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National Capital Region Croatian Folklore Ensemble
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The tamburitza
The Croatian Folklore Ensemble Croatoan was founded in 1978 to celebrate Croatia’s traditional songs and dances throughout the National Capital Region. Since then, our dedication to our Croatian heritage has warmed the hearts of Croatian-Canadians and other Canadians alike. First founded under the auspices of the Croatian-Canadian Club of Ottawa-Carleton, Croatoan became an independent not-for-profit organization, registered in Ontario, with its own board of directors and constitution, by 1992. Croatoan is a member of the Croatian Folklore Federation of Canada. Our ensemble
Croatoan has nearly 70 performers who range in age from six to 65. A team of dedicated instructors works diligently to
uphold the spirit and authenticity of Croatia’s folkloric songs and dances. Over the years, outside experts in Croatian
folklore—Mojmir Golinac, Ivo Ivancan, Željko Jergan, and Siniša Leopold—have supplemented and enhanced the knowledge and
skills of our instructors. Based on age and/or skill level, performers are spread across five kolo dance groups and four
tamburitza orchestras. Our board of directors ensures our continued devotion to Croatians and their rich cultural heritage
through strategic leadership, record-keeping, fundraising, financial stewardship, artistic direction, costume
creation/preservation, outreach, and provision of social occasions.
Our performances
Croatoan welcomes opportunities to share its songs, dances and costumes with audiences in Ottawa-Gatineau and beyond.
Some past and continuing performance venues include:
To find out how the whirl of the kolo and melodies of the tamburitza can be a part
Our name
Croatoan takes its name from a group of Amerindians who lived on Roanoke Island in North Carolina in the 1500s.
In historical records, Roanoke Island is often associated with John White’s lost colony. The dialect spoken by this
group of Amerindians contained many Croatian words. There’s a strong possibility that its members were descendants
of Native Americans and the Croatian sailors who took part in John White’s exploration of the New World. The name
Croatoan, therefore, symbolizes both our Croatian and North American ties. The koloA favourite of any Croatian festivity is the national dance known as the kolo. Kolo is Croatian for circle or
wheel. Some sort of kolo is danced in almost all parts of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and is almost a synonym
for dance. Even third generation Croatians in Canada, such as some of Croatoan’s members, set the feet a-whirl in
the lively kolo.
The tamburitzaCroatian folklore uses a variety of instruments—percussion, stringed and wind. However, the stringed tamburitza
is, by far, the most popular instrument used in Croatian folklore. The tamburitza is believed to have originated
in Bosnia in the sixth century. But Slavonia, a region in northern Croatia, is now considered the home of tamburitza.
In Canada, tamburitza orchestras, such as Croatoan, have played an important role in Croatian communities by bringing
great joy and inspiration to immigrants in their new homeland. The tamburitza comes in six basic sizes, with different
sting counts, which result in a variety of complementary sounds. The six basic types of tamburitza are called bisernica
or prima, brac, bugarija, berda, cello and bass. Croatoan has employed the tamburitza not only for Croatian folkloric
music, but also Croatian and international classical, popular and sacred music.
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