Opanak, a Serbian folklore group from Edmonton, Alberta in Western Canada will be among many groups performing at the Intercultural Dance Festival 2017 Saturday, May 20 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church, 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN.
Today the Serbian Dance Association Opanak consists of six different age groups. The Serbian Dance Association Opanak was founded in 1959 beginning with only 15 members with rehearsals taking place in the basement of the family household.
Since 1986 the number of members has been constantly increasing and the folk group Opanak now practices at the premises of their local church-school community.
The majority of active members are children and young people. Opanak strives to unite people through music, song and dance in order to keep the Serbian culture alive.
Many young people have been a part of Opanak with numerous appearances at Serbian folklore festivals through the United States and Canada. Opanak was part of the Heritage Festival from the very start as well as the opening ceremonies at the University Games in Edmonton (see more about Opanak at http://www.facebook.com/Edmonton.Opanak/).
Performers from Serbian Dance Association Opanak will join Srbadija Folklore, the youth folklore dance group at St. Sava, and many other dance groups as they perform in this special showcase of dance from different cultures and delight all with Serbian cuisine and the famous bake sale available during the event. Approximately 12 different dance groups have confirmed they will be performing and will be sharing their talents.
This will be the third consecutive year of the Intercultural Festival hosted in the new Pavilion at St. Sava that draws hundreds of people and unites through culture and dance.
This year there will be some familiar dance groups from previous festivals and some new additions to the lineup. More details of the names of the groups performing and some background about what you can expect to experience will be posted in the weeks and days leading up to the event.
This year groups representing Serbian, Polish, and other Eastern European nationalities will be performing, with more groups still joining the lineup. Performers this year will be traveling from as far away as Alberta, Niagara Falls, and Ontario in Canada.
Previous dance festivals have featured groups representing different regions of Serbia, Mexico, Greece, Ireland, and India in the performance.
Please save the Saturday, May 20 date to join us for the Third Annual Intercultural Festival, hosted by Srbadija Folklore, at St. Sava Church, 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN 46410.
Intercultural Dance Festival 2017 Performers
- Balkanske Igre – Chicago
- Opanak – Edmonton, Alberta – Canada
- St. Elijah – Merrillville – Frula
- St. George – Niagara Falls, Canada
- St. George – Schererville – Tromedja
- St. Raphael Kalinowski Polish School Polish Group – Munster
- St. Sava – Merrillville – Srbadija
- St. Stevan Dečanski – Detroit – Rasko
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius Srpska Mladost – Guelph, Ontario
- Sts. Peter & Paul MOC – Crown Point – Kitka
- Sts. Peter & Paul Parish – Oakville, Ontario
