The International Folk Festival

One of the things we enjoy most in travel is stumbling upon a cultural moment. As we were walking to the grocery store our first night in Ohrid, North Macedonia, we stumbled upon a stage for the International Folk Festival. The announcer was introducing the first of eleven folklore ensembles. Each ensemble was dressed in traditional attire representing their nation or village. With great joy, we disregarded the store and had a seat to watch.

One after another, we watch the groups perform traditional songs and dances representing their Balken history. Some groups had strong marching footwork while others had delicate feet and singers. Some ensembles used instruments with their dances including drums, flutes, bouzoukis, or guitars. Regardless of current or historical conflict with any other represented country, national pride and honor were felt from each performer ages 6-70.

The performances continued for many hours that night. Here are the first five ensembles we were able to enjoy that night before heading back to our newest apartment and settling in for the night.

Skopje, Macedonia

This group from Skopje were primarily children in traditional dress. With confidence, they took the stage first and gave a solid performance. They used the whole stage well utilizing a lead male and a lead female.

Croatia

The Croatia performers had a mix of mature and young adults. The lady with the blue skirt in the center was singing while the young ladies at the flag look on. Their choreography was most intriguing from our balcony view as they shifted from a large group to uniform smaller groups (8-4-2).

Bosnia and Herzegovina

This group of ladies and gentlemen had some fancy footwork as they danced in different group formations (couples, women, men, small and large groups).

Piskavica

Piskavica, which is a village in the municipality of Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They had delightful musicians who performed as a group with the dances and with a soloist. They also provided a resounding beat with their feet that got the crowd excited.

Albania

The Albania team had multiple groups vigorously performing. The first group showed off with choreography on the floor. They were followed by a group of singers and musicians before closing with a traditional female group.