The Regional Ensemble "Dolina Popradu" from Piwniczna-Zdrój
It represents the cultural region of the Nadpopradzian Highlanders, situated between the former Ruthenian Szlachtowa and the western edge of Lemkivshchyna; between Spisz and Sądecczyzna. Geographically - in the center of the Sądecki Beskids in the Poprad Valley. The group's activity was initiated in 1965 by Piwniczna teachers: Eugeniusz Lebdowicz, Mieczysław Łomnicki, Edward Grucela - who taught in the small branch schools located high in the mountains in the 1950s. Ethnographer Kazimierz Bogucki and choreographer Józef Unold also provided assistance, developing the initial dance arrangements. The ensemble has been successful from the beginning, performing at numerous festivals and competitions. They have frequently recorded their works for Polish Radio and television. The greatest successes of the ensemble were achieved under the leadership of Dariusz Rzeźnik in the years 2009-2017 and thanks to Wanda Łomnicka-Dulak, a poet and author of ritual scripts.
The ensemble has many prestigious awards to its credit: Serca Żywieckie - two bronze, two silver (second in 2023), and three gold. Ciupagi from the Zakopane MFFZG: a bronze, a silver, and two gold. Additionally, both male and female singing groups have repeatedly won top prizes at major festivals in Poland, in Kazimierz Dolny, Żywiec, Rzeszów, Bukowina Tatrzańska, Podegrodzie, and others. The ensemble has also received the Oskar Kolberg Award and the Władysław Orkan Award.
For 58 years, the Regional Ensemble Dolina Popradu has preserved and conveyed the cultural heritage of the extraordinary group of Nadpopradzian Highlanders, known as the "black" ones. It unites and shapes the Nadpopradzian regional movement.
Currently (since 2021), the ensemble is led by Piotr Kulig.
