trojak
stylized dancesmapOne of the dances popular in many regions of Poland, the trojok is always performed by three dancers. The Silesian variant of this dance has two distinct parts, the slow one and the fast one. In the former, any given number of trios dance along the circle or in two lines which face each other, and lift their legs in a characteristic fashion. In the latter, dancers take turns spinning around their partners or walk underneath a bridge of raised hands.
The Silesian trojok appears under many names (ogrodnik, zagrodnik, Zasiali górale, owsiok) throughout the entire region, from the city of Opole to the Beskidy mountains. It is performed by three dancers: one male and two female dancers, and the number of trios may multiply. The name of this dance derives directly from the number of dancers (trojak meaning three). The trojok consists of two parts, each having its own tempo (slow, fast) and metre (3/4, 2/4). The male dancer always stands in the middle, holding female dancers by hands or by the arm. In the first part, the dance is performed slowly and in a dignified manner, accompanied by the popular song "Zasiali górale owies". The trios move ahead in a characteristic step , drawing one leg to the othr and slightly raising their legs slantwise in an interchangieable manner . The second part of the dance can bedanced in a few variants. In one of them, the male dancer makes a full turn in the stationary position, having his one of his partners on his right side, while the other runs around them in adirection opposite to the couple's turn. After the turn, the male dancer changes the partner and the cycle is repeated in the opposite direction. Despite the fast tempo, changes of partners and turns tend to be smooth. Other figures in trojak include the passing through the so-called "gates" (underneath the joined hands of female dancers), running around female dancers (performed by the male partner), single or simultaneous whirling of female dancers beside the male dancer. The order of these figures was different in different subregions of Silesia, but dancers invariably returned to the slow segment after dancing through the fast one.
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Drozd, Jerzy. Dożynki cieszyńskie. Zbiór tańców śląskich [Harvest Festivals in the Area of Cieszyn: A Collection of Silesian Dances]. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Śląsk, 1964.
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