23.01.2008. Dances and Songs Thrilled Both Chileans and Croats

Over two thousand people praised and cheered the Croatian Folklore Ensemble Naša Zemlja at an hour-long concert held January 17 of this year in the outdoor Boulevard of the Parque Arauco shopping mall in Santiago de Chile.

Invited to this special event for a second time, the ensemble members enchanted the audience during the entire show with their joy and enthusiasm as they performed dances from the regions of Podravina, Prigorje, Međimurje, and Posavine. The audience likewise experienced the romance of Croatian melodies and the bittersweet nostalgia of Croatian lyrics with songs such as Ta divna splitska noć, Marijana, Sićaš li se Splita grada, and La musica di notte performed by the ensemble’s orchestra and singers. Dazzling colours, timeless elegance, and spectacular embroidery also had their moment in the limelight during the intermission’s fashion show. Costumes from Posavina, Split, Vrlika, Prigorje, Pokuplije and Slavonija gave the public the opportunity to admire both the beauty and the astounding variety of Croatian national dresses.

Fabiola Karinpour, the event’s organizer, praised the ensemble’s outstanding performance, emphasizing the high level of professionalism of Naša Zemlja, and its director, Tatiana Arzić. She commended Ms. Arzić’s countless hours of hard work and the ensemble’s dedication to the promotion and diffusion of Croatia’s culture and heritage, particularly through its love of Croatian dances and songs.

The audience showed its deep appreciation with an immense burst of applause at the end of the performance. Many people from the audience congratulated Ms. Arzić and members of the ensemble immediately after the show. Among those to offer congratulations was Vesna Terzić, the Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Santiago. Ms. Terzić simply could not hide her amazement and gratitude. “The incredible quality of the show and the pride with which each song and dance was performed made me feel as though I was back in Croatia. I never imagined I would find a group so Croatian in a country as far away as Chile.” The embassy’s representative was also very impressed with Naša Zemlja’s efforts to reproduce their folk costumes from original copies, thus ensuring a high level of authenticity.

The Croatian Folklore Ensemble Naša Zemlja was established 10 years ago and is comprised mostly of children, grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren of Croatian immigrants. Under the guidance of Ms. Arzić, members have worked tirelessly over the years to maintain the cultural traditions and the heritage of their ancestors. In response to an invitation from the Croatian Heritage Foundation, Naša Zemlja completed a cultural-artistic tour of Croatia in July 2007. The tour not only reinforced the ensemble’s commitment to the promotion of Croatian culture, but also offered it an opportunity to perform Chilean folklore for Croatian audiences.

During the Naša Zemlja performance in the Boulevard Parque Arauco, the recently established Chilean-Croatian Cultural Corporation Domovina distributed to the members of the public leaflets containing cultural information about Croatia. By all accounts, the public very much appreciated this effort.