History of the Children’s Folklore Ensemble
The Dúbravček Children’s Folklore Ensemble was founded in January 1999 on the initiative of its director and founder Janka Muráňová. The ensemble is based in the village of Plevník-Drienové.
In 2012, our folk music band was established to accompany the dancers. That same year, inspired by the girls who were graduating from the children’s ensemble, an adult ensemble was formed. As boys joined over time, this grew into the adult Dúbravček Folklore Ensemble.
The children’s ensemble consists of both dance and musical sections, performing together as well as independently. Together with our folk music band, the children’s section currently boasts around 120 members, divided into three age categories:
Preparatory Group: Ages 3 to 5
Middle Group: Ages 6 to 12
Senior Youth Group (Preparatory Group for the Adults): Ages 12 to 16
Upon reaching the age of 15 or 16, young members smoothly transition into the adult Dúbravček Folklore Ensemble.
In our home village of Plevník-Drienové, we regularly perform at traditional annual events:
Christmas and Easter programs
Slavic Carnival celebrations (Fašiangy)
Maypole raising (Stavanie mája)
Mother’s Day and Senior Respect Month
Local anniversary celebrations and events hosted by local community organizations
We also perform extensively across the surrounding region, regularly participating in the regional children's ensemble showcase in Považská Bystrica as well as performing in neighboring towns and villages.
In June 2017, our children’s ensemble was featured on the national folklore television show KAPURKA on STV2 (RTVS). Filmed in a charming historic cottage in the village of Prečín, the broadcast captured traditional children’s games, songs, and dances. Despite cold weather, the children handled the filming brilliantly, and the show aired multiple times to very positive acclaim.
We maintain a wonderful partnership across the Moravian border with the Malá Rusava children's ensemble in Bystřice pod Hostýnem (Czech Republic), where we perform regularly.
The children’s ensemble routinely competes in regional showcase competitions in Považská Bystrica, competing with full choreography pieces as well as solo singers and instrumentalists, frequently advancing to regional and nationwide rounds.
We have twice earned top honors: "Zlaté pásmo" and nationwide advancement for our original choreography “Na drotára” (The Tinker), which was created based on field research conducted directly by our ensemble director.
The children’s ensemble has represented our village at major festivals across Slovakia, including Terchová, Východná, the traditional Maríkovské slávnosti, Praznovské folklórne slávnosti, and Folklórna Lysá.
Our rich repertoire features a wide range of songs, dances, and traditional childhood games just as our grandparents used to play them. All material is sourced directly from our home village of Plevník-Drienové and the broader region. To preserve this heritage, the children’s ensemble has also recorded three official music CDs.
