For those folk dance enthusiasts waiting for Mazowsze or Śląsk to return to the U.S., there is another Eastern European folk dance company that can fit the bill. Lado National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia made its name in the U.S. at the same time Sol Hurok debuted the Polish companies.
The company will give a free vocal concert at NYC’s St. Patrick's Cathedral on October 13, at 7:00 pm. On Wednesday, October 14, 7:30 pm Lado will perform a full concert at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater.
Founded in 1949, this brilliant company of dancers, singers, and musicians bring centuries of tradition to life, in swirling, spectacular performances—a vivid living museum that features more than 1200 costumes, some more than 100 years old.
Historically the Croatian tribes can be traced to a wide region around Kraków in Poland, in Ukraine, Bohemia, and Austria, thus showing migrations to their future homeland. According to some American documents from the beginning of this century there were about 100,000 immigrants to the USA born around Kraków who declared themselves to be Bielo-Chorvats (White Croats) by nationality. There are some conjectures that several noble families in Poland (like Paluk's) are descendants of White Croats. Numerous names of villages, hills and rivers in Poland, Slovakia, Czechia (especially in Moravia), and Ukraine, have equivalents in Croatia.
– Staś Kmieć
