Troupe stages dances, songs of Eastern Europe

The Tamburitzans, a 40-member ensemble, will present dance, costumes and folk music this weekend at venues in Ocala and Lecanto.

By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 17, 2003

With crisp dancing, colorful costumes and great music, the Tamburitzans have been preserving the legacy of folk dancing as it started in Eastern Europe.

The Tamburitzans take the Old World dance styles and folk music and present them on stage in a Broadway-style revue during an energetic performance.

The dance troupe's current road show features the music and dances that were used to celebrate the important milestones of peoples' lives centuries ago. The songs are performed at times by the entire 40-member ensemble, while other selections involve smaller numbers of dancers. The costumes are a big part of the show as well. Nearly each song involves a costume change, and the clothing is meticulously reproduced from historic models. Traditional folk music instruments often make their way onstage to accompany singers.

The opening number is a folk tune from Slavonija, which features the entire cast. Loosely translated, the song's title is It Is Beautiful When You Are Planting Corn.

Fans of Greek music and culture will appreciate the folk tune Minore Taxim (Improvisation in a Minor Key. The number features soloists Peter Kosovec and Dario Bariic playing the bouzouki, which is Greece's national instrument.

At a glance

The dance troupe The Tamburitzans will have shows at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the CFCC Ocala Campus Fine Arts Auditorium and at 3 p.m. Sunday at Curtis Peterson Auditorium in Lecanto. Tickets are $15 at the door. Call 746-6721.

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