Donna Marie Skurski has been active in the Polish Community for over 50 years. She began her teaching career with the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America as co-dance instructor for the group now known as the Gwiazda Dance School in 1971 and became the sole dance teacher of Gwiazda in 1974 until 1985. She also became the teacher/choreographer of the PRCUA Opole Dancers and the Polish Women’s Alliance Poznan Dancers in 1975. Donna has shared her knowledge and love of Polish folk dance with countless students over the years. One of her greatest thrills as a teacher was participating in the 10th lnternational Festival of Polish Children’s Folk Ensembles in Iwonicz-Zdrój in 2018 with the Opole dancers.
Donna began dancing as a young child with a Polish dance group, PWA Zamek Dancers, just down the block from where she lived. Her love of dance continued into college, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance-Theater from Marygrove College and was a member of their resident dance company, “Dance Detroit.” Although she loved performing in ballets at Marygrove, her true passion was performing Polish National and Regional Dances. As a dancer with the Wawel Folk Ensemble, she traveled to Poland to study under master instructors, spending several summers in Lublin. Donna and her husband also attended many workshops sponsored by the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas, where teachers from Poland conducted regional dance classes.
Her vast knowledge of Polish dance and culture prepared her and her husband, Tom, to take over as Artistic Director and Director of the Wawel Folk Ensemble in January 1992. The troupe has participated in the World Folk Festival in Rzeszów, Poland in 1980, ‘83, ‘89, ‘96, ‘99, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2023, and plans to return in 2026. In October 1996, Donna received the General Casimir Pulaski Meda! of Honor, awarded annually by the Central Citizens Committee for contributions to Polonia and Polish cultural preservation.
In 2003, Donna and Tom received the Polish Heritage Award from the Polish Heritage Committee of St. Hyacinth’s Parish, and that same year she received the Fine Arts Award for Dance from the Warren Cultural Commission. The Wawel Folk Ensemble is a charter member of the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas, established in 1983. Over the past 40 years, Donna and Tom have each held several board positions including President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-at Large.
In addition to her role as a dance teacher, Donna worked at Modern Engineering as a receptionist and Health Care advisor in Human Resources. At GM, she supported the Chief Engineer and later served as executive assistant to the Financia! Director at Cadillac. Donna later returned to school to earn an Elementary Teaching Certificate with K-8 endorsement. She is currently retired but continues to substitute teach in the Roseville school community.
Source: Booklet “Top 25 Polish American Leaders in 2025 Awards Banquet”.
