April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CATHOLICS UNITE
Polish dancers will step out at reunion
As a teenager, her love of dancing inspired her to start her own dance troupe. She was happiest when she was on the floor dancing or watching her students perform. When she passed away in 1989, she was even buried in her authentic Polish vest, a signature of the traditional dance costume.
Today, her daughter, Colleen Seeberger, hopes to infuse younger generations with the same passion by organizing a Polish dancers' reunion at the Polish Community Center in Albany on April 30.
"Younger people are not interested in carrying on the tradition. We want to help them find where their roots are and cultivate interest in the Polish heritage," explained Mrs. Seeberger, a parishioner of St. Vincent's Church in Cobleskill.
"We're all immigrants, and connecting with your culture is good, clean fun," she said. "It connects you to your grandparents and gives you a sense of pride. You begin to understand what it was like: what they ate, how they danced and what they did for fun."
After Lent
The date for the reunion was chosen because, in Polish culture, dances are not held during the season of Lent. "We decided on the first Saturday after Easter because it's a time of celebration," explained Mrs. Seeberger.
Of the 200 to 300 people expected to attend, there will be five to 10 dance groups. Many of the former dancers expected to attend were once students of Mrs. Hasko, who taught for more than 20 years.
The main performers for the evening, however, will be the young troupe from St. Adalbert's parish in Schenectady, which has a rich Polish heritage.
For instance, Henry Matala, a former dancer and now member of the board of directors for the Polish Community Center, has two daughters currently in the St. Adalbert's dance group.
"It's nice to see them out there doing what you did," boasted Mr. Matala, "and it teaches them to value tradition and culture."
All welcome
He shared that the group will perform the clarinet polka, the domino, the swing and sway, and the bumpsy-daisy, just to name a few. The dancers will begin and anyone in the audience who knows the steps will be welcomed to join.
"I think it would surprise people to see how intense the steps are and how aerobic it is to do to Polish dancing. You're always bouncing around, twirling, kicking and using your entire body in this dance," said Mrs. Seeberger. "And the costumes are fun, too."
The reunion will also include a happy hour for the older generations of dancers, a Polish dinner, the music of The Boys of Baltimore and memorabilia from various dancers, such as costumes and photographs.
Mrs. Seeberger and her friend Grace Tuma, another St. Adalbert's dancer, will be masters of ceremony for the event. Ms. Tuma, born in Poland, plans to address the crowd in Polish while Mrs. Seeberger does the same in English.
Ms. Tuma - born Grazyna - started dancing at age 10 to learn more about the culture she came from. She continued for six years because of all the fun she was having.
"It's upbeat dancing with lively music that pulls you in," she told The Evangelist, "but it's also about two people using their arms and legs in perfect timing and having to sync together."
For the Polish American culture, dances like these were once more frequent and an important social gathering. It was when the community came together to have some fun and celebrate their heritage. Today, they are held less frequently and have become mostly an event for the older generations.
That's one reason for the reunion.
"We want to reawaken the interest in polka dancing," Ms. Tuma explained. "It's a great thing to do when you're a child. You're young, you're dancing, you're flirting with the boys in the band and you're performing. It's great."
"We want to give people the chance to come back to the club and, maybe, want to get their children involved, too," said Mr. Matala. "There are so many happy memories from my years of dancing, and these dances give you the chance to see people you haven't seen in a few years - and put those dancing shoes back on."[[In-content Ad]]
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