Call early or visit their website for more details or to buy tickets online. Be prepared to witness an event worthy of standing ovations earned in all the major cities in the US. Oplenac will perform on Saturday May 11th at 7 p.m. at Malcolm X College in Chicago. Enjoy an evening of pride in Serbian culture, and perhaps take this opportunity to inspire young children and teens to carry on these traditions.

Srbadija Folklore Group of St. Sava Church had the pleasure of hosting Talija International Folk Ensemble from Serbia this past October 20th. Folklore president Borka Grimsgard seized the opportunity to host the evening performance after Talija's afternoon show for Lifeline Chicago at The Murphy. Colorful costumes and precision dance routines were accompanied by a live orchestra on the stage of Valparaiso's Memorial Opera House. The evening ended with an invitation for audience members to join the dancers on stage for a kolo finale. If you ever have the opportunity to see Talija, you'll be sure to enjoy a memorable evening.

Help support our Srbadija Folklore groups by attending their Luncheon Buffet this Sunday immediately after Divine Liturgy in the South Wing. Our dancers spend hours weekly practicing for upcoming performances and we're proud of them for representing our St. Sava Church family.

Don't miss the opportunity for your children to learn traditional Serbian dances and to make lifelong friends. It's so much fun for the dancers, and many performances are planned for the upcoming year. PLEASE TURN IN ALL COMPLETE COSTUMES at registration. THIS INCLUDES OPANKE, SASHES, HATS, for inventory purposes. Board positions for parents are available. Please contact Borka if you are interested at 219-617-1645 or bgrimsgard@yahoo.com - we need your continued support! Three levels are offered for dancers: Pee-wee, Juniors, and Seniors. Registration is from  6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 13th in the north wing and Sunday, September 16th from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the north wing. First practice will resume on Thursday, September 27th and Pizza and Punch will be served! Hope to see you all!

St. Sava's Srbadija Folklore Group performed Sunday afternoon for Serb Fest guests. The senior group gave their skilled routines, but the younger 2 groups had technical difficulty with their music CD and were unable to perform their rehearsed dances. Drina Tamburitza Orchestra stepped up and played live music for the kids to dance a casual kolo. Moms, Babas, and friends joined in to lend their support to the disappointed children and it all turned out well! Srbadija welcomes new members, so please contact Borka Grimsgard or the church office for details (219) 736-9191.

There's not another festival in Northwest Indiana or Chicago that offers such a variety of non-stop live music for their guests to enjoy. Three days of Serbian music for dancing or dining will keep those happy feet tapping. Choose your favorites below:

ST. SAVA SERB-FEST 2012 ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE!

FRIDAY AUGUST 3RD.

"T-RROMA" - from Chicago IL. (7 to 11:30PM) – TAMBURA.
Singer "Milana Anicic" with "Danny Danilovich" & "Bojan Jasnic"(7:00- mid.)
Orchestra "Sumadija" - the Tri-State area, (7:00 to 11:30PM) – KOLO BAND.

SATURDAY AUGUST 4TH!

"DUNAV" - from Northwest IN.  (1 to 6PM) - TAMBURA
"PRAZNA FLASA" - from Milwaukee WI.  (7 to 11:30PM) – TAMBURA
Singers "Dragan Jovovic” & “Slavicia Momakovic-Miljanovic" with
“Zoran Misojcic (“PIZON”)” and “Sveta Tomic (“KAUBOJ”) - (4pm – mid.)
“JEDINSTVO” - from Phoenix AZ. (1 to 6PM) - TAMBURA
Orchestra "MAESTRO" from Northwest IN. (7:00 to 11:30PM) – KOLO BAND.

SUNDAY AUGUST 5TH!

"DRINA" - from Northwest IN. (1 to 6PM) – TAMBURA
"DJ - SPAZ" - from Chicago IL. (5 to 9PM) – KOLO DANCING!

VALPOLIFE.com features a great article and photos from our Srbadija Folklore Group's  visit and performance at Sterling House in Valparaiso.

Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church, St. Sava presented their traditional Srbadija Folklore Dance to the seniors at Sterling House on March 22, 2012.

Enjoying the delightful dance were seniors Dorothy Modjski, Susan Gerhardt, and Florence Anderson. Dorothy said, “We all thought this was great. We enjoy those little kids.” Susan expressed, “I am from Michigan and lived close to Greek Town. It was really nice to hear music like this again and to see the dancing.” And Florence shared, “I enjoyed this very much. I love to watch the expression on the children’s faces.”

No one at Sterling House enjoyed the festivities more than Anna Spahic. She was in attendance with her daughter, Danica Thomas (also a staff member at Sterling House). While watching the program, she was moved to tears and soon her daughter followed. Anna explained, “Everything was beautiful. It brought back wonderful old memories. My daughter used to dance like that.”

Anna met her husband in 1948 in a Serbian camp. The church (St. Sava) sponsored her and her husband, Rodivoje, to come to this country. They were married when she was just 17 and the couple had 42 years together. She misses not being able to go to church every Sunday like she used to. That is why this evening was so special to her—St. Sava, with the Srbadija Folklore Dance, came to her.

Danicia said, “I was moved to tears watching my mom and also moved to see the younger generation still dancing and carrying on the tradition.”

Father Marko Matic, from St. Sava, came for the dance but also took time with Anna. Anna said, “We have a wonderful new priest. He takes time with the kids and teaches them about the old ways.” Two of Father Matic’s children, Dusan, a 6th grader at Ben Franklin, and Milena, a 4th grader at Hays Leonard, also performed for the seniors.

Camille Sisk, a freshman at Valparaiso High School, also danced for the seniors at Sterling House. Camille said, “I like that everyone gets to learn the Serbian culture and it makes me happy seeing people enjoying the dance.” Dancing with Camille were Caitlyn Baroevich, Marija Novakovich, Aleks Novakovich, Sarah Jackovich and Anja Avramovic.

Dawn Sisk, Marketing Manager for Sterling House, is the mother of dancer Camille. She said, “To be able to share my history with my family, because the people here are my family, I care about them all, but to also share this with my church family and my own family, it’s the circle of my life. To bring all three together is not something people ordinarily do.”

“The folk dance was one of many dances that will be performed for the seniors this year. This was International month in The Year of Music,” said Deenna Leffert of Sterling House. “We’ve had Blues and Jazz and we look forward to The 50’s, Rock & Roll and Country, just to name a few.”

St. Sava's Srbadija senior folklore group was honored to perform for a huge crowd during St. George Schererville's 100th Anniversary Celebration program Saturday, October 22nd. The dancers proudly represented our church as they have in the past, and have reached new levels of skill, mastering lively steps and difficult routines. Congratulations to the dancers, who have matured under the direction of Nenad Nikolic. Please support all our folklore groups whenever possible. Children of all ages are encouraged to join our pee-wee, junior, and senior groups. Contact Borka (Barb) Grimsgard for information.

Where do they get the energy? Not a single pair of opanke was spotted in this young crowd, but you'll see some great dance moves. Young adults and teens from all over the Midwest came to St. Sava's annual Serbian Festival to meet up with old friends and make new ones. Music all three nights was provided by "DJ Spaz" and "Nocna Smena".

The S.O.C.A. Executive Board hosted it's 46th Annual Festival several weeks ago , June 4, 5, and 6, at the New Gracanica Monastery in Grayslake, Illinois. Several choirs performed, including St. Romanos Choir, Toronto, Canada - S.S.S. Karageorge, Merrillville, IN - Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac Choir, Old Holy Resurrection, N. Chicago, IL - Stevan Mokranjac Choir, Hamilton, Canada - S.S.S. Branko Radichevich, Chicago, IL - and S.S.S. Draza Mihailovich, Cudahy, WI. The audience was treated to a variety of choral selections, performed beautifully by all the participating choirs. Both nights were spent dancing and of course singing along with Mismo Tamburasi. Thanks to Xenia Jancarich for sharing her wonderful photos. You'll notice that the music caught the attention of an unexpected guest - a small deer, who obviously has great taste in music!

At the end of the night, there were lots of clean kids. What's a thunderstorm among Serbs? Not enough to ruin their fun, obviously. Srbadija Folklore Group hosted their first ever "Luda Zurka" Foam Dance Party to mark the end of the Sunday School and Folklore event year. DJ Spaz entertained the teens outdoors while  Danny Danilovich played for the adults indoors. Grillers served up hundreds of cevaps, and everyone had a great night of fun. Just ask Lazo!

Get your own cool Luda Zurka t-shirt. Contact Borka Grimsgard. Proceeds benefit Srbadija Folklore Dance group. Adult and children's sizes are $8 each, 2 for $15.

Well, the weather was certainly "luda" that night on May 28th. Thunderstorms were threatening to ruin this party, but you can't stop Serbs from having a great time in spite of the weather. Sunday School and Folklore kids, teens, college students, Moms and Dads, all turned out for cevaps, music, and dancing. Srbadija Folklore sponsored this fun event to celebrate the end of the school year and dance season. The foam pit was the highlight for children of all ages, where they played in a deep pool of continuous bubbles. DJ Spaz entertained the dancers as bubble clouds blew by.

Contact Borka Grimsgard to purchase a cool Luda Zurka T-shirt. Little Vaso wore his!

The "Niska Banja" craze is spreading to schools across the U.S. The song has been performed at several public schools, all recorded on YouTube. After receiving a last-minute invitation, several girls from St. Sava's Srbadija Senior Folklore Group volunteered to perform a casual interpretation of the gypsy dance "Niska Banja" with the 7th and 8th grade choir. Thomas Jefferson Middle School Choirs held their spring concert at Valparaiso High School's Auditorium on May 25th. A variety of songs were presented, including a medley from Fiddler on the Roof and several Beatles hits. Choir director Lynda Galbiati surely was proud of all who participated. The concert was delightful and showed all the hard work involved in preparation.

"Niska Banja" dancers were Sarah Jackovich, Jelena Djurdjevich, Sofia Grimsgard, Camille Sisk, Gorana Bilbija, Mia Vasiljevich, and Caitlyn Baroevich. Dusan Simic was percussionist, and students Dimitrije Simic and Andrew Flasch played piano quite well!

Winter Blues got you down? Cheer Up! "Plavi Safir" is Coming to Town!

This has been an exciting year for our Srbadija Folklore Groups. All 3 groups performed for the church's 96th Anniversary. The Senior group recently visited Phoenix, Arizona for a dance festival and made new friendships as well as lifelong memories. President Borka  Grimsgard keeps the dancers busy hosting luncheons and fundraisers, and concerts. They performed at Serb Fest and several Chicago area Serbian Churches. Under the direction of Nenad Nikolic, the dancers have excelled to a new level. We are always happy to watch them perform and are very proud of them. Somehow they maintain a balance between school, sports, and church activities. Congratulations to all the dancers!

When: Friday November 26^th

Where: St George Serbian Hall

Time: 7:00pm until 12:00am

Admission: $5.00 / 16 and under free

Serbian & American Music

Food Will Also Be Served

DJ: Vinko

All proceeds will go towards the St George Basketball fund!

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS

Attend the Diocese Bowling Tourney for a fun-filled weekend. Games start early Saturday morning at 8 am. St. Nicholas Church, 7855 Marsh Road, Indianapolis, will host this year's Bowling Tournament. St. Sava has several teams participating. Registration is Friday night with a Lenten Meal offered at the Church Hall. All day bowling starts at 8 am at PINHEADS, 13825 Britton Park Road, Fishers (317) 773-9988 (Singles & Doubles). Saturday night schedule: 6:30 pm dinner, awards, and dance at church hall, music by Sumadija. For Registration Forms and Contact Info, call or email George Stanjevich at (317) 490-4926, gstanjevic@aol.com or Daniel Stanjevich at (317) 490-4927, dstanjevich@yahoo.com.

Kids of all ages enjoyed the train,the  inflatables, the slide, and games at this year's Serb Fest. A few grandpas also enjoyed themselves as you will see.

Good things do come in three's; three choirs of course. Aleksa Shantich from South Bend, SSS St. Elijah and SSS Karageorge, both from Merrillville, were directed by Milan Medich of South Bend. We all know how much fun they had at practice, especially at Nick and Melanie Sever's house. The historic ONE LOVE SERBIAN SONG Festival did much more than unite choirs for 3 days of fabulous music to warm our hearts. It brought new friendships and hopes for future generations of singers as we witnessed the children's choirs. This event was so well planned and we congratulate both parishes for their hard work and hospitality.

Below is just a sampling of the Sunday concert. As soon as they are available, we will let you know how to purchase the professionally produced complete Concert CD and DVD.

To share this blog, simply click on the blog title: it is a permanent link and will turn blue. Now copy and paste the URL from your address bar and send it in an email or link on your Facebook.

It was OCE NAS like you've never heard it before at the start of Saturday's concert and once again Sunday as performed by St. Elijah's Church Choir from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.  Enjoy this sampling of the ONE LOVE SERBIAN SONG combined choir festival performances. Very soon we will let you know how to purchase the professionally edited CD and DVD. To share this blog, simply click on the blog title: it is a permanent link and will turn blue. Now copy and paste the URL from your address bar and send it in an email or link on your Facebook.

RENAISSANCE SUITES HOTEL
Registration Area for Badge Pick-Up: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Badges can be picked up after this time at Holy Resurrection Church, 3062 W. Palmer Square

HOLY RESURRECTION CHURCH (3062 W. PALMER SQUARE, CHICAGO)
Vespers: 5:30 p.m.
Concert: 6:30 p.m.

Welcome Dance: 8:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Entertainment: Sumadija Orchestra indoors in the main hall & Prazna Flasa Tambura of Milwaukee in the outside tent

Once again St. Elijah of Merrillville hosted a great tournament. Their facility is spacious, the food was delicious, and The Fieldhouse was the perfect choice for games. Even the weather cooperated for a perfect weekend of fun. Final game scores and winning trophy details will be published in the next issue of the SRBOBRAN. (more videos and photos still coming)

"Dancing with the Serbs" last Saturday night  - everyone earns a score of 10! Hundreds of young people made dancing look effortless, but where were the opanke? St. Elijah Cathedral parish was the perfect host for SNF's 71st Annual Basketball Tournament and dances. Check back for more videos and photos.

Lake Michigan's Ogden Dunes shore on a rainy Sunday afternoon - could this be choir practice? Nick and Melanie Sever opened their home and hearts once again to host a practice session for the combined choirs of Merrillville and South Bend, Indiana. Two different time zones and up to 90 minutes of travel can't discourage this group. St. Elijah Cathedral Choir, Aleksa Shantich Choir, and S.S.S. Karageorge will perform together for the first time at the upcoming "One Love" Choir Festival in Chicago. Two hours of intense practice were followed by a little kolo dancing, great food, and lots of hugs and kisses. Oh, yes, and John Japa's homemade goulash was incredible. New friendships are the best result of this combined effort. If you have the opportunity to participate next year, you certainly won't regret it.

Steve Baroevich, Dan Orlich, Mike Jaksich, and Nick Sever accompany the choir on their tamburas........Thanks, guys!

(Click photo to enlarge)

Full-time deda, part-time choir director, Milan Medich is obviously very loved!

Mark your calendar! You won't want to miss this exciting event. Join us Saturday, April 24 for Srbadija's Spring Spectacular Folklore Festival at St. Elijah's Hall at 8700 Taft Street in Merrillville.  The Concert starts at 6 pm, ending at midnight. Live music will be provided by "Sumadija" for dancing after the program. Food and drinks are available, so bring the entire family. Nenad Nikolic is the new Instructor  for Srbadija dancers, and you'll be quite impressed with the results! Several guest dance groups will perform. Enjoy the slide show from their recent performance at St. Archangel Michael Church in Lansing. Congratulations to Daniella Hojnacki on her final performance before she leaves to attend Indiana University. We'll truly miss her!

Photos provided by Finn and Borka Grimsgard.

Milan Medich from South Bend will direct the combined choirs for this year's "One Love" historic festival in Chicago. Choirs from St. Elijah, Karageorge, and South Bend have started practicing on Sundays after church. March 14th practice will be at St. Sava in Merrillville at 2 pm and Sunday March 21st will be in South Bend  at 2 pm Central Standard Time. Almost 50 singers came to last Sunday's practice at St. Elijah. Be sure to join soon if you want to participate.

Don't miss this historic weekend of Serbian music for the heart and soul. Both SOCA and SSF singers will perform concerts in the Chicago area to celebrate their religious and cultural roots and will join together nightly for zabavas. Mark your calendars because you won't want to miss this special weekend!

Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday-May 28, 29, 30, 2010

Location:  Chicago, Illinois

Shared Locations:  Palmer Square  AND Redwood Drive

Friday:  Vespers @ Palmer Square 5:30 P.M.

Concert @ Palmer Square 6:30 P.M.

Dance @ Palmer Square 8:00 P.M.

Saturday: Concert @ Redwood Drive

Cocktail Attire Dinner @ Redwood Drive 6:30-8:30 P.M.

Zabava @ Redwood Drive 9:00 P.M.-1:00 A.M.

Sunday:  Liturgy @ Palmer Square 9:30A.M. and  Redwood Drive 10:00 A.M.

Concert @ Hotel 1:30-5:00 P.M.

Zabava @ Redwood Drive 5:30 P.M.

This logo was a collaboration of ideas from the committee. The graphic designer was Boban Markovic. He did a great job!

SRBADIJA - ST. SAVA FOLKLORE GROUP

YANKEE CANDLE FUNDRAISER

SEPTEMBER 17 – OCTOBER 1, 2009

PLEASE HELP OUR DANCERS WITH THIS

VERY IMPORTANT FUNDRAISER

BUY A CANDLE

WITH YOUR HELP OUR GROUP CAN PURCHASE NEW COSTUMES

AND TRAVEL TO OTHER FOLKLORE COLONIES

THE ORDERS WILL BE BACK BY THANKSGIVING

SEE A SRBADIJA DANCER

OR CALL

LELA JENSEN   219-202-4240

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Each dancer has a catalog, and will sell candles every Sunday after church services.

Srbadija Folklore Group
Dancer Registration
Dues:
$100 for the first child
$ 50 for second child
After the second child all other children in your family are free.

Practice Times:
PeeWee Group   6:15-6:45 p.m.
(must be at least 4 years of age)
Juniors  6:45-7:45 p.m.
Seniors  7:45-9:00 p.m.

Dancers will be placed in a group based on the instructor's assessment at the first prac-
tice on Thursday, September 17th in the south wing of the church.  If your child is
attending for the first time, please contact Borka Grimsgard at 219-462-8574 to find
out what time your assessment will be. Season is from September through mid-May.

Instructor:  Neso Nikolic  Assistant:  Dana Nikolic


Questions?  Call Borka at 219-462-8574 or email bgrimsgard@yahoo.com
â–ª Is your child is interested in Serbian dancing?
â–ª Is your child able to attend practices every  
Thursday evening?
â–ª Would you like your child to participate in an  
activity that reflects their heritage?
REGISTRATION
Sunday, September 13th during Sunday School      
registration in the North Wing at 9:45 a.m.

Mirko Roknich Orchestra provided non-stop music for dancing and plenty of sing-alongs. Several rounds of "Mirjanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" were heard across town, as is the case when Joey Puhar and friends are in the house. As seen in the photos, everyone had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and making new ones. Check back for more pictures soon.

Click the small thumbnail photo once to enlarge; then once you're on Photobucket, click it again for a full screen view. Photos can be purchased on Photobucket and picked up at Target. (Saturday photos by Jelena Mulin. Thanks, Jelena!)

Better make some popcorn, it's time to re-live Saturday night. Enjoy the slide show below with family, friends, other Serbs, and others who wish they were Serbs! More pictures coming in the next few days. Don't forget to send your own photos so we can share them.

St. Archangel Michael Church, 18550 Stony Island, in Lansing, Illinois will host this year's exciting SNF Basketball Tournament. Games will be played at Purdue Calumet, 2200 169th Street, Hammond, and Lincoln Center, 2450 Lincoln Street, Highland. Click  the links for maps.

Click the Link below to view the Brackets:

SNF BRACKETS 2009 GAMES

SCHEDULE OF SOCIAL EVENTS:

THURSDAY, MAY 14

REGISTRATION

St. Archangel Michael Social Center opens at 6 p.m., DJ at 7:30,

Serving Cevaps and sandwiches

FRIDAY, MAY 15

Social Center opens 6 p.m., Dance starts at 7 p.m.

Music: T-Roma in Bar, Mladost in main Hall

Kitchen open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Serving Chicken, Shishkobob, Fish

SATURDAY, MAY 16

Social Center opens 1 p.m., Dance starts at 7 p.m.

Music: Drina in Bar, Mladost in main Hall

Kitchen open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Serving Lamb, Pork Loin, Cevaps

ADMISSION FOR NON-PLAYERS:  $10

Narrow Path Book Store will be open nightly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

All Championship Games will be played at Thornton Fractional South

High School, 18500 Burnham Ave., Lansing, IL 60438, starting at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

SNF Lodge 170 is sponsoring this fun event. Enjoy the participation of a diverse group of players from different Orthodox Churches.

Serbian music filled the entire room as both folklore groups proudly performed the difficult dance steps at Saturday's wonderful celebration of culture sponsored by PURDUE Calumet. The event was part of the university's Building Community through the Arts program. Included were ethnic displays, music, dancing, foods, poetry, history, and focus on continuing these valuable traditions. Thanks to all these young Serbs, whose participation made us all very proud! Niko Nema Sto Srbin Imade!

Colorful costumes were abundant at Saturday's dance performance, part of PURDUE's lively program titled "Dobro Dosli". Enjoy the videos of the ethnic dances performed by folklore groups from Sts. Peter & Paul Macedonian Church in Crown Point and Sts. Kiril & Metodij Macedonian Church in Hinsdale.

Thanks to everyone at PURDUE University for hosting a fantastic program featuring the cultures of the different regions of the former Jugoslavia. Their "Building Community through the Arts" program successfully demonstrated the importance of sharing our rich customs, dances, music, language, and foods. "Mismo" Tamburasi welcomed everyone as traditional ethnic foods were offered: sarma, cevapcici, burek, pogacha, and palachinke were served up by students and faculty. The Serbian Historical Society provided items unique to our culture for the display cases, and the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization provided information about their relief efforts. Vera Barach Mileusnic shared a personal story of a wooden trunk that represented her heritage and culture, certainly not the physical items, that were brought here by her family almost 60 years ago.

Chancellor Howard Cohen greeted the audience, and Natalie Vujovich reminded us that we live in a richly diverse community built by immigrants from  the region. Biljana Dimovski and Marija Dobratic read poetry in Macedonian and Serbian. Croatian Author Rosemary Gard read passages from her first novel, "Destiny's Dowry", and was moved to tears by the dance performances, reminding her of the Zabavas of yesterday.

Folklore groups treated us to lively Serbian and Macedonian dance performances by Srbadija of St. Sava, Kitka of Sts. Peter & Paul Macedonian Church in Crown Point, Goce Delcev Dancers of Sts. Kiril & Metodij Macedonian Church in Hinsdale, IL, and Bozur Dancers of St. Simeon Serbian Church in South Chicago. The Grand Finale was a huge kolo as "Mismo" Tamburasi got everyone off their feet - you just couldn't help it! The Purdue committee members certainly welcomed us with "Dobro Dosli", and we sincerely thank them and would like to wish them all "ZIVELI" (Cheers, and long life!).

The large dance floor just wasn't big enough for the crowd at Friday night's dance. Great music by Srbija Orchestra from Phoenix, Arizona provided endless hours of entertainment for the SerbAerobic dancers. How do they dance in those flip-flops?

Send us your game videos posted on Youtube to: stsavachurch@gmail.com so we can share them.