In February 2026, the Frederic Chopin Polish Saturday School in South Croydon celebrated Patron's Day. The classrooms were festive, musical and cheerful that day, and the school welcomed some very special guests.
Chopin on the school noticeboard
Frederic Chopin (1810–1849) was born in Żelazowa Wola, and from 1831 until his death he lived in Paris. At school, he was brought to mind by a tongue-in-cheek noticeboard designed as a social media profile. On it, the composer introduced himself as a pianist, composer, emigrant and romantic, connected with Warsaw and Paris, and his ‘relationship status’ was given as ‘it's complicated’. Posts recalled, among other things, his first concert, which he gave at the age of eight. The ‘Friends’ section included George Sand, Eugène Delacroix, Adam Mickiewicz and Franz Liszt – figures from the composer's Parisian circle.
Dances inspired by Chopin's music
The guest on this special day was the ‘Karolinka’ ensemble, which brought the past and the present together by performing dances inspired by the music of Frederic Chopin. The dancers, in colourful folk costumes, performed on the stage of the school hall. Everyone also danced the polonaise together.
The polonaise, a stately dance in triple time, is particularly associated with the school's patron. Chopin's first published work was the Polonaise in G minor, composed in 1817 by a boy of just seven, and polonaises accompanied him throughout his creative life – among the most famous is the Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, known as the ‘Heroic’. To this day, balls in Poland are opened with a polonaise, including studniówka (pre-school-leaving) balls.
It was a wonderful day. Thank you to the ‘Karolinka’ ensemble for celebrating with us.
