Swing dance costumes and their dynamics as seen through the prism of the feature films of the Second Polish Republic

Abstract

ZOFIA ZALESKA (University of Warsaw) / Swing dance costumes and their dynamics as seen through the prism of the feature films of the Second Polish Republic

The article is a synthetic presentation of the presence of swing dance in the Second Polish Republic. It presents a brief history of this music and dance genre in the United States and its arrival in Poland, where it rapidly gained popularity and began to appear in cinematography. The author focuses on swing dance scenes in the following films: Zabawka (A Toy, dir. Michał Waszyński, 1933), Prokurator Alicja Horn (Prosecutor Alicja Horn, dir. Marta Flanz, Michał Waszyński, 1933), Dyplomatyczna żona (A dimplomatic Wife, dir. Mieczysław Krawicz, Carl Boese, 1937), Szczęśliwa trzynastka (Lucky Thirteen, dir. Marian Czauski, 1938), Zapomniana melodia (Forgotten Melody, dir. Jan Fethke, Konrad Tom, 1937), and Kłamstwo Krystyny (Krystyna’s Lie, dir. Henryk Szaro, 1939). It analyses the costumes of the actors and actresses performing in the scenes in question in order to demonstrate their features which emphasise the vibrancy and dynamism of the fashionable dances. The author also draws attention to the narrative function of the vocal and dance numbers she describes and to gender issues.