Established in 1956, the “Polish Folk Dance Group” was a result of a direct need to represent Poland in an “International Folk Festival” held annually at UCLA. Organized by Henia Cybulska, four young immigrant couples overcame difficulties in obtaining costumes and music to perform at the festival. The original members of the ensemble included Zosia and Wiesiek Adamowicz, Henia and Kazik Cybulski, Krystyna Janiszewska, and Zbyszek Szumanski, Basia and Tadzik Sarnecki, and Wanda Gwozdziowska at the piano. They were soon after rewarded with further opportunities to dance and perform, including an invitation to perform at Disneyland.

Steadily growing in number of members, the group performed for local community events and festivals, as well as, television shows. Henryk and Krystyna Jankowski became the group’s first official artistic directors in 1964, when a second generation of dancers was enlisted.

Attracting newly arrived Polish immigrants and professional dancers from “Slask” and “Mazowsze” Polish national folk ensembles, the group continued to grow and increase its repertoire. In 1966, the “Polish Folk Dance Group” performed at the Los Angeles Coliseum to celebrate 1000 years of Christianity in Poland. By this time, the ensemble was composed of over 100 dancers. Also in 1966, Staszek Danko, a well-known soloist from “Slask”, joined the group and added dances from Tatra Highlanders to the ensemble’s repertoire.

In 1967, Marylka Klimek George, an experienced and talented soloist from “Slask” joined the ensemble and became its dance director and choreographer. For close to the next 20 years, under her dynamic leadership, the ensemble blossomed; the repertoire was enriched with new national and cultural folk dances and Polish and American audiences enthusiastically received concerts.

 In 1968, the ensemble adopted its current name “Krakusy”, a familiar reference to the townspeople of Krakow, the old Capital of Poland.