Folklore group FS Dragatuš

Folklore group Dragatuš comes from the village of Dragatuš, which has 250 inhabitants and is located in the Municipality of Črnomelj in the Bela krajina region of Slovenia. The group, active since 1957, consists of around 80 members divided into children's and adult ensembles. In recent years, in cooperation with Slovenian folklore experts, we have conducted numerous field research projects throughout Bela krajina. As a result, we have enriched the stage presentation of Slovenian folk traditions with new choreographies, musical arrangements, songs, and authentic costumes.

At festivals we present around 15 different choreographies of traditional folk dances. These are performed in traditional white folk costumes typical of Bela krajina from the second half and end of the 19th century, as well as in dark costumes from the early and first half of the 20th century. We place special emphasis on preserving the folk music tradition, which is why our musicians play a variety of traditional instruments: tambouritzas, accordion, Bandonika accordion (over 100 years old instrument), violin, clarinet, bass, harmonica, flute, and others.

For the past 33 years, we have organized our traditional and exceptionally well-attended December folklore concerts. To date, we have released two CDs featuring folk songs and traditional instrumental music from Bela krajina. Our work has been recognized with several awards: the Marolt Charter for outstanding long-term contributions to folklore; the Naša Slovenija award for research and promotion of heritage; and the Župančič Plaque, the highest cultural recognition from the Municipality of Črnomelj.

Among our international recognitions, we highlight the award for representing Slovenia at the 3rd CIOFF World Folkloriada in Hungary in 2004, and the CIOFF Silver Pin, awarded in 2024 to our folklore expert Zdenka Pezdirc for her long-standing and professional work in the field. In 2025, we will represent Slovenia at the World Traditional Music and Arts Expo in Yeongdong, South Korea.