Communicating with the Ancestors: Folk, Identity & Culture

Slađana Đuranović, Portrait Srbija’s mother hen in Novi Sad & Ex-Folk Dancer describes the importance and passion that is embedded in VILA Folk Ensemble’s Lonić, Founder and professional choreographer.

'Last night, on our way back from Stara Pazova, I was listening to Lonic explain how he adjusts the music to the dance, and vice versa, in order to “compose” each particular choreographed movement into a specific, complex “message” and “event”, that itself makes the performers motivated to “open themselves up” to feelings - which all, in turn, makes them capable of avoiding any type of “mechanical acting” whenever they enter the stage to dance his choreographed folk routines. He said that each of these routines are a form of unique communication with the past and the ancestors in terms of stimulating the resonance between what is lived on the stage (choreographies differ a lot not only in costumes, but in postures, movements on the stage, dynamics…) and the public’s individual subconscious. I wish you could have heard him speak about the importance of “awakening” in dancers the inner acceptance of the true meaning of dancing traditional dances for the public (as opposed to just being well trained). At moments I couldn’t help thinking that Lonic is not only a dedicated artist but a dedicated “father figure”, precious to all those kids who are maturing in this hectic urban culture. He said he never sits during rehearsal, he moves around them “like a hawk” looking them in the eyes to check “whether they are present or not”. They may make mistakes in steps or movements (that is easily learned) but they must be in the “communication message” (which can not be learned, but felt). And he lets them all call him Lonče, which has been his nickname since the 1980s when he began dancing.'