Maja’s life in her Dolina family began long before she can remember. With both of her parents dancing in Dolina, she began tagging along to Tuesday night practices at a very young age, watching the dancers, excited for the day she would finally get to join them.
At the age of three, Maja began dancing ballet and tap at a local studio, though quickly found herself wanting to dance more like the people she’d grown up watching. The next year, she joined Dolina’s children’s group, Sloneczniki, beginning a journey to a life-long passion. She moved up to Chabry (the teen group) in 2016, and attended a children’s folk dance camp in Poland the following summer. In 2018, Maja began attending Dolina rehearsals regularly, making Tuesdays her favorite night of the week.
Maja’s first performance with Dolina was in 2019, at which time she was also dancing with Chabry and filling in for Sloneczniki, which her mother was teaching at the time. In July of 2019, Maja traveled to Slovakia and Poland for the 50th Anniversary Rzeszow Festival. That November, she participated in Dolina’s 70th Anniversary concert, fulfilling many life-long dreams. In addition, Maja has performed in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and throughout the Twin Cities.
Maja is currently in her first season with the Ethnic Dance Theater, broadening her dance horizons to different cultures and techniques.
This year, Maja is excited to be sharing her passion by directing Sloneczniki. She hopes to be an inspiration and role model for the next generation of Polonia, like so much of Dolina has been for her.