The folk dances and songs “Orce Nikolov” from Skopje, Macedonia was established in 1945. The idea was to preserve and present the customs, folk dances, songs, music and national costumes of Macedonia.
The beauty of the Macedonian folk dances, songs, instruments and national costumes, combined with the talented dancers and creative choreography create this dynamic community of – “guardians of the national heritage”, that promotes peace and progress and use art as the common language to reach out to people from different countries.
The ensemble “Orce Nikolov” over the years has had total of over 10.000 members and has given over 6.000 concerts in the country and abroad. Their concerts have been seen by more than 10.000.000 people and many millions of viewers have seen these performances on TV in countries like Macedonia, England, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Canada, Cyprus, Cuba, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, U.S.A, D.P.R of Korea, Turkey, TR North Cyprus, France, Nederland, Serbia, Montenegro, Switzerland, Ukraine…
The ability to translate ideas into actions shows the might of a culture and to creative new values when in meets other cultures.
Folklore is a synthesis of the cultural values of a nation, that have been accumulated for centuries, which makes its presentation in a contemporary setting a moment of acceptance, of ourselves ant the rest of the world. Macedonia should be proud of its folklore, because the Macedonian soul shines through it. It is the fabric of the Macedonian perseverance woven from threads of faith and hope that has sustained this nation through the ages.
In the XXI century, an age of extreme egotism and alienation, folklore represents a vital part of global culture. Folklore reminds humanity how important life, love and community are. Macedonian folklore with its character, charm and richness has a special place in the cultural heritage of the world and therefore it belongs on the stages of the renowned international folklore festivals.
The mission like Ensemble “Orce Nikolov” to preserve “originality and authenticity”, since folklore should not only be appreciated but also understood. It is only way to understand ourselves?
