Vilnius: Polonaise performed by Polish high school graduates in Cathedral Square in 2023.

The graduates of six Polish high schools in Vilnius – a record of 142 pairs (for the first time in history!) performed Polonaise in Cathedral Square on Tuesday, 18th July, crowning their school years with this beautiful chord. For the fourth year in a row, the Polish national dance was performed together in the same place by the graduates of Liceum im. Adama Mickiewicza, Gimnazjum im. św. Jana Pawła II, Gimnazjum im. Władysława Syrokomli, Gimnazjum im. Szymona Konarskiego, Gimnazjum im. Józefa Ignacego Kraszewskiego and Gimnazjum Inżynieryjne im. Joachima Lelewela. The weather, although windy but sunny, was perfect for the performance of this year’s polonaise dance. The melody from the film adaptation of “Pan Tadeusz” written by Adam Mickiewicz, directed by Andrzej Wajda, was played according to tradition. Danuta Kowalczuk-Mieczkowska was the author of the amazing choreography, while choreographers Andrzej Kostygin, Ewa Gulbinowicz-Abariūnė, Teresa Andruszkiewicz, Aneta Kozłowska and Teresa Bożerodska worked together in preparing the record number of graduates to perform the polonaise. Let’s recall, the origins of performing the polonaise by graduates of Vilnius’ Polish schools in the capital’s public space date back to 2015. It was the first time it was performed in Town Hall Square by graduating students of the “Mickiewiczówka” in Vilnius. It was continued in the next years – in 2016, they were joined by the graduates from “Konarski” with whom they also performed the polonaise in 2017. In 2019, they danced together with graduates from “Syrokomlówka”, “Kraszewski” and “Lelewel”. In Cathedral Square, the polonaise was danced for the first time in 2017 by then graduating students of Gimnazjum im. św. Jana Pawła II. The graduates from “JPII” also performed it here in the following years, in 2019 together with “Konarski”. In 2020, the polonaise was performed in Cathedral Square for the first time by the graduates of six Polish schools of Vilnius, and it was the same in the following years, as well as this year.