Dancers from the Rogalian Dance Troupe, PRCUA Society 162 from Wyandotte wait in the staging area for the Hamtramck Labor Day Parade to begin.
Lydia Sarnacki (left) and Katelyn Mills represent PRCUA Rogalin Dance Troupe 162 in the 2009 Labor Day Parade in Hamtramck.
Dancers from PRCUA Rogalin Dance Troupe 162 participated in the 2009 Hamtramck Labor Day Parade.
By Sue Suchyta
Sunday Times
HAMTRAMCK – Groups from throughout metropolitan Detroit gathered Monday to honor the country’s workforce during the city’s annual Labor Day Parade down Joseph Campau.
Among the groups who took time from their holiday weekend to participate were Wyandotte’s Polish Roman Catholic Union of America 162 Rogalin Dance Troupe, and Dearborn’s Polish Alliance Dancers and Polanie Dance Ensemble.
The Wyandotte-based Rogalin Dance Troupe is sponsored by the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. The group enrolls children from age 3 to 18 who want to learn more about and celebrate their heritage through traditional national and regional dances.
Classes meet Tuesday evenings in the dance studio on the second floor of the PRCU 162, 1430 Oak Street in Wyandotte. Classes begin in early September and run through the annual recital in the spring. Throughout the year the dancers perform at local church festivals, parades, processions, masses, and other venues.
Dancers must have or purchase a PRCUA life insurance policy to be eligible for membership. For more information contact Helen Sawicki at (734) 284-6208 or Annie Mandernach at (734) 782-0455.
The registration fee for the Rogalin Dance Troupe is $40. There are no additional charges for weekly dance classes. Questions can be directed to Michelle Stechschulte by telephone at (734) 283-4589 or by e-mail at [email protected].
For more information go to www.rogalindancetroupe.com.
The Polish Alliance Dancers of Dearborn enable children age 3 to 13 to perform the regional and national dances of Poland. Dance classes are offered Saturday mornings, along with optional Polish language classes.
The sessions are sponsored by both the national and local chapters of the Polish National Alliance.
Polanie Dance Ensemble, for older youths, is dedicated to preserving Polish heritage. It offers what organizers call a challenging dance program and instills cultural pride in high school and college age youth age 14 and up.
The group, which was founded in Dearborn, currently meets Saturdays during the school year at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in the Warrendale neighborhood of northwest Detroit.
The group visits Poland every third summer for two weeks. It also sponsors presentation balls for debutantes and squires every two years. The group performs at many festivals and events throughout southeast Michigan.
The trips to Poland are kept affordable through fundraising, organizers say, as well as sponsorships from business and civic groups. Homemade pierogi, Little Caesars pizza and winter citrus fruit sales, as well as paid group performances at weddings, festivals and other events, help defray the group’s expenses while in Poland.
Registration for both groups is $30, with yearly dance tuition ranging from $150 for PNA members whose parents fulfill their volunteer hours, to $325 annually for nonalliance members whose parents do not wish to serve in a volunteer capacity. Once a PNA-member family pays tuition for two children, additional children in the family receive free tuition.
Most youth will need to purchase a Krakowiak costume. Most other regional costumes are lent from the group’s extensive costume collection on a seasonal basis.
For more information call Christine Kryszko at (313) 581-3181 or send an e-mail to [email protected].