Lowiczanie Polish Dance Ensemble of San FranciscoMember of the Polish Folk Dance Federation of the Americas
by Gene Harubin Zygmont
The Lowiczanie Polish Dance Ensemble of San Francisco was officially incorporated in the State of California in 1975, although it had existed informally prior to that time. The founder and current director, Krystyna Chciuk, had been involved with adult and children's dance groups since 1964, when she moved to the San Francisco area.
The first choreographer and artistic director, Jan Sejda, had performed professionally with the Polish folk dance troupe, Mazowsze. Earlier, he had organized the Kujawiaki at Alliance College. In 1982, after Mr. Sejda's untimely death, Krystyna Chciuk took over as Director and driving force and was fortunate in having choreographers from Poland working with her to insure authenticity of the dances.
Since 1975, the Lowiczanie has grown into the premiere Polish folk dance ensemble in San Francisco. It is a member of the Polish Folk Dance Federation of the Americas and has traveled to Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, and Rzeszow, Poland, to participate in dance festivals. Additionally, in 1989, it hosted a folk dance festival in San Francisco.
The Lowiczanie also participated in several Ethnic Dance Festivals sponsored by the city, as well as a series of productions under the umbrella organization World Dance. These productions are staged by the performing groups themselves for the San Francisco public and are unique to that area.
The goals of the Lowiczanie have been the propagation of Polish traditions and customs through song and dance. They have been fulfilling these goals and enriching the San Francisco community for almost three decades.
From: Polish Americans in California, vol. II. National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs & Polish American Historical Association. California 1995.