Bosansko Sijelo: A Bosnian Coffee Party
Please
come to a Bosnian Coffee Party! Enjoy traditional food demonstrations, traditional
dancing with Sevdah (a Bosnian folk dance group), guitar and prim (mandolin)
music, and demonstrations of Bosnian crocheted lace, knitting, and cilim
(rug) weaving. Aldijana Radoncic, awarded an Iowa Arts Council Traditional Arts
Apprenticeship Grant for Bosnian Dance, will introduce this special two-hour program.
Availability: weekday evenings and weekend days and evenings
Fees to Artists (plus travel): $1,800
Participants: 7 plus representatives from dance group
Bios
of Key Participants:
Aldijana Radoncic, Des Moines, was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The recipient of a 2003 Iowa Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant
for Master Artists, Aldijana was a professional folkloric dancer in her former
homeland. Trained in modern dance and music as well, she performed at international
folkloric festivals throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Like many other Bosnian refugees, Radoncic and her family fled the war in Bosnia and came to Des Moines in 1995. A graduate of the Sarajevo College for Business and a former financial consultant, Radoncic has been employed for several years as a caseworker for Employee and Family Resources, a nonprofit social service agency in Des Moines that serves refugees and immigrants. Aldijana is very active and well respected in the community and was the director of the 10th Anniversary celebration of Bosnians in Iowa. In her spare time, she teaches Bosnian children traditional Bosnian dance, songs, and poetry, as well as modern dance. She is dedicated to passing on her knowledge about national heritage and dance technique through education and presentation.
Sevdah is a Des Moines Bosnian folk dance group that dances a variety of traditional dances. Dancers range in age from 7 to 15. They have performed at a variety of events in Des Moines for several years and were featured at the 15th Anniversary of Bosnian settlement in Iowa and at the 2004 Midwest Folk Fest in Waterloo.
K.U.D. Kolo is a Bosnian folk dance group based in Waterloo. The group performed at the 15th Anniversary of Bosnian settlement in Iowa and at a variety of events around the state. Zulfeta Rizvic, the group’s director, was the recipient of a 2004 Iowa Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant.
Nusret Radoncic (guitar) and Hajrudin Terzic (prim) performed Bosnian folk music in their native country and now here in Iowa.
