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.

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! Order tickets today and support our own folklore group Srbadija as they host the fantastic live performance of TALIJA International Folk Ensemble from Serbia on Saturday, October 20th. The concert will start at 6 p.m. at the Memorial Opera House, 104 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso. Enjoy an affordable evening out with family, neighbors, or friends at this convenient location. Details below, or contact Borka Grimsgard at bgrimsgard@yahoo.com for more info or group sales.

Call the Box Office soon at (219) 548-9137 for Tickets or Directions.

$21 Adults, $16 Seniors and Students

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.

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.”

Support our Srbadija Folklore Groups by attending their great and never ending Lenten pasta buffet on Friday, April 6th in the south wing from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Also available are Bakalar dinners sold individually, not all-you-can-eat. Details below:

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.

St. Sava Church parishioners celebrated 97 glorious years on Sunday, November13 at St. Elijah's Hall, where we were treated to a fantastic meal. Srbadija Folklore dancers proudly  performed lively traditional Serbian dances. Alex Djordjevic recited the long, difficult poem "Ratsko" enhanced by the vocals of singers Maja Radjenovich, Rachel Gerbick, and Savka Popovich, accompanied and instructed by Joanne Samardzija. Several children recited poetry and read short historical stories presented in both Serbian and English languages, reassuring us of a future generation of church leaders. This extended program was a surprise to many of us, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Many Thanks to the children and parents who encourage them!

Keynote speaker Ljubisa Milicich gave an entertaining reflection of growing up among us in the Gary church, also reminding us of the reason we need to re-connect with the homeland. Executive Board president Dennis Svilar presented Ljubisa with a commemorate plaque to mark the occasion.

Srbadija Folklore Groups - Pee Wee, Junior, and Senior - performed for the crowd at Serb Fest on Saturday, August 6th. Some of these children even worked the food line, kitchen, and Sunday School tent during the weekend. We applaud them for dressing and performing in full costume in 90 degree heat. Still don't know where they get their energy! Their instructor is Nenad Nikolic. Thanks to all the groups for sharing an important part of our Serbian Culture with the northwest Indiana community.

We are seeking donations for the following items. Your donation is greatly appreciated!

Case of Heineken (Donated)

Case of MGD (Donated)

Case of Miller Light (Donated)

3 Cases of Pepsi or Coke

3 Cases of Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke

3 Cases of 7up or Sprite

4 Cases of water (Donated)

Red table wine (Donated)

White wine (Donated)

Donation for the Cod for the Bakalar ($50) Donated

Monetary donations are ALWAYS welcome also. Checks made out St. Sava Folklore.

Please email or call Borka with your donation item at 219-617-1645.

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!

SRBADIJA FOLKLORE TRAVELS TO PHOENIX

Our senior folklore group dancers traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to the Pholkfest sponsored by St. Sava Phoenix. The event was one that was a result of some fundraising and determined and committed parents. The festival began with a welcome dance on Friday, October 8th and the festival was Saturday, October 9th. Phoenix hosted groups from California, Milwaukee, Indiana, and Arizona. Our kids performed outstanding and more importantly, made some new friends and have already asked to go back next year. “The bonding and camaraderie that resulted during the trip was priceless,” said Borka Grimsgard, President of the folklore group.

Many of our dancers arrived a few days earlier and were able to experience some of the
sites in Arizona—including Sedona (photos attached), where they jumped into a river that had natural rock slides at Slide Rock State Park and Tempe, where they experienced what campus life is like at Arizona State University.

Thank you to those who have contributed and supported our folklore group!

Thanks to the dancers for sharing these wonderful photos.

Have opanke, will travel! St. Sava Merrillville visits St. Sava Phoenix. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our hard working young dancers to visit a distant parish, where they will perform at the first festival hosted by the Phoenix parish. Our dancers will return will new friends and lifelong memories. Visit the facebook event page for details.

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.

One authentic Serbian National costume from the village of your ancestors...   $300

One pair coarse, uncomfortable new opanke...     $40

One lb. each of assorted nuts, mixed fruits, and figs for your Badnjak..........$15

Our young Folklore Dancers entertaining the elderly for the Holidays...........Priceless!

For everything else, there's MasterKarta!

Seniors were treated to dances and Christmas carols by our Srbadija Folklore Dancers. The children visited two Senior Care facilities Sunday after church. Perhaps you recognize Violet Milanovich, Mrs. Devyak, and Ruth Tarailo. Smiles, laughter, and tears were abundant, and the dancers were glad to take time out of their busy schedules to spread some Serbian Holiday Cheer. We're so proud of our children for remembering the seniors with a very special visit!

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.

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!

The Serbian Folklore Federation of North America celebrated it's 8th Annual Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida June 20th through 22nd. Our own Srbadija senior group attended the event and performed along with many groups from around the country. Wonderful memories were made with friends old and new. Looks like half the fun was just getting there. The performing groups traveled from Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Joliet, Cleveland, Monroeville, Merrillville, McKeesport, Schererville, Aliquippa, and the host town of St. Petersburg. Send us your concert photos to stsavachurch@gmail.com so that we can share them. Thanks to Erin Devaney for sharing these photos.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Be sure to attend and support our talented children at their spring concert!