LEADERS

prof.dr.sc. ENRIH MERDIĆ
Artistic director

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prof.dr.sc. ENRIH MERDIĆ
Artistic director

Dr. Enrih Merdic was born on 30 December 1962 in Osijek. He finished primary and secondary school in Osijek, where he also graduated from the Faculty of education. He completed his graduate studies and got a PhD in natural sciences (biology) at the College of Science in Zagreb. Since he was nine years old, he has been spending time in folk ensembles. As a member of the Folk Ensemble Milica Križan he spent the best time of his youth (1971-1989) as an active dancer. He got his first chance to pass on the folklore tradition to the younger generation when he graduated from secondary school in 1981. He trained ensembles in Josipovac, Ernestinovo, Cepin and Osijek (Folk Ensemble Biseri Slavonije and the Croatian Folk Ensemble Željeznicar). Since December 1985, he has been the art director and choreographer of the Workers' Folk Ensemble PIK Đakovo, which later changed its name to The Folk Ensemble TENA, Folklore group Slavonske Kraljice.

Besides working as an instructor who teachers dances, songs, and singing, shapes and practices the program, he also choreographs. He was trained for the job of a choreographer at a number of seminars. As early as the summer of 1983, he started attending the folklore school organized by the Cultural and educational assembly of Croatia as seminars in the summers and winters. he has taken all obligatory courses and passed all exams related to the theoretical knowledge about folklore and dance zones in Croatia. The main aim of the school was to send the candidates to villages to collect folklore material themselves at the very source. From 1986 to the beginning of the war in 1991, he has intensively collected folklore material. In this period he composed many Slavonian choreographies: Kumova grana, Ajmo žito pokupiti pa cmo kolo zaigrati, Kiti bunar Jelo, Filipovcice, Savom vodom od Davora do Šamca, Šetale se tri divojke, Slavonske kraljice and choreographies from Baranja: Plesovi iz Baranje, Baranjsko Petrovo Selo veljace iljadu osamsto i neke, Poklade su and Baranjski svatovski adet. In addition to choreographies from Slavonia and Baranja, he also made choreographies from other regions of Croatia: Zelen Juraj došal je (from Pokuplje), Krcki kanti i tonci, Plesovi iz Medimurja, Posavcica od glave do pete" and Stari splitski ples and Trogirska cetvorka, A oj Liko ravnija od Srema, Lepo naše zeleno Primorje, Na Ivanje ne radim oranje.

As a choreographer and expert on Slavonian folklore he was invited to give his choreographies to other folklore ensembles: Strawberry Hill CFA, Kansas City, USA; St. Johns Tamburitzans, Kansas City, SAD; Miroslav Krleža Fellbach, Njemacka, THE Folk Ensemble Zagreb, Zagreb; The Folk Ensemble Šokadija Stari Mikanovci Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc, Rijeka; Folklore ensemble Biseri Slavonije, The Folk Ensemble Željeznicar. The largest number of his choreographies are performed by his parent ensemble Tena.

Considering his experience working with folk ensembles and his research in the field, especially in Slavonia and Baranja, he was invited to lecture on Slavonian folklore at seminars of Croatian folklore in Zagreb in 1994, and since 1996 he has been a regular lecturer at the regional seminar of Slavonia, Baranja and Sirmium. As an instructor of quality ensembles and a choreographer, he became a member of the Board of Managers of the society of folklore instructors and choreographers of Croatia.

MATO RUČEVIĆ
Assistant

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MATO RUČEVIĆ
Assistant

Mato Ručević was born on 28. july 1978th in Budrovci, southern suburb of Djakovo. He attended primary school in Budrovci, a gymnasium in Djakovo, then enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture Osijek. In 1998. he started working as a radio announcer on Radio Osijek, where he also met with the rich Slavonian tradition recorded in the recordings of Radio Osijek. During year 2001, he moves to local radio station, Radio Đakovo. In 2004. Novi Radio is established and he goes to that very frequent radio station where it is today a permanent employee. Love for folklore is dating back to 1992. when he was involved in the work of the local cultural club from "Šokadija" Budrovci. His first performance was at the Đakovački vezovi in 1993. At the beginning of 1996th year for him, as he says, there is a turning point in the folk-life transition in the Cultural-Artistic Society "Tena" from Djakovo.

Along with membership in Tena in 2002. he began working as head KUD "Hrvatska čitaonica" from Selci Đakovački. After that he continues to work in "Zora" from Piškorevaci, with whom he still works. He also briefly worked with KUD "Braća Banas" from Josipovac Punitovački which gathers the Slovak national minority and, in December 2008., he also began working in the KUD "Kupina" from the eponymous town of Slavonski Brod's end.

In the spring of 2002. he became a member of the Board Cultural of Tena. He also became assistant artistic director of KUD "Tena" and from 2008. a vice president of the society. As a representative of Tena, during year 2005., he became a member of the Governing Board of the Association cultural clubs Đakovština, to the fall of 2007. when he took over the role of secretary of that body.

Despite all the television host and other duties performed until now he remained a regular member of "Slavonske kraljice", a representative ensemble of KUD "Tena".

TOMISLAV KLASAN
Music director

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TOMISLAV KLASAN
Music director

Tomislav Klasan was born on 10 December of 1980. in Osijek. Until his tenth year of life he lived in Ivanovcu, and then because of the atrocities sought a new home in Osijek, where he continued and finished primary school. In his native town he ended school of Electrical Engineering and traffic school. Music education is acquired in tambura school "Batorek" in Osijek, which he enrolled in 1993. He attends tambura school for six years facing there, for the first time, with teaching the young players. He is playing in tambura orchestras of the school, and was on XXI. Croatian Tambura Music Festival in Osijek were was awarded with diploma. At the time, with a few friends, they founded their first tambura orchestra. Simultaneously, he started playing folk music as an active member of HKUD "Željezničar" Osijek.

Returning to the Ivanovac he gathers local musicians around the church choir of the parish church of St. Rosalia, and participates in musical celebration of Christmas , as evidenced by the CD "Christmas in my house." On that occasion, he gathers musicians in a tambura orchestra and trains them from all over the parish. Since 1999. to 2007. teaches young musicians of KUD "Klasje Slavonije" Antunovac where he works as a musical and artistic director, and with them records two albums. A few years starting with 2004. as head of Tambura section cooperates with KUD "Josip Kozarac" Ernestinovo. In 2001. he became a professional musician and member of the Croatian Musicians Union.

In popular band called "SLAVONIA BAND" plays from its foundation. Band realized many successful performances all over the country, Europe, Canada and the United States, and is especially proud of two times in a row, won the first place at the Music Festival "Zlatne žice Slavonije" Pozega 2009th and 2010. year. On Seminar off Pannonian Folklore zone acquires a degree of self-teaching and guiding tamburitza bands and orchestras. It deals with the collecting and processing of Croatian folk songs, notation, and making arrangements for the tambura orchestras and ensembles. He has participated so far four times on "Šokačkoj rapsodiji - 100 tamburaša" organized by "Šokadija" Zagreb. Since 2005. first as an associate and then as a full musical and artistic director works for the KUD "Šokadija" Stari Mikanovci in which leads tambura school. Since 2006 participates in the International Colony of young people in Ernestinovo as head of the workshop. From 2011. leads tamburitza school KUD "Tena" in Đakovo, one of our best folk ensembles.

Today he lives with family in Đakovo, heart of Slavonija, and is a proud father of three children.

ANEMARIJA JURIŠIĆ
Leader of FA Dukati

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ANEMARIJA JURIŠIĆ
Leader of FA Dukati

Anemarija Jurišić was born on 2 June 1985. in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Primary education was acquired in her hometown in Germany. 1997th she moved with her parents to Đakovo where she continued education, finishing elementary school and gymnasium. 2004th she enrolled Germanic and Croatian studies at University of Osijek where in 2009. she graduated. In 2011th she enrolled in graduate (doctoral) study of Humanities - direction philology at the University of Zadar.

She began to engage in Folklore simultaneously with education, and is active member of FA "Slavonske Kraljice" since 2001.

As a prominent member of a representative ensemble Tena, she gets a chance for further education in the field of folklore, and has attended several regional seminars of folklore in Slavonija, Baranja and Srijem (Folklore seminar of Pannonian zone). After the completion of several seminars in order to transfer knowledge to future generations of youth, in 2003. she became head of FA"Dukati", children's group of 10-14 years who can boast of several successful performances. Through persistent and high quality performance in the FA "Dukati" she prepared many members for representative ensemble of KUD "Tena", "Slavonske kraljice".

She managed to pass her love for folklore to the others, and she was, since 2007th to 2009th, head of KUD "Kuševac" from Kuševac.

STJEPAN JURIŠA
Leader of FA Zvončići and Pčelice

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STJEPAN JURIŠA
Leader of FA Zvončići and Pčelice

Stjepan Juriša was born on 11 September 1956. He has lived in Osijek since 1962. where he finished high school and secondary school. His folklore life started in 1972. when he became a member of The Folk Ensemble "Milica Križan" where he is still active today.

Being a very expressive dancer for many years, Stjepan started to show interest in passing on the folklore tradition to younger generations. For the reasons of educating himself he attended the school of folklore which was then organized by the Cultural and educational assembly of Croatia. Specializing himself more and more in working with children he attended a one – year course which was organized by ETNO from Zagreb.

His work in different groups mostly refers to the work with children`s ensembles. He started his folklore career in The Folk Ensemble "Milica Križan" in 1986., and then continued his work in several primary schools – St. Ana, Jagoda Truhelke. He also worked in folklore ensemble in the villages Drenje, Vuka and in Đakovo. He started his work in The Folk Ensemble "Tena" in 2002. when he took over two children`s ensembles. It is important to emphasize Stjepan`s work in the resumption of forgotten customs in slavonian villages. In the village Vukojevci near Našice, he revived the almost forgotten custom of "babe i starci", as well as "rgaca" the main part of a mask for older people, producing twenty pieces of them single handed. He animated the youth in the village to work by bringing back the custom to the streets of Vukojevci. Then he prepared and adapted the custom for a scenic performance. Because of the work on this project The Folk Ensemble "Vukojevci" was reactivated and come to many stages like the International folklore festival in Zagreb and the International folklore festival in Buhen, Germany.

At the moment he is working on a similar project of reviving old forgotten customs in Kešinci, a village east of Đakovo. His choreographical works are: Bijele koke s neba pale (White hens fell from the sky), Jedan krug jaje, jedao jaje sladoled (One circle an egg, one egg an ice – cream), Crvena kraljica jedan, dva, tri (Red queen one, two, three), Hopa cupa skoci (Hey ho jump).

IVAN PAVIĆ
Leader of MVS Bećarine

ANITA DELIĆ
Dresser