Hosting Folklore Groups
Folk Dance Ensemble Hriňovčan, Hriňová (Slovakia)
The folklore ensemble Hriňovčan was established in 1972. It works in town Hriňová - situated in middle part of Slovakia in region Podpoľanie. The group works in Town´s Centre of Culture. In present time new group´s members are coming from children folklore group Hviezdička. In the beginning of group´s establishment the Hriňovčan had 30 members, in these days has more than 40 members. The overage of the Hriňovčan is 20 years (14-35 years old). The group consists of three components: dancing, singing and musical. Yearly has group 25 - 30 performances.
Chairman and Artistic Leader: Mr. Stoyan Stoyanov
Folk Dance Ensemble Izudin Mulabećirović - Izo, Jelah (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Cultural society Izudin Mulabećirović-Izo comes from town Jelah near Usora river in northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The preservation of folklore tradition in folklore society began on initiative of Youth organization of Construction Material Company Usora. The society was established in 1951. In 1954 they renamed themselves into KUD Izudin Mulabećirović - Izo. Today there are four sections with more than two hundred members. They are active in folklore section, tambura player section, ethno section and traditional music section. Folklore section performs with choreographies from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ethnographical museum that they established preserves artifacts as music instruments, traditional clothing, plowing equipment, home craft, textiles and others. Society iregularly performs in international folklore festivals. From 2001 Folk Dance Ensemble Izudin Mulabećirović - Izo organizes their own folklore festival where in past years more than sixty folklore dance ensembles from all over Europe performed.
Chairman: Mr. Emir Kotorić
Artistic Leader: Mr. Jasmin Pilav
Folk Dance Ensemble Botevgrad, Botevgrad (Bulgaria)
On 1963 a group of young people from the local community centre decided to create a dancing group which to perform typical chain dances from the region. The founder choreograf is Mr. Vasil Terziiski. The love for the Bulgarian folklore, the passion for beauty, the variety of styles and the attractive dynamic nuances of the Bulgarian folk dances, all this has gathered the people from the Ensemble together and inspired them to demonstrate by an original way the Bulgarian dancing folklore.
These artistic and aesthetic principles are realized on stage and by dances of different subjects, thematic and divertissement types. Because of the geographic location of Botebgrad the typical style is the Northern, but in the concert program are included dances from other ethnographic regions of Bulgaria and every single program item carries the scent of the unique regional style and character, both through the expressive means of the dances and through the original costumes, requisite and musical setting.
The Ensemble's orchestra is a chamber type and comprises the essential Bulgarian traditional musical instruments.The musicians are good individual performers of folk instrumental music. The soloist singer performs songs from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria.
These abilities ensure best opportunities for the audience to get acquainted with both the instrumental traditional music and the splendid Bulgarian folk songs.
Chairman and Artistic Leader: Mr. Stoyan Stoyanov
Folklore Ensemble Tine Rožanc, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Group consists of members from youth, and their efforts are crowned every year with appearances in numerous cultural events, festivals and tours. High artistic value of the group is shown in quality performances of choreographies from different parts of Slovenia, perfect musical accompaniment and juvenile impetus of performers. The quality of represented dances is raised by original and rich folk customs. Rich traditions of our predecessors were brought across the borders and thus a great number of strong friendly bonds were knitted, which ennobled the cultural mission of the group. Enraptured audiences and enviable comments of experts, at home as well as abroad, prove that the group has trained itself in the spirit of enthusiasm and that it finds its place among the ambassadors of the noblest art - the folk culture. The group was established in 1949 when a few young people decided to rescue ancient customs from oblivion and preserve everything that was part of national tradition and celebrated its 60th anniversary last year with a gala concert.
Chairman: Mr. Dejan Štimpfelj
Artistic Leader: Mrs. Katja Kavkler
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Folklore group KUD Oton Župančič, Vinica (Slovenia)
Members of KUD Oton Župančič Vinica are trying to preserve the rich folk tradition of Bela krajina. The folklore group was active before WWI and afterwards as well, when Vinica became wide known for its »pir« (wedding ceremonies). In 1908 it preformed at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Franz Joseph's reign. Today's group was officially founded in 1964. We celebrated our 40th anniversary wearing new national costumes, which were hand-made by the group members under the supervision of Mrs Ljuba Vrtovec-Pribac. The anniversary brought many awards. We have been preserving the dances ("kola") as well as manners and customs of our ancestors for many years and performing across Slovenia and abroad. Every year at St George's Day, we perform the ceremony "Zeleni Jure" to both Slovene and Croatian Presidents. Artistic director of the dance group is Mr Vlado Starešinič, a former member of France Marolt Folk Dance Group, and the musicians (tamburaši) are led by Mrs Željka Karin-Biličič. The group's young and eager members are a promise that the future will bring new great accomplishments.
President: Mrs. Željka Karin Biličič
Artistic leader: Mr. Vlado Starešinič
Musical leader: Mrs. Željka Karin Biličič
Folklore group FS Zeleni Jurij, Črnomelj (Slovenia)
Folklore group got its name from Zeleni Jurij, who brings us the spring and revives the nature. The beginnings of folklore activity in Črnomelj date back to the 19th century. In 1888 they renewed Črnomelj's ceremonial dances, and in 1905 they had a performance in Črnomelj. There were also organized tamburitsa players active already before the war. In 1939 there was a folklore festival in Črnomelj, and among the performers there was also a local group. In between the war and after it the group was performing at meetings, festivals and on many other occasions. They attended the first meeting of folklore groups in Gradec as well. Members of the group in 1960's were also the pioneers of folklore festival Jurjevanje and Kresovanje. In 1977 they named themselves the Folklore Group Zeleni Jurij. The group, in current structure, has been working for 5 years and has 30 members accompanied by an accordion player. They are dancing mostly traditional Bela Krajina dances and Črnomelj's ceremonial dances. They perform also in other parts of Slovenia and abroad. In 2008 they have already attended a festival in Dani Abraševića in Bačka Palanka (Serbia) and organized a project- Jurjevo- The Festival of Spring.
President: Mr. Mitja Stopar
Artistic leader: Mrs. Urška Tomc and Mr. Mitja Stopar
Folklore group Dragatuš, Dragatuš (Slovenija)
Folk dance group Dragatuš was founded in 1957. Since its beginnings, the group has been preserving the dancing and singing traditions of Bela krajina and its various customs. Music is performed by ‘tamburaši' (musicians playing a stringed instrument resembling a mandolin), an accordion player and three violinists. From time to time, the programme is enriched by other folk instruments, such as the gudalo (earthen bas). Members of the group have also been striving to restore folk costumes and, for this purpose, they co-operate with well-known experts in this field. The group regularly participate in annual local, regional and national meetings of Slovenian folk dance groups. In 2004, the group were proud to attend the Third CIOFF World Folkloriada in Hungary as official representatives of the Republic of Slovenia. Members of the group have come to realise that such a large group of people can perform successfully and be motivated to preserve folk tradition because of the company and getting-together with a desire to do something attractive and useful.
President: Mr. Leopold Perko
Artistic leader: Mr. Tadej Fink
Folklore group Predgrad, Predgrad (Slovenia)
Our folklore group comes from Predgrad, village in the southeast of Slovenia, in the Poljanska dolina valley by the river Kolpa in the region of Bela Krajina. Many friendly and sociable people live in this village, who have all our thanks for presewing the very old folk dances tradition. We don't know how old our folklore group or tradition is. In 1888 our songs were written in Ljubljanski zvon (˝Ljubljana bell˝) newspaper (Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia), but folklore in our village is much older. It's also the oldest folklore group in our country and the only folklore group in this region. There is a round dance (kólo) typical for our village Predgrad.
The tradition says that the round dance (kólo) originates from feudal era. The whole of Poljanska dolina valley and the majority of Bela Krajina was owned by Poljana noble men. Their castle was below Predgard village. The villagers of Predgrad were given the right, once in a year, to tell their noble men everything that they didn't like about them.This lead to the so called Bridge dance, where two groups - the noble men and peasants - call each other names. Part of it is ˝Pobelelo pole˝ (˝white field˝) dance which is very special because it is a ballad to which you dance. The kolo dance is the dance of the bride and the groom wearing the local dresses of the newly-weds, and dancing together with their wedding guests. On 18th July 1903 our village was burned to the ground, so the folklorists had to make new folks clothes for their dances. People of Predgrad also used to play different instruments. One of them was a special kind of a bag pipe which is no longer played. Other instruments were also the violin, tamburice (local string instrument) and others, but today an accordion is very popular. Today there are 3 folklore groups with 45 members: children folklore group, youth folklore group and senior group. The seniors made a break of 30 years and began to dance in 2006 again. They dance traditional Predgrad kolo. Our youth folklore group performs dances from the whole Bela Krajina region. Every year we organize 2 concerts and shows in other parts of Slovenia and neighbouring Italy and Croatia. This year we will also go to Wien (Austria), where our folklore group presented itself to the audience for the first time in order to honour the 60th anniversary of the Franz Joseph emperor birth. We decided that our youth folklore group visits you and present the local dances of Bela Krajina region, which you will find very special and interesting.
President: Mr. Šmalcelj Alojz
Artistic leader: Mr. Marko Tekavec
Folklore Group of the Cultural and Artistic Society Božo Račič, Aldešiči
The folklore group from Adlešiči exists within the Cultural and Artistic Society Božo Račič that has besides the children and adults folklore groups also a tambura band, adult and children choirs Kresnice (Fireflies) and Prelo octet. The Cultural and Artistic Society has been active for several years and the folklore activities alone celebrated their 100th anniversary in Adlešiči in May with a special show Stoletje po odhodu na cesarski Dunaj (Century after the departure to imperial Vienna). Due to the gradual arrival of many new younger members, the group divided into two groups, one for children and one for adults. New members are welcomed by the mentor of the children folklore group, Tončka Starešinič, who teaches them to love their cultural heritage. Being very active, the society organizes independent shows, and participates at folklore shows, at the shows of traditional singers and musicians, and at other shows across Slovenia and abroad.
Director: Majda Veslič
Artistic Director: Majda Veselič and Nataša Tina Prijanovič
Semiška ohcet Folklore group, Semič (Slovenia)
The folk dance group "Semiska ohcef' preserves the customs of a traditional White Carniolan wedding, concentrating on the customs of Semic and near vicinity. The group presents the wedding in the same sequence of events as they were conducted years ago. The group has its own dancers and musicians: dancers sing wedding songs while dancing; musicians play the accordions, the tambouras and ivy leaves. In the group there are also a bride, a groom, a bridesmaid, the best man, two elderly leaders (a man and a woman) who are responsible for the wedding guests to have a great time, a child called "nakolence" (the one who sits on someone's lap), who is a symbol of all the future children^ and the mother of the house who gives the hearth to the bride when the bride arrives at her new home.
Chairman: Mrs. Marjetka Lipar
Artistic Leader: Mr. Franc Šprajcer
Musical group leader : Mr. Franc Šprajcer
