The space of KUD CROATIA is above all constituted by the country’s capital, Zagreb. The ensemble, which was founded in 1983, is one of Croatia’s leading children’s folk groups. Although, as already mentioned, it operates within the capital, it draws on the cultural heritage of the entire central region of the country, where the influences of ancient folklore and urban culture converge, and where tradition and everyday life intermingle.
Space and time would be nothing were it not for the people who shape them. The founder and mentor of the KUD CROATIA ensemble is Goran Knežević, a choreographer and educator who has been coaching young dancers for many years. Thanks to his work, the ensemble combines tradition with a modern type of stage presentation, bringing the experience of various eras to life.
KUD CROATIA has been presenting the folklore of central Croatia in a variety of spaces and cultural contexts across Europe. The KUD CROATIA children have performed in Llangollen (Wales), Algeria, Poland and France. They have won numerous awards, ranking among the best groups in Zagreb and all of Croatia. It is noteworthy that in 2023 they were awarded a Golden Plaque at a festival in Paris.
In a programme entitled “Our Great Circle Dance,” the KUD CROATIA ensemble will guide us round various regions of Croatia: Draganić, Zagorje and Međimurje, as well as round their distinct traditions. The choreographic acts will feature such dances as polka, čardaš, drmeš, šroteš and oberštajer, and on the melic plane we will be treated to folk songs depicting changing time and space – from the 19th-century rural settlements to the contemporary reality of a young resident of the Balkan country.
KUD CROATIA has been presenting the folklore of central Croatia in a variety of spaces and cultural contexts across Europe. The KUD CROATIA children have performed in Llangollen (Wales), Algeria, Poland and France. They have won numerous awards, ranking among the best groups in Zagreb and all of Croatia. It is noteworthy that in 2023 they were awarded a Golden Plaque at a festival in Paris.
In a programme entitled “Our Great Circle Dance,” the KUD CROATIA ensemble will guide us round various regions of Croatia: Draganić, Zagorje and Međimurje, as well as round their distinct traditions. The choreographic acts will feature such dances as polka, čardaš, drmeš, šroteš and oberštajer, and on the melic plane we will be treated to folk songs depicting changing time and space – from the 19th-century rural settlements to the contemporary reality of a young resident of the Balkan country.