Croatian Folklore Summer School: Preserving traditions and connecting Croatians worldwide

(Photo credit: Snježana Jurišić/HFS)

The 29th edition of the Croatian Folklore Summer School, organised by the Croatian Heritage Foundation, commenced today in Zadar and will last for ten days until August 13th.

The Croatian Folklore Summer School of 2023 will showcase the dances, costumes, songs, and traditional musical instruments (tambourines and other traditional instruments) from the Croatian Pannonian region. 

These include the dances of Turopolje, Croatians in Vojvodina, Croatians in Hungary, Bosnian Posavina, Western Slavonia, Posavina, Bilogora, Northern and Southern Moslavina, Baranja, Valpovština, Đakovo region, Western Srijem, Brod Posavina, Novigrad region, and Požega Valley, Županja, Vinkovci region, as well as Slatina, Donja Miholjac, Orahovica, and Našice regions.

The summer school will be led by the program’s expert coordinator Andrija Ivančan, artistic director of FA Linđo from Dubrovnik, Tibor Bün who will lead the tambourine department, and Vjekoslav Martinić, a renowned master of traditional instrument crafting from Garešnica, who will lead the traditional musical instruments department. The distinguished music composer maestro Siniša Leopold will be the guest lecturer.

Throughout the course, other notable experts in folklore and ethnochoreology, as well as renowned researchers of Croatian folklore, will also contribute as lecturers. These experts include Goran Knežević, Slavica Moslavac, Ivan and Ana Zlatunić, Vedran Vidović, Katica Tomac, Márk Jeránt, Katarina Horvatović, and Kristina Benko Markovica. 

The music accompaniment will be handled by piano players Lane Moslavac and Antun Kotteka, while assistants Filip Martinić and Martin Durbek, both skilled artists and folklorists, will also support the program.

The event will take place from August 4th to August 13th, 2023, at the HI HOSTEL ZADAR, located at Obala kneza Trpimira 76, Zadar.

The Croatian Folklore Summer School is based on a scientific and expert program established in 1964 by the esteemed Croatian scientist in the field of ethnology and ethnochoreology, Dr. sc. Ivan Ivančan. 

This program has continuously evolved and adapted to new knowledge and trends. The current program coordinator, Andrija Ivančan, has incorporated modern trends in dance education and all essential elements required for training folklore group leaders, similar to what maestro Siniša Leopold did for the program designed for tambourine ensemble leaders. 

(Photo credit: Snježana Jurišić/HFS)

Through this program, important goals of the Croatian Heritage Foundation are achieved: preserving, strengthening, and promoting Croatian traditional culture and Croatian national and ethnic identity among Croatian diaspora, members of Croatian communities abroad, and Croatians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while also connecting the dispersed Croatian diaspora with the homeland.

The main objective of the professional program itself is to preserve the authenticity and indigenousness of folklore – traditional dance, song, and music, which are the most attractive and frequently performed aspects of traditional culture today. Tradition serves as the foundation for creative contemporary expression, so the Croatian Folklore Summer School also promotes authorial, ethnological, and folkloric-based reinterpretation and stage-choreographed presentations of this part of traditional art.