The Polish Folk Song And Dance Ensemble Mystkowianie was founded in 2014 and consists of 109 members, including youth, representative, and senior groups, along with a band. The ensemble showcases the folklore of the Lachy Sądeckie from the Lachy-Pogórze border region, as well as the culture of other subregions of Sądecczyzna (Lachy Sądeckie from the region’s center, the Mieszczans of Sądecczyzna, Rusnaks, Pogórzans, and interwar-period dances from Nowy Sącz). Their repertoire also includes dances from Western Krakowiaks and the National Krakowiak. The ensemble is the creator and organizer of the Carpathian Dance Festival – Meetings with Lachy Sądeckie.
The ensemble promotes local culture through lectures about the region in public institutions, participation in festivals and events both in Poland and abroad, as well as teaching instrument playing, singing and dance workshops, embroidery classes, and presenting traditional Lachy cuisine.
The ensemble promotes local culture through various initiatives: recording an album of forgotten pastorals, producing the film Na Mystkowie grajo, delivering lectures about the region in public institutions, participating in numerous festivals and events in Poland and abroad, and maintaining ongoing collaborations with social organizations. It also provides instruction in instrument playing, conducts singing and embroidery workshops, presents traditional Lachy cuisine, and engages in charitable activities.
Through the creation of new folk performances, Mystkowianie teaches respect for local traditions. This idea has engaged the residents of Mystków and nearby communities. An invaluable asset of the ensemble is its multi-generational nature, with the oldest members (over 87 years old) serving as „living carriers” of Mystków’s traditions. They pass on the dialect and numerous memories to younger generations, ensuring the tradition’s preservation and providing an opportunity for people to connect with their roots.
The ensemble collaborates in organizing dance workshops and prepares Lachy programs for groups from outside the region and also hosted the first National Workshops in the Region.
Over its ten years, the ensemble has become an ambassador for Lachy culture both in Poland and abroad. It has participated in 27 international trips across four continents, visiting countries such as France, Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Chile, Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Belgium, Peru, North Macedonia, Greece, India, Japan, Colombia, and South Korea.
A member of CIOFF and IOV, the ensemble has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix “Cup of the Black Diamonds” at the National Dance Festival Power (2024); Bronze and Silver Żywiec Heart at the Folklore Festival of Polish Highlanders in Żywiec (2019, 2023); the Bronze Axe at the International Highland Folklore Festival in Zakopane (2018); the Grand Prix at the National Traditional Dance Competition in Rzeszów (2017); and three first-place awards at the Intercultural Folklore Festival “Zagłębie and Neighbors” in Dąbrowa Górnicza (2017, 2019, 2023), among many others.
The ensemble has received numerous honors, including the Badge of Honor from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage „Meritorious for Polish Culture,” the Silver Medal of the Małopolska Province „Polonia Minor,” the Main Award of the Małopolska Province named after Władysław Orkan, and the Badge of Honor “Meritorious for the Municipality of Kamionka Wielka.”
e-mail: mystkowianie@gmail.com
tel. (+48) 692 015 332
