ANSAMBL "ZABOK"

The Zabok Ensemble was founded in 1958. Today, it consists of over 150 members, including dancers and musicians, who are organized in three children's folklore groups, the A folklore Ensemble, a veterans' folklore group, and three orchestras: children's, veterans', and the A orchestra. Since its establishment, the Ensemble has cultivated choreographed folklore from all regions of Croatia, with a special emphasis on the folklore of its own homeland, Hrvatsko Zagorje. Its repertoire includes more than 20 choreographic works by the most renowned Croatian folklore creators. Each year, the ensemble performs over 40 shows and concerts in Croatia and abroad. All performances feature live music and are presented in authentic national costumes from its own collection. In addition to the classical choreographic approach, the Ensemble was among the first in Croatia to prove itself in contemporary folklore forms and in presenting traditional dances through dance couples, as well as performing the unique Croatian salon dance — a dance of Croatian nobility and the bourgeoisie. It is the most successful folklore Ensemble in its region, regularly representing the region at national festivals for the past 20 years. Since 2015, it has held a Certificate of Excellence for both original and choreographed Croatian folklore. Over the years, the ensemble has regularly participated in festivals and guest performances across Europe, including Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Russia, Turkey, and Greece. Last year, in 2023, it participated in the organisation of the 52nd CIOFF World Congress, which was held in Osijek. In addition to its regular public presentations of Croatian folklore art, the Ensemble Zabok runs a variety of projects related to traditional culture: • The Croatian Salon Dance of Zabok Graduates — running since 2008, it involves all graduates from Zabok high schools, approximately 350 each year. • "Cunge, Cunge, Cungeraj" — folklore of our region, involving all pupils from Zabok primary school, more than 700 of them. • A project consisting of three cycles: folklore of Zagorje for children and young people, folklore of Zagorje for the elderly, and folklore of Zagorje for people with special needs and the infirm. It also organizes fashion shows and exhibitions of national costumes, seminars for folklore leaders, and children's folklore festivals.

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  Petar Deak

  Petar Deak was born in 1997 in Zabok. After attending the Antun Gustav Matoš high school in Zabok, specialising in sciences, he graduated from the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, becoming a civil engineer. He has been involved in folklore since he was six years old, starting with the children's group and progressing to a dancer in the main ensemble. In recent years, he has been a member of the Management Board of the Zabok Ensemble and served as vice president.

  Presidente/Director General
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  Senka Jurina

  Jurina, Senka, a folklorist and ethnochoreologist (Zagreb, 1963). She completed primary school in Zabok, secondary school in Zabok and Zagreb, and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb. After graduating, she worked at Vental d.o.o., an aluminium alloy foundry. She began engaging in folk dance during primary school and by 1980 started leading folklore groups and choreographing, a role she continues to this day. She gained expertise in folklore at the Croatian Folklore School (1980–1986), numerous regional seminars, and through almost 40 years of fieldwork and research. Today, she is the artistic director and manager of Ensemble Zabok. According to the criteria of the Croatian Society of Folklore Choreographers and Leaders (HDFKiV), she has obtained statuses as a choreographer, children's folklore leader, leader of original groups, artistic director, and selector. She is a member of judging panels at folklore shows and festivals in Croatia and abroad. She has served as president of the HDFKiV for four terms. She is an external collaborator for Krapina-Zagorje County on programmes promoting Zagorje's traditional culture and a specialist collaborator for the Krapina City Tourist Board on the "Children’s Parade" project, aimed at promoting Zagorje folk costumes. She is the author and leader of the project *Cunge, cunge, cungeraj – Folklore of Our Region*, which has been implemented at K. Š. Gjalski Primary School in Zabok since 2009, involving all the school’s pupils, around 800 each year. The project was recognised as the Best Action for Children in Croatia in 2009 by the Union of Our Children’s Societies of Croatia and UNICEF. She leads the project *Croatian Salon Round Dance of Zabok's Graduates*, in which all graduates from Zabok’s secondary schools participate, a project that has been running since 2008. She is also the author and leader of the *Zagorje Folk Costume Review* project. She has authored dozens of choreographies for folklore groups, six choreographies with a contemporary folklore approach, seven stage adaptations of original folk customs, 11 choreographies of Croatian folk dances performed by dance couples, and six children's folklore choreographies. Two of her choreographies are part of the repertoire of Lado, Croatia’s only professional folklore ensemble. She is the recipient of the Zvonimir Ljevaković Award for outstanding choreographic achievements and has been recognised by the HDFKiV for 35 years of successful leadership. She received a diploma from the Croatian Cultural Parliament for 40 years of successful work in promoting and developing cultural-artistic amateurism and Croatian culture. She leads the seminar *Folklore of Hrvatsko Zagorje*, which has been held across Croatia for many years. She regularly presents at HDFKiV’s professional conferences and has been a regular lecturer at the Croatian Folklore School of the Croatian Heritage Foundation since 2024, where she teaches the subject *Dances of Hrvatsko Zagorje*. She is involved in the reconstruction and restoration of Zagorje folk costumes and the creation of traditional Zagorje jewellery.

  Nombre del Director Artístico
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  Petar Varga

  Petar Varga, Master of Music, completed his postgraduate studies in Tambura Art at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek. He obtained his undergraduate degree in tambura at the Franz Schubert Conservatory in Vienna (in cooperation with the Academy of Music, Dance and Visual Arts, Plovdiv, Bulgaria). As a studio musician, he collaborates with numerous authors, performers, and record labels, as well as tambura ensembles. He also plays in the "Zagrebački tamburaši" orchestra and appears as a composer and arranger at festivals and concerts both in Croatia and abroad. He has registered over three hundred works with professional organizations HUZIP and ZAMP. As a concert musician, he has performed with the Lado ensemble, numerous artists at concerts and festivals, and in several theatre performances and musicals at the Komedija Theatre. Currently, he teaches tambura at the Ksaver Šandor Gjalski Primary Music School and at the Secondary School for Art, Design, Graphics, and Fashion in Zabok. He is the conductor and leader of several tambura ensembles and orchestras in Zaprešić, Zabok, and Zagreb. Varga is also a lecturer at seminars for tambura ensemble leaders and conductors, organized by the Croatian Cultural Council and the Agency for Education and Training. He is a member of the expert jury at folklore festivals organized by the Croatian Cultural Council. With his students, he has achieved numerous notable results at tambura soloist, ensemble, and orchestra competitions. His recent achievements include first and second prizes for soloists and ensembles at county and national music school competitions, organized by the Croatian Society of Music and Dance Pedagogues, as well as gold and silver plaques at the "Pajo Kolarić Tambura" International Festival of Artistic Tambura Music in Osijek.

  Director Musical