SCHOOL OF SERBIAN FOLKLORE "SLOGA"

One of the youngest folklore societies in Ontario, the Serbian Folklore School "Sloga", from Hamilton, was founded on October 1, 2010 with the aim of nurturing and promoting traditional folk dance and song as true artistic values of Serbian cultural heritage. Persistent in the idea that the original music and folklore creativity should not be forgotten and extinguished, the married couple Boris and Đurđica Daić founded this school.

"Sloga" has a rich repertoire in which dances from the area of Serbian Krajina - Banija, Lika, Kordun stand out, as well as dances from all parts of Serbia - central Serbia, Crna Trava, Niš, Bujanovac, Leskovac, Bosilegrad, Pirot, Kosovo and Vojvodina. The folklore ensemble performs choreographies of the Vlach Dances, Shepherd Dances and Shopska Dances, which show the diversity of dances, songs and costumes of our region. At the beginning of the idea of founding the group, the folklore group had only five dancers: Stefan Daić, Marko and Nina Vukojević, Mirko Janković and Jovana Delić. The school had 15 members in the first year of its founding, and on its tenth anniversary it had 110 dancers.

Despite the objective difficulties, such as lack of budget, insufficient number of students, instructors, space for practice, which the school faced at the first time of its establishment, the Daić couple did not give up on their idea to form a folklore group that would treat dancers of all ages and dancing abilities equally and give them the opportunity to learn and love the Serbian folk dance.

Due to the lack of financial resources for the production of professional costumes, all pieces resembling the original costume of our peoples were made by Đurđa's mother, Mica Navala. As the number of active members of SLOGA grew, the repertoire expanded and enriched over time, including dances from almost all parts of Serbia.  Thus, the traditional folk costume became more diverse, which contributed to a stronger visual experience in the performance of Serbian folk dances. 

In addition to the standard ensemble, the folklore section also has a children's ensemble aged 4-7 years, in which young people learn the basics of singing and dances of traditional Serbian folklore.

Two years after its founding, within the folklore school, the ethnogroup "Sloga" was founded under the leadership of Tinka Kukulj and Biljana Rajšić, which performs traditional Serbian folk songs in the original vocal style of the Serbian village. The group is still active and has rehearsals on Friday nights from 7 to 9 p.m.

In the same year, a folkfit group was launched, which represents a type of recreational folklore for adults. Classes consist of cardio training and stress relief exercises. The main idea and idea is recreation through dancing, socializing and fun. Classes are held on Fridays from 7 pm to 7.30 pm and on Mondays from 7.30 pm to 9.15 pm. The instructor of this group is Boris Daić.

As part of the folklore school, in addition to dance, vocal classes are held with singing mentor Vasilis Atanacković.

During Covid, the school suspended training and lost more than half of its dancers. Despite this, thanks to the dedication of the founders and dancers, but also under the new artistic direction, it continued to work unhindered. Sloga currently has three folklore groups and is under the artistic and choreographic direction of Vladimir Spasojević.

The Cultural and Artistic Society Sloga has recorded numerous notable performances at important festivals and events of domestic and international character, such as Together in Dance, TIDF, Chin Festival, Festival of Friends, Mental Health Awareness event, as well as at many charity events where they present the beauty and richness of the cultural treasury of their people.

Before Covid, the folklore ensemble, in addition to performing at the local level, had guest appearances in Florida, New York, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Montreal, Windsor and Ottawa.

According to Đurđica Daić, some of the future plans include guest appearances in the United States, as well as local performances in Hamilton and the Serbian community and at international dance festivals in Toronto. She adds that founding and leading a folklore group is definitely not an easy job, but that the pleasure and smiling faces of her children Stefan and Emilija, as well as their fellow dancers when learning new steps and performances, are priceless and gives them motivation to continue and improve the work of the school with the aim of nurturing and proudly showing the beauty of the cultural heritage of our region to the whole world.