The President of the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore (AASF), Aleksandar Stanković, is actively advocating the accreditation of professional training programs for artistic directors in Austria and throughout the diaspora, to enable youth to receive education under the best conditions and obtain internationally recognized diplomas for this profession. Last weekend, he visited and greeted all the participants in the largest seminar for artistic directors in the diaspora, held for the 15th time this year, organized by the Stevan Mokranjac Serbian Cultural Centre from Vienna.

‘The great interest and attendance at the seminar confirm the fact that the diaspora needs high-quality professional training for artistic directors. In cooperation with the institutions of the Republic of Serbia and Austria, we are already advocating actively the project of professional training of artistic directors and working actively to take the first official steps towards the realization of this idea as soon as possible. Thus we would not only educate a new generation of artistic directors, but also ensure the survival and development of our cultural and artistic societies, which are the backbone of preserving the Serbian identity, language, culture and tradition in the diaspora. In parallel with the activities on preparing this project, we are endeavouring to win the fight for the status of existing artistic directors’, says Aleksandar Stanković, president of the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore.

By the way, this year’s seminar for artistic directors, organized by the Stevan Mokranjac Serbian Cultural Centre Vienna, brought together more than 270 participants from Europe, Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, and this is the largest number of participants at a seminar so far, both in the diaspora and in Serbia. The seminar lasted three days and was divided thematically into the following areas: Dances from Prizren, Dances from Kraljevo, Dances from Užice, Wallachian dances from Crnorečje. On the last day, the participants received certificates of seminar completion.

Source: Radio Television of Serbia – RUDNIK.AT

Photo: Stevan Mokranjac Serbian Cultural Centre Vienna