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The
history of polish ballroom dancing lasts since 1954. That year in Cracow (Krakow) has been established
first polish ballroom dancing club "Amatorski Klub Taneczny" in the Cracow social club. People used to call that place
"Palac pod baranami". It was the first official ballroom dancing institution and it already had contained plenty of
well known in Poland names that we should remember. The first president, since 1957, was M.Kusza.
The vice president was at that time was Marian Wieczysty - well known personality in polish ballroom dancing.
Marian
Wieczysty was born in 1902 in Lviev. He studied at the Stanislaw Faliszewski's Lviev Ballet School and at
Antonina Wendl de Lehenstein's dance school. Since 1929 he became an independent ballroom dancing teacher.
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In 1935 he established a trade union
of polish ballroom dancing teachers. Second World War made a break in his activity. Not for long. Right after
the World War II has finished, M. Wieczysty continued his teaching work in Cracow/Krakow. He started
a preparation of competitive couples. In 1948, for the first time in a history of polish ballroom dancing
a polish couple takes part at the European Championships. The couple makes a final. In 1956 Wieczysty
decides to get rid of his private activity in Cracow and sacrifices his dance school for an idea of promoting
ballroom dancing all over the country. In 1962 M. Wieczysty becomes a president of Polish Association.
Year 1966 is the breakthrough in polish ballroom dancing. It becomes one of the national sports/activities.
It becomes popular like never before. On the 9th of June 1966 registration of polish clubs' federation
and dance associations has started. It's first president was Boguslaw Jablonski. First official registration
took place on the 14th of April 1971. There's only a few documents that prove an existence of first polish
dance competitions.
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Private collections of cups, medals and other trophies of our parents and grandparents
are the only proof of a competitive activity of polish dancers on the European and world dance floors.
Long, long time ago . . .
In
1978 M.Wieczysty received an award from Cracow City for popularization of culture. In 1981 professor
Wieczysty has been elected for an award of an Honorable President of Polish Federation. In the same year
he receives the most prestigious in the world dancing society award - Carl Alan Overseas Award '81.
Until the end of his days M.Wieczysty was deeply involved in the dancing society decisions.
On the 3rd of March 1985 the assembly had decided that the polish dance clubs' federation is going to become
PTT (Polskie Towarzystwo
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