Help Wielkopolska get to PolArt 2025 in Adelaide!

Bella Mazur is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Polish Dance Group Wielkopolska Canberra.

Donation protected

We are Wielkopolska, Canberra’s Polish Folkloric Dance Group, and we are dedicated to keeping Polish traditions alive, step by step.

Every journey has a beginning, and for many of us, that started over a decade ago as little dancers, no older than seven, learning the basics of movement and rhythm. Since then, we’ve not only grown as dancers, but as a community, performing at events across Canberra, from the National Multicultural Festival to Floriade, as well as countless smaller celebrations. Established in 1981 by Krystyna Mikolajczak, Wielkopolska has long been a place for young individuals of Polish descent to come together, not just to dance, but to connect with their roots, learn about their history, and embrace their cultural identity. Today, Wielkopolska is made up of 35 dancers, aged 7 to 51, all carrying forward the traditions that have shaped us.

Now, we’re ready to take our passion beyond Canberra and share our heritage on a larger stage. At the end of this year, we will be heading over to Adelaide to perform at PolArt 2025, the largest Polish cultural festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Back in 2022, we took part in PolArt Sydney, but due to age restrictions, we could only perform in the youth concert. This time, we have the opportunity to take part in the entire festival – including the youth festival for our younger dancers, and for our older dancers, the experience of dancing with 15 other Polish dance groups in three gala concerts held in state-of-the-art theatres and performance venues… something we’ve been looking forward to for years! PolArt Sydney already deepened our connection to Polish culture, and we can only imagine how much more enriching it will be to immerse ourselves fully in this year’s festival.

But getting there won’t be easy. As students balancing education, work, and personal pursuits, we dedicate as much time as we can to dance, but costs associated with getting the whole dance group over to Adelaide are adding up quickly. Despite our best efforts so far, covering all festival expenses will be a challenge. That’s why we’re reaching out for your support. Every contribution, big or small, will help support our group members' travel expenses, accommodation costs, costume freight for 75 costume sets and insurances.

On our return from the festival, we look forward to sharing our experience and developed skills with the Canberra community through cultural workshops and events, that will further celebrate and share Polish traditions beyond the festival.

So please, help us carry our heritage forward and make the most of this incredible opportunity. Każde wsparcie ma dla nas ogromne znaczenie. Dziękujemy! (Every bit of support means the world to us. Thank you!)