Folk dancer’s passion for his culture
NORTHCLIFF– Balkan folk dancer stays in touch with his roots through dancing.
Folk dancer Stefan Korac is passionate about his Serbian roots, which inspired him to be a dancer for folk group Balkan.
The Northcliff resident said he started dancing in 2011 and became a full-time dancer in 2012. He is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts degree in Tourism Development at the University of Johannesburg.
Korac described dancing as a way to keep in touch with his culture, something that he enjoys and as a way to make his grandparents proud.
“It takes a lot of practice and patience to be a folk dancer. You have to have a rhythm in order to catch the beat and also be fit. Initially having rhythm was a challenge in the beginning but now I have grasped it,” explained Korac.
Korac said he heard about Balkan through a family friend and decided to join the dance group in order to meet new people and thought it would be fun. Balkan has won a number of awards and travelled to different countries.
“We have travelled to countries such as Spain, Montenegro and Brazil. In July we will be traveling to Varna in Bulgaria to perform. Brazil was the most memorable country I travelled to, I found the people very friendly, they have a positive attitude which reminds me of home. My favourite type of folk dance is Shopsko,which is a Bulgarian dance. It is a very cheerful dance but also intimidating at first due to all the dancers being required to be in sync,” described Korac.
He advises people who are interested in being folk dancers to be prepared to work hard and welcomes anyone who would like to try it out.
