Directors

The husband and wife team of Tom and Donna Skurski have been leading the Wawel Folk Ensemble since 19??. Tom serves as the Director while Donna is the Artistic Director of the group.

Donna began dancing as a child, which sparked her interest in dance. She then went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degreein Dance-Theatre from Marygrove College. While attending college, Donna was a member of their resident dance company, "Dance Detroit" and had the opportunity to perform two seasons with the Michigan Opera Company. While attending college she also performed in many musicals and ballets and was selected as a featured soloist in the ballet "Rhapsody". In her senior year Marygrove's Dance Company performed Nutcracker accompanied by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Donna's interest in Polish dance and culture has taken her to Poland to further her studies in the national and regional folk dances of Poland. She has studied under the dance masters themselves, spending several summers in Lublin, Poland.

Donna's vast knowledge of Polish dance and culture has prepared her and her husband, Tom, to successfully take charge of the Wawel Folk Ensemble. The troupe has participated in the World Folk Festival in Rzeszow, Poland in 1980, '83, 89, 96, and 99, and dance workshops around the United States.

In October of 1996, Donna received the Leadership Award given annually by the Central Citizens Committee. The recipients are selected by the committee for their contributions to Polonia and preservation of Polish culture.

Donna was also recently honored by the Warren Cultural Commission and awarded the Fine Arts Award for her contributions in the field of dance. Her name will also be placed on a nameplate and added to the perpetual plaque that hangs in the Warren City Hall.

Since 1994, Donna has served on the Board of Directors of the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas, as Secretary and currently as Treasurer. Donna decided to return to school to fulfill her life long dream, to become an Elementary School Teacher. Besides teaching dance, and going to school, Donna is employed full-time at General Motors as an Administrative Assistant.