Res Humanitariae

The dance heritage of selected national and ethnic minorities living in Kraków and the Małopolska voivodeship is currently undergoing dynamic changes. This paper discusses the attitude of minorities towards phenomena such as commercialisation, folklorisation and (self)folklorisation of the heritage, as well as its functioning in the global cultural supermarket. In-depth interviews and informal conversations were conducted with respondents regarding the dance heritage and its importance to minorities. The findings confirmed the thesis that it is an important component of the intangible cultural heritage of the communities discussed, and, in some cases, forms the core of their identity. Although the respondents were aware of the processes mentioned above, they expressed a predominantly conservative attitude towards changes to the heritage, and sought to pass it on to the next generation in an unchanged form.