“Lajkonik” Polish Song and Dance Ensemble is a community group, based in south western Sydney (Liverpool and Bankstown). Lajkonik was established in 1990 by Artistic Director Urszula Lang and a group of dedicated parents. For over 16 years, Lajkonik has brought cultural song and dance to over 450 children and young adults. Today, Lajkonik has a membership base of over 60 performers in 3 age categories; our youngest member is only 4 years old!

The name Lajkonik comes from the term meaning ‘man on a horse’. The Lajkonik is a symbol of the old town of Kraków (Cracow). It celebrates the triumphant historic victory of the people of Kraków, over invading Tartars in the 14th Century. The City of Kraków is wrapped in legend and is one of Poland’s most popular tourist places. It was previously Poland’s capital city, prior to Warszawa (Warsaw).

Under the leadership of President Bożena Pagin, Lajkonik plays an active role in the Polish and Australian communities. Lajkonik participates regularly in local multicultural festivals, fundraisers, weddings and special events. The group travels frequently to national and international festivals, counting performances in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Rzeszów (Poland) & Wilno (Lithuania).

Lajkonik’s principal instructors are Artistic Director Urszula Lang, Musical Director Konstancja Kotowska & Assistant Artistic Director Daniel Gadd. Together, they are committed to the development of their students, embracing talent and enthusiasm.

Since establishment, all aspects of artistic presentation, including choreography and costuming, have been overseen by Urszula Lang. Through her experiences with traditional folk groups in Poland, Urszula has built a sound repertoire of songs and dances, predominantly based on authentic polish folklore. Embracing guest choreographers on 5 separate occasions, Urszula has maintained the importance of learning from Polish specialists.

Lajkonik's most acclaimed dances include the dynamic Żywiec Góralski (chor. Jan Pogonowski) and the enchanting Mazur-Straszny Dwór (chor. Urszula Lang). In recognising the importance of our Australian homeland, Lajkonik also has an Australian dance item, which is always well-received by our audiences. The ‘Aussie’ repertoire is undergoing further development.

Performance highlights

Our passion for song, dance and performance is demonstrated by the vast range of events and cultural activities in which we participate:

• Performances at the peak of Mount Kościuszko and Charlotte Pass, which were filmed for the documentary about Tadeusz Kościuszko and the Contribution of Polish People to Australia;
  
  
• Four International Folkloric Festivals of Polish Song and Dance held in Rzeszów, Poland. Our most recent attendance was in 2005 and included a performance in Lithuania;
  
  
• McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge in 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007. In 2005 we were awarded first place in the World Dance Duet category. In 2005 & 2007 we received Highly Commended awards for the World Dance Group category;
  
  
• Six Pol-Art Festivals throughout Australia: Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart;
  
  
• Polish Christmas Day Festivals at Darling Harbour in 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006;
  
  
• Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic games;
  
  
• Carnivale at the Sydney Opera House in 1995, Dance Expo 2003 at Homebush Bay, and the Australian Dance Awards 2003 at the Sydney Opera House;
  
  
• Easter Shows, V.P. Day Celebrations, Senior Citizens Week performances;
  
  
• Community based multi-cultural festivals at Homebush, Cabramatta, Fairfield, Bankstown, Canberra, Campbelltown, Wollongong, Merrylands and various other locations throughout New South Wales and Australia.