A dancing couple from the Silesian University of Technology
Barbara Skarka, senior assistant from the Foreign Languages Centre, and dr hab. Eng. Wojciech Skarka, prof. SUT from the Department of Fundamentals of Machine Design of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, successfully combine scientific and didactic work with ... dance.
Mr. and Mrs. Skarka have been dancing for 10 years. They are very successful on the dance floor. They became interested in dance by chance. – Our son danced, and we drove him to training. At some point, we decided that instead of sitting and waiting for our son to finish his classes, we could dance ourselves - says Barbara Skarka.
Mr. and Mrs. Skarka started with training once a week, but then they started to get more and more into dance. – Dancing is addictive, there is movement, endorphins are secreted, so over time there were more and more of these trainings. At the moment we are on the dance floor four times a week - adds Mrs. Barbara.
After a year of training, Mr. and Mrs. Skarka started to dance tournaments as a senior couple. They compete in two categories: Latin American dances (samba, rumba, cha-cha, jive and paso doble) and standard dances (English waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep).
Although there are as many as ten dances to master, our couple does not give up on any of them. – If someone learns dance from childhood, over time they choose one category. We started our adventure with dance at a mature age. We got to know all the dances, we liked them all and we can't give up any of them. That is why we start in tournaments in both categories. Maybe in time we will choose one style, but for now we dance both – explains Barbara Skarka.
For several years SUT employees were in the Polish Team of the Polish Dance Society. Couples with this title represent Polish Dance Society in competitions on the international arena and at the most prestigious events in Poland. “The appointment to National Team was an appreciation of our skills and achievements,” stresses Barbara.
Dancers competed in national and international competitions. Recently, they successfully competed in the World Masters 2023 International Ballroom Dance Tournament in Innsbruck. In their age category in Latin American dances, they won first place, and in standard dances - second place. - This tournament has been organized in Austria for 31 years by the international organization WDC World Dance Council in Innsbruck, where couples from all over the world compete on the dance floor in the Saal Tirol auditorium, filled to the brim with audience, - explains Barbara.
Our dancers have successfully participated in international tournaments in the Czech Republic, Greece and the United States. In Prague and Athens they also won in their age category.
Dance for Mr. and Mrs. Skarka is not only a hobby, competition and getting to know new places and people. It is also a way to stay healthy and fit. “For us, it is primarily a springboard. This physical effort makes us approach our problems with distance, and even forget about them. Dancing is also a very good form of physical activity involving all muscles. However, the most important thing for us is that in this busy world, my husband and I can spend time doing something interesting. That's why we will dance as long as we have enough strength - emphasizes Barbara.
Barbara and Wojciech Skarka are currently dancing at the Dancelook club in Gliwice, where they are preparing for the next tournaments.
