4. CIOFF Fest

Alpe Adria Folklore Festival is truly special because there are not many festivals in the world organized by a different organizer every year. The idea emerged one afternoon during the break at the festival in Gorizia (Italy) in the presence of the people from the Italian Folklore Union (UFI) and Austrian (Styria), Slovenian and Croatian sections of CIOFF. It was imagined as a one-day folklore gathering of Slovenia, Croatia, Friuli, Austrian Styria and Carinthia. This event is organized every year in a different country in late spring. The first host was Italy – Villa Manin near Udine in 2005. Beautiful Slovenian Bled followed and in 2007 Leoben in Styria. This year the host is Croatia. Punat was selected because the cultural club from this town participated in two out of three previous events. While trying to turn this one-day event into a festival, based on the principle of CIOFF, this year it is organized as a two-day manifestation. The festival will have to be expanded both in terms of time and space in the years to come. Within the framework of the Saturday’s program of the Alpe Adria Festival, another manifestation is taking place this year: CIOFF Fest, evaluation revue of folklore clubs of the members of CIOFF’s Croatian Section from the area of Istria and Primorsko-goranska County.

 

Program:
Punat,
Subota/Saturday 31.05.2008.
Pozornica na obali/Promenade (Stage)
19 sati/7 h PM: Mimohod grupa/Parade
19,30/7,30h PM Koncert/Concert

Krk,
Nedjelja/Sunday, 01.06.2008.
Pozornica na obali/Promenade (Stage)
11 sati/11 h AM:Mimohod grupa/Parade
11,30 sati/11,30 h AM Koncert/Concert

1. Folklore group “Punat” Punat, Croatia
The group was founded in 1973 and it has three different sections: folklore, tamburitza orchestra and a male choir or klapa “Rašketa”. The town of Punat has only 1,700 inhabitants and most of 70 members of the group are from there.
From the beginning the folk group leader and choreographer has been Mr. Stanko Mihajlović. The musician directors are Mr. Marijan Orlić for the instruments and Mr. Josip Blažević as a male choir leader. Their repertoire focuses on local dances from the island of Krk, as well as on dances from the entire Croatia. Costumes are original and reflect the area where the performed dance comes from. They take great pride in the authenticity of the traditional dance of Krk Island they performs, and is probably the best interpret in the country.
The music this particualar dance is accompanied by is played on a small and large sopila, a typical medieval instrument, usually made of olive wood. For more than 35 years, cultural club Punat toured around Croatia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Portugal, S. Korea, Brazil and Mexico. Mr. Stanko Mihajlović has been the permanent artistic director from the very beginning.
Programme: Domaći dances
Poskočica (Lindjo)

2. Mürztal Association Dance Group, Austria
The group consists of male and female dancers from Mürztal. There are 7 groups in the Association and 4 of them are active folklore dance groups. It is customary that different groups dance together. Karin Wagner and Rudolf Kürberger have been managing the main group since 2004. Even though dance pairs change, the required level of excellence continues to be achieved.
Styrian dances are easily distinguishable because of the posture of hands and the dance tempo. The special group that will appear at the Alpe-Adria Festival was established in 2007. It consists of 12 dance pairs who each have an average age of 30. The dancers meet once a month under the expert guidance of Karin Wagner and Rudolf Kürberger.
The group performs traditional Styrian dances as well as Austrian dances. At the top of the programme is Ischler Ländler, the typical dance of the Salzkammergut province. This Dance takes our breath away because of its moves, its singing and the applauding which follows. The Platter group is made up of male dancers and a musician who joins the dancing group. Platter is a men’s country dance with the men dancing it so as to be admired by women. The musical accompaniment is typically Styrian: with the diatonic accordion and Hackbrett – which is a type of cymbal that is very popular in Styria. By changing the instruments they achieve a typical Styrian timbre.
The group wears traditional Styrian costumes. Women wear the traditional domestic Dirndl whilst men wear leather pants and a shirt and sometimes a characteristic waistcoat.
Artistic Director: Karin Wagner and Raphael Kühberger
Programme: Ischler Landler
Rosenthaler Steirisch

3. Folklore ensemble ”Zora” Opatija, Croatia
Folklore ensemble of folk dances and songs “Zora” from Opatija was founded in 1948 with the task and the goal of research, collecting, music arrangement and stage presentation of the most beautiful examples of Croatian music and dance tradition. Since it works in Opatija, one of Croatian tourist metropolis, its program forms integral part of the tourist offer of Opatija and Kvarner Riviera, so the repertoire of the ensemble will significantly be adjusted to these needs: the ensemble will deal more with the presentation than the research. Dances from the entire Croatia are on their repertoire, but the dances from the inner circle prevail: Liburnia Littoral, Kvarner and Istria, especially the dances from Liburnia karst, Istrian balun and Krk tanac… Until today, the ensemble has performed on many festivals throughout the world, getting the awards and thrilling the audience. More than 1,500 members participated in the ensemble throughout its existence and there are 75 of them today.
Artistic director of the ensemble is Gabrijel Funarić.
Programme: Dances of Liburnia karst
Sadila sam rogozek

4. Folklore group “Lis Primulis di Zampis” Pagnaco, Udine, Italia
The folk group “Lis Primulis of Zampis” was established 25 years ago by a group of parents guided by a persistent lady, Mrs. Norina Zampa, who joined their efforts to unite the young interested in discovering the cultural heritage of the area. The name “Primulis” (Primrose), a flower that blooms in early spring, signifies the youth of the group, as the young are the spring of life.
In the preserving of the history, tradition and folklore of our land Furlania the emphasis is on music, dance, apparels and customs representing the traditional culture.
The aim of these efforts is to keep alive the continuity of dance and musical art, not to educate experts, but to cherish old customs facing the danger of being forgotten. What characterizes “Lis Primulis of Zampis” the most is the continuous cultural activity of the group evident in its role, since the group is the co-organizer of the 21st International Review of the Folklore of the Ethnic Minorities-Linguistics “Festafolk”.
The freshness, joy and the capacity of expression are the main features of these young people, that presented the original culture of Pagnacco (Udine) throughout Europe thus earning the Moret d’ Aur award in 1997.
Artistic Leader: Mr. Diego Minisini
Programme: Aghe frescje
Catine ( stiche )

5. Folklore group ”Zvir” Jelenje-Dražica, Croatia
Folklore group Zvir, Jelenje, was established in 1977 with the purpose of preserving the folk customs, songs and dance of Grobinština. Its program includes folklore contents from the entire Croatia. It especially nourishes its domestic indigenous folklore and it systematically works on the revival of ancient Grobnik customs. With its indigenous program, the group has participated in numerous most significant festivals of Croatian folklore and it has performed in many European countries - Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Macedonia, Netherlands...
Folklore program of Grobinština is accompanied by “armonika triestina”, bajs and sopile, and the program from other parts of Croatia by a tamburitza orchestra. From its very start, the group has been managed by Ms Alenka Juretić, while the music director is Dorotea Štifanić Mislej.
Programme: Grobnik dances
Old Split dances

6. Folklore group “Savičenta” Svetvincenat, Croatia
Folklore group Savičenta is one of the youngest Istria’s folklore clubs – established in 2000 with the idea of preserving the original Istrian folklore that is, under the pressure of the needs and commercialization of the developed Istrian tourism, on its way to disappearance. The group has about 80 members of all ages, from the kindergarten children to the veterans. It nourishes exclusively the folklore of central and northern Istria, since in this area the folklore remained untouched even today. The original folk dance is accompanied by the music played on original musical instruments mih, roženice and shurle. The costumes are true copies of the original ones. They are regular participants of all more significant Istrian folklore events, various Croatian folklore gatherings and festivals and they gave performances in Slovenia and Italy as well.
The cultural club is managed by Sanjin Macan and Stjepan Celić has been the expert manager from the very beginning.
Programme: Balo de kušin
Istrian polka

7. Student Folk Dance Group “France Marolt” Lubljana, Slovenia
The student folk dance group France Marolt from the Student organization of the University of Ljubljana was established in 1948 by the ethnomusicologist France Marolt (1891-1951), who was the principal of the Institute of Ethnomusicology at the time. After the death of France Marolt, the group took his name in order to honor his life and work.
France Marolt was the group’s spiritual leader, entrusting the musical direction to his wife Tončka Marolt and the dance direction to the Institute’s ethno choreologist Marija Šuštar. Marjan Kralj helped them until 1960. In 1965, Mirko Ramovš, Marija Šuštar’s successor at the Institute, became the group’s professional and artistic director. He enriched and rearranged the group’s program on the basis of his research work. Today, this program includes all the essential elements of movement embodied in Slovene dance expression as well as the dances of all major regions and even some specific parts of Slovene national territory.
Since its establishment, the Student folk dance group France Marolt has successfully presented the tradition of the Slovene popular dance both at home and abroad. It has made frequent appearances on television. Its evening concerts and performances at numerous international folk-dance festivals have always won recognition, especially for their studios and professionally indisputable presentation of Slovene dance tradition. One of the most important among its many awards is undoubtedly the European Prize for Folk Art (Europa preis für Volkskunst), which the group received in 1974.
During all these years, the Student folk dance group France Marolt has successfully represented Slovene folk dance at home and abroad.
This year the biggest Slovenian folk group is celebrating 60 years of existence.
Programme: Gorenjska dances
Bela Krajina dances

Festival su omogućili:
Ministarstvo kulture Republike Hrvatske
Turistička zajednica Općine Punat
Općina Punat

Organizacija:
KUD Punat, Punat
Hrvatska sekcija CIOFF, Poreč

Izbor grupa:
HR CIOFF, Poreč
Unione folklorica Italiana, Aviano
Zveza ljudskih tradicijskih skupin (CIOFF Slovenije), Ljubljana
Heimat- und Trachtenvereine (CIOFF Austrije) Štajerska sekcija, Leoben

Izdavač: HRCIOFF i KUD Punat
Za izdavače: Ante Cukrov i Branko Karabaić
Oblikovanje i tisak: Comgraf d.o.o. Umag