craigdailypress.com

It's not often that the residents of Moffat County have the opportunity to watch elements of dance and music come together in the form of Yugoslavian folk dancing.

However, that is about to change.

The Craig Community Concert Association (CCCA) will present Frula, a Yugoslavian folk dance company from Belgrade Feb. 12. Performances will incorporate folk dances from the former Yugoslavia as well as Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.

Founded in 1969, the Frula School of Dance is most well known for its authentic costumes and diverse traditions that have been redeveloped and revived.

"We show the beauty of the dance how dance influences people in society, and how society influences dance," Frula spokesperson Donya Schimansky said. "The costumes are all originals and they are rich and beautiful, and every dancer has a legend."

Each performance is also enhanced with an array of multi-colored lights choreographed by Frula founder, Dr. Dzadzevic Dragoslav.

"Dr. Dragoslav earned an electrical engineering degree at the University in Belgrade," Schimansky said. "He is able to orchestrate the lighting, which is enchanting, because seeing things through red or blue or yellow truly adds to the atmosphere."

Frula has given more than 7,000 performances on five continents and will perform in Craig at the Moffat County High School.

"The Community Concert Association has been around for about 25 years, and I can't think of a show yet that hasn't been excellent," said Chris Comstock, publicity chairman for the CCCA. "We tailor acts to the community. Craig likes performers that exhibit quite a bit of activity."

The CCCA is a nationwide group that interviews a variety of professional actors, troops and other performers. They select acts that are appropriate for all age groups and audiences.

Then, the local chapter makes selections from a general catalog based on budget and appropriateness for the community, Comstock said.

One of the most unique aspects of the Frula is that it is a private organization, and not supported by the government or limited by governmental beliefs, according to Schimansky.

"Yugoslavia has minorities in Serbia, and we respect them we have Hungarians, Romanians, Albanians and gypsies, and the performers touch on all of this. Everyone is equal."

The concerts are made possible through the annual subscription drive sponsored by the CCCA in April.

"We know what kind of funding we'll have before we schedule the concerts, so we know what kind of budget we'll have and what concerts we can afford to schedule," Comstock said. "Then the concerts run from mid-October through mid-winter."

For more information about the Craig Community Concert Association or the upcoming subscription drive, contact Chris Comstock at 824-4681.