CIOFF^®

(written by Peter Suhadolc, Trieste - Italy)

We are hear to remember the Master, colleague and dear friend Bruno, very well known Slovenian choreographer, expert on chinetography and, overall, the folklore enthusiast who left us at the beginning of last June, at the venerable age of almost 93

Bruno was a physicist by profession with a doctorate in electrical sciences. Specializing in acoustics, he taught this discipline for many years at the University of Ljubljana and at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He transferred this passion to the folklore field by intensively studying the acoustics of popular instruments.

He approached folklore in the 1950s by joining the Tine Rožanc group, of which he became director in 1957. Then in 1967 he founded the Emona group. He was therefore one of the pioneers after the Second World War in promoting folk dance. He researched and wrote down many Slovenian dances and created various choreographies for various Slovenian folk groups.

However, Bruno was best known for having introduced, for Slovenian folk dances, chinetography, a dance annotation technique. In fact he was one of the greatest specialists in this field worldwide. In 1969 he wrote his first manual on the choreography of folk dances and in 1980 his manual Kinetografija appeared, in which he also published 300 folk dances from the area of former Yugoslavia.

In 2004 he wrote his second book Kinetografija, ples in gib (Chinetography, dance and movements) perfecting the first manual and adding chinetographies of medieval and social dances.

On the initiative of the then president of the Italian Folklore Union, Bruno prepared, similar to the folklore seminars held in Slovenia and where folklore dances and chinetography are taught, a seminar dedicated to Italian folklore dances. This initiative took place in Russi, near Ravenna, from December 2006 to May 2007. The cooperation continued also in 2009 in a similar seminar held near Udine, were folklore dances from Friuli Venezia Giulia were studied. For those seminars a manual about chinetography, in Italian, was prepared. In the following years annotations of folklore dances from various Italian regions were prepared. This amount of work led to the publication in 2012 of the large book Chinetography and popular dance.
In 1970 Bruno Ravnikar was one of the founders of CIOFF®, International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts, of which after 50 years of commitment, first as the Yugoslavian and then Slovenian delegate, he became an honorary member.
After Slovenian independence, he founded the Zveza ljudskih tradicijskih skupin Slovenije (Union of Slovenian folk tradition groups), the Slovenian National Section of CIOFF®, of which he was president for many years.

The Greek National Section of the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts - CIOFF®, official partner of UNESCO, the Ionian University and the Educational & Cultural Association of Sinies – Corfu (Member of CIOFF® Greece) are organizing the International CIOFF® Festival of Mediterranean Cultures, in Corfu, 6-10 September 2023.

The International Festival is the flagship Festival of CIOFF® South European Sector which takes place every 4 years, through which the Sector’s Members are cooperating for the cultural heritage of their countries.

In this year’s edition of the International CIOFF® Festival of Mediterranean Cultures, participating dance and music groups from Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Tunisia, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, including groups from other CIOFF® Sectors to present the total Mediterranean Culture. Also, CIOFF® International President, Mr Alejandro Camacho Gonzalez will join the Festival, Mrs. Anna Maria Boileau, Sector’s Representative and CIOFF® National Delegates, Representatives and Youth from other Members of the South European Sector will also participate, increasing the number of the participating countries to more than 20!

More than 450 dancers, musicians, folk artists, University Professors, and researchers from the Mediterranean countries, will present - in a multicultural feast with musical instruments and folk costumes - the intangible cultural heritage of Mediterranean, with music and dance performances, video mapping, exhibitions, dance and gastronomic workshops, scientific conference, economic forum, and other events!

The Festival is under the Patronage of the H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and it is organized in support of the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention (2003) on Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to the Festival’s program, various events will take place in Corfu Island from 6 to 10 of September.

Opening Ceremony, Festival’s parade, Main stages with dance and music performances with the participation of 16 groups.

- Exhibition with Wedding traditional costumes from Mediterranean countries in the frame of CIOFF® International Cultural Project “Wedding Living Traditions”).

- Exhibitions with paintings inspired by Mediterranean Sea created by students and with paintings and sculptures by French Artist Mr. Charles Stratos.

- Photo Exhibition by Photography Team.

- Traditional Musical Instruments photo exhibition by CIOFF® Youth

- Dance, Music, and Handicrafts workshops.

Moreover, one Scientific Conference of ICH, an Economic Forum, a scientific lecture about olive oil in the Mediterranean area and a Seminar on Greek Traditional Dances will compose the total program.

Special events for the participants and the audience will also be organized.

The Festival is organized in cooperation with the Region of Ionian Islands, the Ionian Islands Regional Union of Municipalities, the Municipality of Central Corfu, Paxi and Diapontian Islands, the Municipality of Northern Corfu. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture (Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece), the Ministry of Tourism, the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Central Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, the Chamber of Corfu, the Agri-food Partnership of the Region of Ionian Islands, the UNESCO Chair of Ionian University, the Dpt of Audio & Visual Arts, the Dpt of Foreign Languages, Translation & Interpreting, the Dpt of Archives, Library Science and

Museology, the Dpt of Digital Media and Communication, the Dpt of Networks and Telecommunications of the Ionian University, the Institute of Hellenic Music Heritage, the Academy of Art in Szczecin in Poland, the Association for the Support of Art, Science and Technology Development MEDEA (Poland), the Faculty of Education of the University of Ostrava Czech Republic, the Philharmonic Society of Corfu (“Palaia”), the Cultural Society of Corfu Town “SAN GIACOMO”. It is also being held with the support of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corfu, the Museum of Asian Art, the Holy Metropolis of Corfu, Paxi and Diapontian Islands, the Corfu Port Organization, the Corfu Hotel Union, the Corfu Old Scouts Union, the Corfu Chefs’ Club, the Hellenic Red Cross, the General Clinic “Mastoras” and the General Clinic “Therapia”.

The media sponsors of the event are the Greek National Radio and TV Broadcasting [E.R.T.] and the local E.R.T. in Corfu, Corfu Chanel, Star TV Corfu, Corfu News, MyKerkyra.com, sindetiras.gr, corfuland.gr, Corfu Press, “Kerkira Simera”, “Enimerosi”, “Paratiritis tis Paradosis”, Adeti.gr, Kyma FM 90,3.

Please follow the official pages of the Festival.

During the Festival (Opening Ceremony, Scientific Conference, Dance Performances, and other activities) will be presented through YouTube Channel - Live Streaming!

https://twitter.com/corfumedfest https://www.facebook.com/corfumedfest https://www.instagram.com/corfumedfest https://www.youtube.com/@corfumedfest

With great sadness and pain we say goodbye to
Jerzy Chmiel

Icon of the polish and world CIOFF ® , long-term President of the Presidium of the Polish Section of CIOFF ® and First Vice President of the Conseil International des Organizations de Festivals de Folklore et d'Arts Traditionnels
or almost all his life, he was fully engaged in promoting music, dance and the tradition of polish folklore and the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
A wonderful, very sensitive man, a true friend. Memories of many fantastic years of work will remain with us and heartfelt gratitude and remembrance all who had the honor of meeting him on the roads of your life.
Presidium of Polish Section CIOFF® International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Art.
We inform you that funeral ceremonies took place on April 20, 2023 in Warsaw. By the will of the deceased only in the presence immediate family.
We convey the request of the family not to offer condolences and no contacting its members.

Successful week for CIOFF® during the 17th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Commity for Intangible Cultural Heritage safeguarding held in Rabat, Morocco.

Around 1000 people attended the meeting as well as 217 NGOs accredited to this Committee. As usual, Committee discussed more than 50 nominations to be put on the UNESCO ICH lists. Paralelly, the UNESCO ICH-NGO Forum had daily meetings including the elections of the Executive Board (new members from Europe, Asia and International NGO were elected).

CIOFF® delegation took part of Important achievements within the Committee and the ICH-NGO Forum meetings, which keep positiong us as a commited organization for ICH safeguarding:

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During the 51° CIOFF® General Assembly held in Puerto Vallarta - Mexico, the attending delegates elected new members for some of the council vacant positions, namely:

Alejandro Camacho from Mexico, CIOFF® International was elected to serve the organizaion as the president
Bart Dewitte from Belgium, was elected as CIOFF® International treasurer
Laura López from Colombia, was elected as chairperson of the Youth Coordinating Committee

Congratulations to the new council members!