Ornate Performance Honors Polish Constitution, after Parade

 

Elaborate and authentic costumes, elegant dancers, and realistic period actors make for an entertaining, historic reenactment of the 1791 signing of the Polish Constitution.  Up to a thousand onlookers are expected to attend the outdoor performance; occurring at 2:00 pm, in coordination with and following the Polish Constitution Day Parade, on Saturday May 7, 2016.  The location is at the new Chopin Garden within Grant Park, off of Michigan Avenue at 11th street, not far from where the parade ends.  A piano recital, also part of the event, will honor the namesake of the Chopin Garden.

 

The program is presented by Chicago Chopin Foundation and the Grant Park Conservancy. 

 

The performers are with the song and dance ensemble “Polonia,” whose executive director is Anna Krysiski.  The song, dance, and script, which evoke actual historic persons and events, are created and choreographed by Iwona Puc. The lively and colorful presentation is intended to entertain and inform both young and old, with renowned master of ceremonies Zbyszek Banas assuring multi-lingual access for English and Polish speakers alike.  The presenters especially hope that school-children, our cultural future, will attend the show, enjoy the fun, and be enriched by the learning experience. 

 

As the parade winds down, attendees of the parade are invited to follow along and migrate over to the Chopin Garden.  There they will find warm-up acts providing entertainment as the crowd gathers.  When the main event begins, at 2:00 pm, the audience will experience the stormy events leading to first ever constitution for any European nation, the May 3 constitution of Poland.  As the dramatic presentation concludes, the audience is invited to participate, with the costumed actors, in the elegant art and graceful steps of a Polonez dance. 

 

The cultural climate is then extended by pianists playing a concert of Chopin music by talented

 

                                                                 Jana Pavlovska 

 

To wrap it all up, there will be some rock-and-roll,.” from the band “Mastermind

 

The Chopin Garden is a new location in Grant Park, and is the future location a prominent, bronze statue of Chopin.  The effort to build the statue is headed by Chicago Chopin Foundation. Those wishing to support the effort will have an opportunity to do so at the Constitution Day presentation: there will be raffle tickets for sale, and nick-nacks to purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Foundation. 

 

From the parade’s end point to Chopin Garden (11th & Michigan Ave) is a short walk.  Also, there is parking available on the street and in parking lots along State and Wabash; typically about $8 to $12.  The event itself is available to the public at no charge.

 

More info:  Wojciech (Voytek) Putz, Chicago Chopin Foundation,

tel. 708­447­4807, voytekputz@chopingarde