Fifty Years of Remembering: Blato’s Kumpanjija in Sydney, Australia
Fifty Years of Remembering: Blato’s Kumpanjija in Sydney, Australia
Author(s): Jeanette MollenhauerSubject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, Music, Recent History (1900 till today), Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, 19th Century, Migration Studies
Published by: Croatian Studies Centre
Keywords: kumpanjija; ethnochoreology; performance; nostalgia; community;
Summary/Abstract: The kumpanjija, or chain sword dance, of Blato, Croatia, is also danced each April in Sydney, Australia. This paper explores the perpetuation of the kumpanjija in Sydney since 1965, culminating in the fiftieth anniversary performance in 2015. Based on data from ethnographic fieldwork, the paper provides an ethnochoreological analysis of this event and illustrates how the performance fosters experiences of bonding, embodies nostalgic sentiment and provides community focus. The relationship between the dance as performed currently in Blato, and the performance troupe in Sydney is also explored. This event demonstrates the significance of the annual event for this section of the Croatian immigrant community in Sydney.
Journal: Croatian Studies Review - Časopis hrvatskih studija
- Issue Year: 2015
- Issue No: 11
- Page Range: 109-138
- Page Count: 30
- Language: English