Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble
by Andjelka Gojkovich Gusak, director
Our Folklore Groups are an important part of our Serbian community. We greatly appreciate their participation in church events, slavas, festivals, and fundraisers. Their performances showcase a wonderful aspect of our Serbian heritage. The hard work and dedication of our dancers and teachers is evident in the groups’ performances. They perform regularly at our parish, the surrounding Sacramento area, and our fellow Serbian Orthodox parishes in other cities and states. They also contribute by volunteering during the year at events including the Annual Serbian Festival and Crab Feed, through hall set up, serving food, and more. We are so grateful for our folklore families commitment to our parish and involvement in our community.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has consistently had youth and adult folklore groups dating back to its early days before the church was fully established in Fair Oaks. The past couple years has also seen the reemergence of adult kolo dancing lessons and groups. We are looking forward to parishioners of all ages having more opportunities to come together and learn kolo.
Depending on age range and number of current participants, the folklore program often has multiple groups. The youngest “littles” beginner group has always gone by the name “Mladi Biseri”. The junior groups have gone by several different names, including “Djerdan”, “Tesla”, and “Dunav”. The senior youth group has also had a few different names over time, including “Delije”, “Tesla”, and “Božur”.
We have been lucky to have many talented and devoted instructors give their time to our youth throughout the years. Everyone’s contributions have provided the opportunity over many decades for our youth (and adults) to engage with our culture through Serbian folk dancing.
- Marija Krapcevic - Groups Mladi Biseri, Delije, Aska
- Popadija Jelena Milunovic - Group Mladi Biseri
- Dennis Boxell - Groups Mladi Biseri, Djerdan, & Delije
- Mirjana Draganic
- Aleksandra Kordic Caddy - Group Božur
- Rada Drca, Jasmina Stevens, Ljubica Radmanovich - Groups Tesla & Božur
- Andjelka Gojkovich Gusak (present) - Groups Mladi Biseri, Tesla, Dunav, & Božur
- Sara Jovanovic (present) - Groups Mladi Biseri, Dunav, & Božur
- Goran Mitrakovic (present) - Groups Dunav & Božur
Our current groups have also had some assistant teachers over the years, to help our instructors prepare the groups for events, like helping with travel, rehearsals, and costumes — Magdalena Gusak, Tamara Zivkovic, Marko Cubrilo, and Anastasia Krajnovic. The involvement of our dancers’ parents has also been critical, whether by bringing their children to practices and performances, providing event support, chaperoning, and helping maintain our costume inventory.
If you see any missing instructors or group names from the list so far (or have pictures of past groups to share), please send us an email at fairoaksfolklore@gmail.com. We are currently working on compiling a comprehensive list and detailed timeline of the folklore program at our church so that the program’s history can be shared with the parish on our website.
We feel it is important to reflect on our past as we work towards the future of the folklore program. The present program would not exist without it. Former instructors Mirjana, Aleksandra, Rada, Jasmina, and Ljubica all belonged to iterations of the folklore groups in Fair Oaks before becoming instructors themselves. Current program director Andjelka Gojkovich Gusak also grew up dancing in the church folklore groups, beginning in Mladi Biseri, then Djerdan and Delije. Current instructors Sara Jovanovic and Goran Mitrakovic danced in Božur and Tesla before becoming teachers as well.
We are so appreciative of everyone who has shared their expertise and passed on their knowledge to the following generations. They have consistently dedicated their time to ensuring the folklore program not only continues to exist, but expands to include a greater variety of regional dances and traditional costumes, making possible more experiences for our youth.
We are proud to be a part of a rich cultural history at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Fair Oaks, and are grateful for the support from our Folklore Families, Parishioners, and Church Board. We hope to continue passing on the tradition of Serbian kolo dancing to our youth.
