The Ballad of Family

Family and community are the backbone of Folklorama and the Balada Dance Team is confirmation of that.

The Balada Dance Group was created in 2002 when the Romanian Society of Manitoba members and their children restarted the Romanian Pavilion. The Pavilion returned to bring knowledge and awareness of Romania back to Winnipeg. Looking for ways to encourage the youth to get involved, The Balada Dance Team reformed in 2011. Key members of the Balada Dance Group, Andrea Rozbacher, and Isabela Giubega, decided to use their love of dance and Romanian culture to reshape the Pavilion entertainment and showcase Romanian performance 365 days a year.

In a recent interview, Isabela Giubega shared that “our motivation to continue dancing comes from our love of our culture. We strive to showcase different parts of Romania through dance and music to bring to light a deeper understanding of the country of Romania – its culture and people.”

The Balada Dance Team is comprised of dancers, musicians, and emcees aged 4-35+ years of age.  They proudly perform Romanian Folkloric dances which are influenced by the surrounding countries.  Romanian folkloric dance showcase joy and expression of happiness through its music and artistic performances.

“Because Romania, is in the heart of Eastern Europe, there is a similar dance feel reflected in our choreography, states Giubega. “Sharing our Romanian culture means diversity and comprehension of our culture is not misunderstood. We share our culture to remove stereotypes and we share our culture to connect with our parents/family as the majority of our dancers are second-generation Romanians.”

Balada in English means Ballad which is a representation of stories and poems told through the arts. Truly a beautiful name for a group dedicated to sharing and preservation of their culture.

If you would like the Balada Dance Team to perform at your next event, contact Folklorama today at [email protected].