Polish folk dance through Japanese eyes. WKJ on the “Japanese Kujawiak” project

Faculty of Culture of Japan the pleasure of participating in a unique artistic and documentary project—the production of the film *Japanese Kujawiak*, which tells the extraordinary story of a Japanese couple fascinated by Polish folk culture.

The students participating in the project as part of their internships performed translation work, preparing Polish translations of the dialogues and materials used in the film. Ewa Mackiewicz supervised the students’ work, coordinating the translation and editing of film materials from a private collection of recordings made by the film’s protagonists. The task involved translating recordings of conversations and memories documenting the long-standing activities of a Japanese couple in love with Polish folk dances.

The result of this work is a feature-length documentary that showcases extraordinary passion, determination, and intercultural dialogue. The film’s protagonists spent years learning Polish dances, practicing the kujawiak, forming a dance troupe, and organizing performances in Japan and around the world. They managed to bring together many Japanese people interested in Polish culture. They also established a museum of Polish folk dance in Japan and amassed an impressive collection of authentic Polish regional costumes.

The film also highlights fascinating cultural differences. For the Japanese dancers, some of the greatest challenges turned out to be elements that are natural to Polish folk dance: close physical contact between partners, maintaining eye contact, and the principle of showing one’s partner special attention and elegance. The process of learning these behaviors became an extremely interesting testament to attempts to break down cultural barriers.

For WKJ students, participating in the project was a unique opportunity to put their Japanese language skills into practice, work with authentic film footage, and gain experience in translating and adapting texts for documentary production.

The film "Japanese Kujawiak" has been completed and will soon be entered into film festivals. We are proud that the students and staff of our department were able to participate in this unique project, which combines art, language, and intercultural dialogue.