75 years of the Ensemble of folk dances and songs Veselin Maslesa

Title:75 years of the Ensemble of folk dances and songs Veselin Maslesa
Date of Issue: 07.12.2023.
Author: Tanja Kuruzovic
Type edition: commemorative
Printing techniques: multicolour offset
Sheet: 6
Paper: muflep 100g
Printing House: Blicdruk, Sarajevo

SHEET    CANCELLATION

Motive: woman in national dress
Catalogue no.: 948
Perforation: 13 3/4
Face value: 3.30 BAM
Quantity: 10 000

Motive: dance, kolo  
Catalogue no.: 949
Perforation: 13 3/4
Face value: 1.10 BAM
Quantity: 10 000

The ensemble of folk dances and songs "Veselin Maslesa" from Banja Luka was founded in 1948. The activity of the ensemble is based on preservation from oblivion and public performance of programs from the field of traditional folk culture and art (dance, vocal and instrumental traditions, folk costumes and customs).

Over 10,000 members have passed through the membership of the ensemble, and around 400 active members - pupils, students and workers - are constantly working, divided into 4 sections and 8 age groups.

The active repertoire of the ensemble includes over thirty choreographies of folk dances, half of which are based on areas from Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and which are costumed in predominantly original folk costumes, whose average age exceeds 100 years. The repertoire of the ensemble is renewed regularly, with at least one choreography per year, which contributes to the preservation of traditional folk culture. Of particular importance is Maslesa's fund of folk costumes, which number about 1,200 sets, half of which are original, and the rest are reconstructed examples made according to original patterns.

The ensemble is a participant in many domestic and international folklore festivals and other events, and has performed over 6,500 programs in front of more than 7,000,000 spectators in the country and abroad. In the past 75 years, the ensemble has toured abroad more than 150 times, thus promoting our cultural heritage.

For the high artistic level of performing the program, he received many high recognitions and awards, including two awards - the Order of Merit for the People with a silver star in 1973 and the Order of Njegos first class in 1998, as well as several winning cups won at international folklore festivals.

By decision of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska dated September 12, 2019, and based on the categorization of CASs and ensembles of folk dances and songs, the ensemble was given the status of an ensemble of folk dances and songs of republican importance and currently Maslesa is the only ensemble of republican importance in the Republic of Srpska.