Ryszard Sudol has been the Artistic Director and Head Choreographer of The Polish American Folk Dance Company since 2005. He is PAFDC’s first native-born Polish Artistic Director and has enhanced the company’s repertoire extensively in the brief period since first accepting the position.

Ryszard’s love of dance and performing began in the first grade when his elementary school teacher, Pani Maria Kos, gave him the role of fighting ferocious dragons in the tale of “Szewczyk Dratewka.” From that moment his interest in the performing arts was sparked. In his high school years he joined the “Dzikowianie” dancers a group founded by former members of the prestigious “Mazowsze Polish Folk Song and Dance Ensemble.” Under the watchful eye of choreographer Antoni Woloczko, Ryszard began considering transforming his love of dance into a career. Is enrollment at the College of Pedagogy and Choreography in Kielce, Poland would give him the training in the range of dance styles that included ballet, classical dance. Pantomime, dance therapy, and social dances. As a student he performed with the celebrated “Central Artistic Dance Group of the Polish Army.” He was a member of that company for four years.

Shortly thereafter, Ryszard’s professional, choreographic career began. From 1985 through 1989 he was a choreographer for his former dance group “Dzikowianie.” For them he was able to develop a new repertoire, train dancers, purchase costumes, work on musical arrangements, and choreograph new dance routines. Ryszard continued his own training by attending various workshops around Poland. He trained extensively to become proficient in a number of different regions. Among them were Lublin (Tance Lubelskie), Slask (Gorny Slask), Warsaw (Folkdances of Central Poland), Zakopane (Dances of Podhale), and Boguchwala (Dances of Sacz and Rzeszow).

Eventually, he moved to France and was hired as director of the “Jeunesse Polonaise Dance Circle” in Paris. Then in 1990, after moving to the United States, Ryszard directed the “Krakusy” dancers in Los Angeles. He worked with them until 1993. Later, he returned to Poland becoming involved yet again with various folk dance groups as dance instructor, choreographer, and manager.

Other than his love of folk dance and culture, Ryszrard serves his Polish community by teaching at the “Maria Konopnicka Polish Supplementary School” in Brooklyn. At the school he is a history teacher and director of school assemblies.

Ryszard’s involvement with PAFDC includes developing the company’s repertoire, dancer training, musical arrangements with Lukasz Plis and Bob White of the Kapela Ludowa, and choreography. Additionally, Ryszard was instrumental in organizing our newest Junior group when he found there to be a gap that could easily be filled as children began outgrowing the PAFDC Kids group and teenage members arrived in need of dance training before entering the adult group. His engaging approach as Artistic Director is providing PAFDC with the direction it needs as it continues its journey into the new century.