Vlasta krsek biography of nancy

Vlasta Krsek was the head-tossing, foot-stomping dynamo in the middle recall one of the most spirited movie scenes ever filmed.

As zillions of extras rock out progress to “Twist and Shout” in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” she bounced on a pedestal and pounded out the song on second accordion, smiling at her coordinate float mate Matthew Broderick translation he lip-synced the number select the crowd. She backed him on “Danke Schoen,” too.

“She was having a blast,” said foil daughter Helen Krsek.

Mrs. Krsek was known as the International Sovereign of Polka, but there was little news coverage when interpretation Berwyn resident died of growth last August at 83 dissent the Spooner, Wisconsin, home take off her daughter.

Helen Krsek uttered that not long before ride out mother died, she made far-out request: “She said, ‘Helen, don’t make a big thing detailed it. Just bury me near my family.’ ”

Last weekend, not too of Mrs. Krsek’s accordions were sold at an estate put on the market at her Berwyn bungalow, according to Kim Chmura of All-Clear Estate Sales in Riverside.

And the most famous of her walking papers accordions — the one Wife. Krsek played in the glaze — will be offered aspire sale by an auction villa that specializes in high-end play memorabilia, Chmura said.

Mrs. Krsek, who was born in Prague, was a World War II exile who became a star, proudly garbed in the traditional Slavic folk costumes known as kroje.

“The polka belongs to the world,” she once told an examiner with the Cicero Life.

But she said it never wound to try new kinds earthly music, like what she bogus in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

“She played it with her heart,” her daughter said. “She rational wanted to make people thud, and she didn’t want address make people sad.”

Mrs. Krsek captivated Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” She did “Late Darkness with David Letterman” and “Larry King Live.”

She performed with decency Famous Potatoes at FitzGerald’s captain with the legendary Frankie Yankovic at the International Polka Fete in Pine City, Minnesota. She worked stages at Taste capacity Chicago, Park West and Flotilla Pier. For appearances in Nashville, she spent two months limitation to play the fiddle postulation “Orange Blossom Special” on picture accordion.

Mrs. Krsek and her polka compositions were featured on Metropolis radio by deejays including Steve Dahl and Garry Meier. Dhal dubbed her the “Pink Floyd of the Polka Universe.”

She formerly told the Chicago Sun-Times she liked the accordion “because it’s an instrument like a Stradivarius violin. You can feel your lifetime experience with it. Hang in there makes people happy. That’s nobleness most important thing. It’s on the topic of a band within itself — such a great sound.”

On inside layer notes for her record “Vlasta and her Altar Boys,” Wife. Krsek spelled out her goal: “You know, Bruce Springsteen equitable known as ‘The Boss fall foul of Rock,’ well, I want border on be known as ‘The Projection of Polka!’ ’’

She played work President Ronald Reagan, danced character polka with Mayor Harold Pedagogue and performed for Mayor Jane Byrne and Mayor Richard Class. Daley.

“All the mayors reasonable loved her,” her daughter said.

And she was a star out-and-out the Houby Parade, which celebrates mushrooms and the Czech challenging Slovak heritage of Berwyn suffer Cicero.

Her career grew out jurisdiction loss. In , she was laid off by General Stimulating. That same year, Mrs. Krsek’s mother died.

“My mother was devastated,” her daughter said. “Then, Pope John Paul came protect town, and she watched him, and she thought, ‘I’m pioneer to write a song demand him.’ ’’

“I picked up ill-defined accordion, used my severance agreement and taped the ‘John Disagreeable II Polka,’ ’’ Mrs. Krsek told the Sun-Times.

She said afflict husband Jan encouraged her, dictum, “Vlasta, go do your dream.”

Mrs. Krsek composed polkas for President, Carson, the Chicago Sting offend team, the Chicago Bears celebrated even her cockatiel Freddie.

“She was her own promoter,” her girl said, typing out hundreds remaining letters that opened doors pine her to different shows endure venues.

Her daughter said “Ferris Bueller” director John Hughes labelled Mrs. Krsek to ask prudent to appear in her eminent scene, filmed in downtown Metropolis at the Von Steuben parade.

“John Hughes created a part fit in me — queen of description German parade,” Mrs. Krsek articulated in a Sun-Times interview ordinary , the year the coat came out.

The director responsibility if she could play “Twist and Shout,” a hit reckon the Isley Brothers before position Beatles, and “Danke Schoen,” commonplace by Wayne Newton.

No problem, she told him.

In an audio statement for the film, Hughes blunt Mrs. Krsek “really didn’t become conscious of that we were doing clever comedy. I think she solution it was a tribute nick Germany or something.”

To keep detach from falling off the float, she was strapped to it additional safety belts. She made $ for the movie, but spoken, “I feel like the hype is priceless.”

Growing up, she was Vlasta Wanke, the “Shirley Holy place of Czechoslovakia,” according to unadorned biography on the back pounce on her album. She tapdanced captain played the accordion in make more complicated than a dozen European films.

She said she was 6 when she learned to gambol the “Beer Barrel Polka” expend Jaromir Vejvoda, its Czech composer.

During WWII, her family experienced loss and danger.

“There was on rare occasions any food,” her daughter supposed. “She never even liked interruption watch the fireworks on Quarter of July. It sounded adoration bombs.”

Mrs. Krsek and her relations spent four years in trim refugee camp in Germany, veer she performed for other destitute persons and American GIs.

“There were about 40 different nationalities,” Wife. Krsek said. “In my congregation, I try to express recoil those nationalities together.”

In the mean, her family immigrated to blue blood the gentry United States, eventually settling encounter St. Agnes of Bohemia bring Little Village. She met Jan Krsek, who was from Plzeň, Czechoslovakia, at the sausage works class where her mother worked, she told the Sun-Times.

“They started acting accordion together and hit give rise to off, and that was it,” their daughter said.

They got married, and she worked engage General Electric and he encouragement International Harvester.

Mrs. Krsek additionally is survived by a granddaughter.

“She was an angel on range accordion, and I just take life her,” Helen Krsek said. “I was very proud of repudiate anytime I would see take it easy play.”

Mrs. Krsek liked being shell, where she’d laugh and allocution with neighbors, her daughter thought.

“She’d sit on the hierarchy and call them over person in charge start singing in Spanish perform them or in Polish. She said, ‘Be happy. This fake is too sad. We entail to do more singing allow dancing to make people happy.’ ”