Every three years in Rzeszów, Poland there is a celebration of Polish culture and heritage like no other. Over 1,200 performers representing more than 30 groups from five continents gather for a week-long festival which this year will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The groups will begin the festival with an enormous parade through the city, ending at its center square where the performers will sign and be recognized by the Mayor, the Governor and the festival committee.

At various times throughout the week the troupes will perform in the city square, also called the "rynek", and at other locations throughout the city. Each group will also travel to some smaller town around the city where they will take tours, perform, meet the townspeople, and eventually enjoy some terrific local cuisine. Between these activities the dancers will join in mass practices held in a large sports arena where they will eventually put on two gala performances, with one featuring a dance from each group's home country, and the other featuring a traditional Polish dance. These two gala shows are sold out way in advance, and each lasts about three hours and includes an introduction and a finale. In addition, Catholic Holy Mass is celebrated on the Sunday before these shows by the Bishop of Rzeszów and is attended by all groups, wearing their authentic costumes representing a wide variety of regions. Among the groups selected for the festival this year is the premier Polish folk dance ensemble from Baltimore, Ojczyzna Polish Dancers. The groups name "Ojczyzna" translates to "homeland" and is indicative of their love for the homeland and the culture and heritage they represent as they perform throughout Maryland and beyond. Joined for this trip by friends who are members of the Philadelphia group, PKM Polish Folk Song and Dance Ensemble, they will be performing under the name Ojczyzna, and they will be the only group selected on the entire East Coast.

The group's artistic director and choreographer, Malgorzata Bondyra, is a veteran of Polish folklore who came to this country as a 20-year-old performer and who is entering the third year of a four-year program of study that will eventually earn her a degree in Polish folk song and dance music and choreography. She prides herself in keeping Ojczyzna's choreography as authentic as possible, down to the smallest detail in the steps and in other gestures, such as hand and arm movements. Bondyra said, "It is such an amazing honor to be selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We perform regularly in the U.S., and to be able to present our suites of dances for audiences in Poland is a really big deal for us." She added, "We keep things real and authentic, which is the way our group has done things for a very long time."

The group visited Poland for the last festival as well, and they are thrilled to be able to go back for this 50th anniversary celebration. Before that they hadn't been to the festival since 1980 when their predecessor organization, Trojaki, was selected for the festival. Clearly Ojczyzna has a long history of sharing and promoting Polish culture, and this festival will be a tremendous way to keep that history going. Ojczyzna and PKM members meet regularly, sometimes in Philadelphia, but mostly in Baltimore, practicing for hours at a time to perfect their moves for the two big shows and for all of the smaller performances associated with the festival. Additionally, the dancers have a booked schedule before they head to Poland, including a Polish FunFest June 9th at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Dundalk, the Polka Jam Slam at Holy Rosary Church June 16th, the Polish Home Club Family Picnic June 23rd and the Polish American Arts Association of DC's annual Wianki Festival June 29th. The group will join the festival July 17th, and after returning they will be performing at a Polish festival in Atlanta, a Polish festival in Doylestown, PA, and they will participate in the annual Pulaski Day Parade in Philadelphia.

Of course the trip to Poland is an expensive one, with travel and costume transportation expenses exceeding $25,000. In order to defray these costs for its all-volunteer membership, the group has created fundraisers on Facebook, GoFundMe and through the PayPal Giving Fund. To donate, you can visit: