Polonaise of Polish High School Graduates on Cathedral Square. Not Only Poles Danced: “There’s Nothing to Be Afraid Of!”

On Tuesday, July 15, Cathedral Square in Vilnius was taken over by the traditional polonaise danced by graduates of Polish schools. A record-breaking 163 couples took part. The mayor of the city gave a speech, emphasizing: “Vilnius is your home.” Our interviewees noted that the polonaise and the mayor’s words serve as a litmus test for the public perception of Poles in Vilnius.

Students from the following schools took part in the event: Adam Mickiewicz High School, St. John Paul II Gymnasium, Władysław Syrokomla Gymnasium, Szymon Konarski Gymnasium, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Gymnasium, Joachim Lelewel Engineering Gymnasium, Grzegorzewo Gymnasium, and the Vilnius School in Lazdynai (Leszczyniaki). The graduates danced the polonaise to the soundtrack from the movie Pan Tadeusz.

This was the eleventh time the Polish graduates’ polonaise has been held in Vilnius and the sixth time it took place on Cathedral Square. The tradition began in 2015, when students from “Mickiewiczówka” performed the dance for the first time on Town Hall Square. Over time, as the event grew, the modest space in front of the Town Hall became too small. The polonaise then moved to the grand Cathedral Square—at the foot of Gediminas’ Tower, near Vilnius Cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Dukes.

The Mayor of Vilnius Speaks

Among those present was the mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, who welcomed the graduates.
“Good evening, dear residents of Vilnius, and above all—good evening, graduates. I must say, you look fantastic. Now that the most important tasks are done, the exams passed, and diplomas—at least for some—are in hand, you can relax and immerse yourselves in the dance,” the mayor said to the gathered Polish graduates and spectators at Cathedral Square.

“This beautiful tradition—nurturing your roots, heritage, and true Vilnius identity—is moving. There’s nothing more powerful than expressing identity through culture,” he emphasized.

He assured the students that Vilnius is also the home of Poles in Lithuania and asked them never to forget it.
“I wish you to flow through life in the rhythm of this dance, to build your careers, and never forget that Vilnius is your home and you are always welcome here. I wish you a beautiful dance and a successful life!” concluded Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.

Danuta Kowalczuk-Mieczkowska: “Don’t Be Afraid”

In an interview with our daily, one of the main choreographers of the graduates’ polonaise, Danuta Kowalczuk-Mieczkowska, noted that the mayor’s presence was a very positive gesture.

“The municipality had been informed about the event, and we knew a representative would attend, but we were still very surprised by the mayor’s personal presence. The Friday before the polonaise, the mayor showed up at Maciej Musiał’s Polish dance event on Town Hall Square,” she told Kurier Wileński.

“Our culture, the culture of Poles in Lithuania, is not something that’s just taking root. It has been here for a long time, but we have this tendency to be afraid to show it publicly or to do something on a larger scale. When I was a member of the ‘Wilia’ ensemble, representatives from the Presidential Palace and City Hall used to attend our anniversaries. We even received Lithuanian folk costumes from the Vilnius municipality,” she emphasized.

“Thanks to these eleven years of the graduate polonaise tradition—six of them on Cathedral Square—we are entering a shared space and want to be visible. We have two days of rehearsals beforehand, during which tourists and locals, mostly Lithuanians, watch us. We’ve never encountered any hostile comments. People are always impressed and say we’re amazing. That proves there’s nothing to be afraid of. Sure, there are the occasional online comments, but those written anonymously shouldn’t concern us. It’s encouraging that our events have been covered by national Lithuanian media in past years,” Kowalczuk-Mieczkowska concluded.

“It’s also worth mentioning that Lithuanian youth danced with us as well—many partners in the pairs were of Lithuanian nationality. The Grigiškės Gymnasium is a mixed school. Among the dancers was even a Vietnamese student—his partner was a graduate of a Polish school. Besides Lithuanians, there were some ethnic Russians from Vilnius who spoke excellent Polish, and even students from Lithuanian schools. We communicated in Lithuanian when needed, and there were no problems with understanding. In earlier years, the graduation polonaise didn’t have such a broad, inclusive character,” she added.

The Polonaise Is Not a Leningrad Tradition

We also asked about the social media posts claiming that the graduation polonaise is a Russian tradition adopted by Polish students from Russian schools.

“I saw one comment like that—claiming that our polonaise was supposedly danced by Russians in Leningrad. Apart from that, I haven’t come across this idea, and I’ve checked the internet thoroughly. I’ve never seen Russian students dance a graduation polonaise, and I studied during Soviet times. That just didn’t exist in Russian schools,” said Danuta Kowalczuk-Mieczkowska.

Meanwhile, Łukasz Kamiński—community organizer, TVP Wilno host, and one of the coordinators of the “100 Pairs for 100 Years” polonaise marking the centennial of Lithuania and Poland in 2018—noted that the mayor’s remarks reflect a generally positive public attitude toward the polonaise initiative.

“The idea originally came from the director of ‘Mickiewiczówka,’ Czesław Dawidowicz. He made the announcement, and I encouraged classmates from our 59th graduating class. As early as 2014, the diploma ceremony was held at City Hall, so Town Hall Square naturally became the site for the polonaise,” Kamiński told Kurier Wileński.

“We didn’t know until the last moment whether it would rain. Back then, it didn’t rain as hard as it did this year. We danced with 26 pairs. It was amazing to be part of the first polonaise—no one expected it would grow to the point that Town Hall Square could no longer accommodate us and we would move to Cathedral Square. But what’s important is that Polish schools do this together—as a community,” Kamiński emphasized.

“It was initiated by Adam Mickiewicz Gymnasium in Vilnius—‘Mickiewiczówka.’ There was a time when, for instance, St. John Paul II Gymnasium held its own separate polonaise. But the idea spread, and over time, schools united their graduation polonaises into the impressive event it is today,” Kamiński said proudly.

“100 Pairs for 100 Years” Was Born Out of the Graduation Polonaise

In our conversation, Łukasz Kamiński added that the high school graduates’ polonaise sparked other initiatives as well. In 2018, he was one of the organizers of the “100 Pairs for 100 Years” polonaise, held to celebrate the centenary of Lithuanian and Polish independence. The dance was performed twice that year—on February 16 and November 11.

“This polonaise brought together Polish folk groups as well as people who don’t usually dance, joining forces with the Lithuanian ensemble Vilniaus Pynimėlis. We danced twice in 2018—on Lithuania’s Independence Day in February and Poland’s in November. The organizers were the Wilia ensemble and ‘Mickiewiczówka’. Without the first graduation polonaise in 2015, this centenary event wouldn’t have happened. The idea had already taken root. 100 pairs for the centenary of our countries was only possible because the path had been paved earlier by the high school polonaise,” Kamiński emphasized.

He also pointed to the remarks made this year by Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas, which, in his view, reflect broader societal attitudes. “This year, the mayor of Vilnius was present and said he was glad that Poles in Vilnius express their identity through culture. Beautiful words. The fact that the mayor said this in the capital shows how society views it,” Kamiński noted.

Łukasz Kamiński is now preparing to speak at the upcoming Polonia Camp in Warsaw, where he will moderate a panel titled “Made in Poland”, focusing on Poland’s appeal as a business development hub and on the global reputation of the Polish brand.