The BAYANI Dance Association
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- Published: Sunday, 01 September 2013 09:05
The Bayani Dance Troupe was formed in 2004 and gave its first official performance at the 1st Kamfest arts festival in Kamnik, Slovenia. In autumn 2004 Julia Tomšič, Tanja Potočnik and Nataša Kočar began to teach and perform oriental dance at an informal gathering of Bayani. In 2005 the association became legally established and since then it has borne the name of the Culture and Arts Oriental Association (KUOD) Bayani. In that year the group was joined by Manca Pavli. Together they were united by a love for oriental dance and Middle Eastern folk dance and music as well as cultures and dance in general.
In 2008 the experienced young dancer and choreographer Sylvia Valentine joined KUOD Bayani and established jointly with Nataša Kočar within the association a section for Indian dance named Shakti. Even before then Sylvia and Nataša had been dance colleagues for several years in the Nataraj dance troupe, where they danced the Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam. Under the mentorship of the foreign teacher Mayala Bracha, KUOD Bayani dancers began to learn the classical Indian dance Kathak as well as Bollywood and Indian folk dances.
In the past decade since their first appearance as Bayani, members of KUOD Bayani can pride themselves on numerous performances at concerts and events in Slovenia and abroad, with regular annual productions (from 2006 on) organised by the dance school which operates within the association, and seven dance productions.
2005 Kasbah
2006 Jalla jalla
2007 Zaghareet
2009 Hayeti
2010 Kundalini
2011 Zeina, that other Woman
2013 Om Shakti
2015 Hamsa, five elements of oriental dance
2017 Hamsa: Circle
