song and Dance Ensamble "Zrodlo"
The ensemble Zrodlo was formed in 2001 as a result of Father Adam Filas’
initiative. As the pastor of a
newly formed parish in Brampton, St. Eugene De Mazenod, father Filas wanted
the newly formed congregation to be rooted in the faith and traditions of
its fathers and forefathers. It
is through music, song and dance that the members of Zrodl foster, nurture
and bring to the forefront the beauty of Polish folklore. In its
repertoire, the Zrodlo ensemble has songs and dances from various regions of
Poland, such as: Kujawy ,
Warsaw, Lowicz, Krakow, Rzeszow, Lublin and Slask. There are also national
dances such as the Polonez and Mazurek along with ethnic dances that portray
the cultures of the Roma peoples and Canadian Aboriginals, more
specifically, the Metis. The main objective of Zrodlo is to
display the beauty of Polish traditions and its unique national identity, an
identity that is rooted in religion and patriotism, for love of God and
country. The ensemble wants to share its talents not only with
Polish-Canadians (Polonia) but also with its multicultural community and the
Greater Toronto Area. In order for Zrodlo to fulfill its objective, its
members practice with great enthusiasm and dedication under the care of two
instructors. The ensemble consists of over 40 members ranging in age from 5
– 18 who practice with rigor. Since its existence and up until
2010, Zrodlo was under the care of chorographer Joanna Pogorzelska-Hojda and
musical manager Janusz Okon. After Joanna resigned from her position,
Katarzyna Zych, a former dancer of Zrodlo herself, took over the duties of
assisting with choreography from 2011 to 2014.
When Katarzyna Zych resigned another former Zrodlo dancer, Natalia
Tkacz, stepped in to become both the instructor and junior artistic
director. The current artistic
director of the ensemble is Janusz Okon. In 2006, Zrodlo released
their first album of songs and dances in DVD format. The album was promoted
during the First Concert of Young Talents which was organized under the
patronage and participation of ZPiT, Zrodlo. In 2007, a second album, titled
“Zrodlo Spiewa” (Zrodlo Sings) was released and it contained all the
songs from the ensemble’s repertoire.
In 2007, Zrodlo travelled to Clearwater, Florida where
they performed for the Polish community, and the following year they were
invited by artistic organizers from Disney World to return to Florida and
perform at Magic Kingdom. For
its10 year anniversary, in 2011, the ensemble held a celebratory
gala at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.
During the two hour performance ZPiT presented its complete
repertoire. The year 2012 was a
historic milestone for the ensemble as its participants travelled abroad to
participate in the 8th Annual Festival of Polish Folklore in
Iwonicz-Zdroj. Since
the beginning of its existence, Zrodlo performs annually at various
multicultural festivals in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and London,
Ontario. They also perform at smaller local events and grander celebrations
that are connected to and organized by the St. Eugene De Mazenod parish in
Brampton. On average, the ensemble practices 4-6 hours weekly
during the school year and during the summer most members participate in 10
day workshops that take place in Northern Ontario in a region called “Kaszuby”
which is within the vicinity of Barry’s Bay.
The Administrative Council of ZPit “Zrodlo” consists of the following
members:
Manager
Dorota Ziemnicki
Artistic Director
Janusz Okon
Dance Instructor
Natalia Tkacz
And Junior Artistic Director
Secretary and Accountant
Agnieszka Nietresta
Council Members
Malgorzata Szal
Ewa Grywalska
Jolanta Tkacz
Marta Wysocka
International Artistic Consultant
Konrad Kowalczyk (Poland)
Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.