President's speech

The Serb National Federation would like to introduce your organization to the newly formed Serbian Folklore Federation of North America. The Federation’s mission is to preserve and promote the folk culture of Serbian people, and to form closer relationships between folklore organizations across North America.

The Serbian Folklore Federation offers four major benefits to your organization:

1) A directory of Federation Member Organizations so closer contacts can be kept with federation members
2) A free workshop conducted by Dragan Kovacevic, former General Manager of Ensemble KOLO, Beograd, YU, and current Executive Director of the Serbian Folklore Federation
3) Assistance with lyrics, costuming, music and choreography
4) An invitation to the Serbian Folklore Federation Annual Festival

The Annual Festival will take place in a different host city every year. In 2001, the Sumadija Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Milwaukee, WI, USA, hosted the Festival the weekend of October 19th - 21st.

Membership into the Federation is very simple. Annual dues are $100.00 (US) per Organization per year. All that is needed to join is a completed application, a list of members, their addresses, and denotation if they are or are not a member of the SNF. Once these three items have been submitted to the address on the application, your Organization is immediately considered a Member.

Only Member Organizations will be invited to participate in the Annual Festival. Also, since our Federation receives funding and sponsorship through the SNF, all dancers participating in the Annual Festival must be members of the SNF. Membership into the SNF can be done through our Federation for the low price of $22.00 (US) per year per dancer under the age of 25. When the benefits of the Federation are weighed against its low cost for membership, it is obvious what a great deal becoming a Member organization in the Serbian Folklore Federation is!

We hope you consider joining the Serbian Folklore Federation and participating in our Annual Festivals held the third weekend every June. Other organizations that have joined the Federation are:

1. Sumadija Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble - Milwaukee, WI
2. Jedinstvo Serbian Tamburitzans - Pittsburgh, PA
3. Tromedja Serbian Folklore Group - Schererville, IN
4. Srpska Kruna Serbian Folklore Group - Longwood, FL
5. St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Tamburitzans - Monroeville, PA
6. St. Sava Junior Dancers - Milwaukee, WI
7. Holy Resurrection Junior Tamburitzans - Steubenville, OH
8. Frula Serbian Folklore Group - Merrillville, IN
9. Ensemble Srbadija - McKeesport, PA
10. St. Archangel Michael Folklore Group - Akron, OH
11. “Srbija” Folklore Group - Parma, OH
12. Morava Folklore Group - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
13. Beaver Valley Junior Tamburitzans - Monaca, PA
14. St. Stevens Sokoli Folklore Ensemble - Alhambra, CA

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at 412-642-SERB or culture@serbnatlfed.org.

Sincerely,

Michael Malich
SNF Serbian Folklore Federation - President