St. Nicholas Serbian
Orthodox Cathedral
149 Nash Rd S, Hamilton, ON L8K 4J9
Saint Nicholas
Folklore Organization
To join our exciting folklore program, please register in September during our practices. Registration forms are below.
Folklore at the St. Nicholas Cathedral was established in 1975 and is still thriving with our 50th anniversary coming up in 2025!
Our first choreographer was Natasa Mirkovic, an alum of the renowned Serbian folklore ensemble "Kolo", from Belgrade. There were only enough dancers to form one group at the time – Avala. In the following 13 years there were many presidents and choreographers. Then in 1987 Bogdan Tadic took over and created the structure of folklore as we know it today. He held the presidency until 1991. Folklore grew and more groups were added over the years; Rastko, Obilic, Karadjordje, Njegos, Morava and Avala. In 1991, our organization was the first Canadian group to perform in Pittsburgh.
Nikola Jovic. a remarkable choreographer who taught dancers from 1984-2007, left an indelible mark on many of the children. His easy-going manner and love of each dancer endeared him to the dancers and parents alike. Many past dancers still have an amazing relationship with Nik.
Dragan Maklenov, the former principal dancer of "Ensemble Kolo" from Belgrade, was hired in 2007 as a new choreographer for the senior groups. In 2023, after a remarkable 16 years of teaching, he decided to retire. He has formed wonderful relationships with the dancers who were with him from the very beginning.
Tina Podinic, who hails from Ottawa, joined our folklore family in the fall of 2021. She teaches our 3 younger groups – Rastko, Obilic and Karadjordje. In 2023, Tina received a certificate of completion of the sixth Serbian folklore seminar for artistic directors and dancers held by the Sumadija Serbian Folk Dance Ensemble in Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Choreographer Dragan Cokic joined our folklore family in 2023. He comes to us with many years of experience – both in Canada and in Serbia. The dancers are enjoying learning new dances/choreography, and several groups have even received new nosnje.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our children (we know it’s not easy working with small children sometimes) and keeping our cultural traditions alive!
Over the years, while performing across Canada and the USA, we have established friendships and enabled our children to garner their love for traditional dance with other Serbian communities in North America.
Currently, our executive consists of:
President – Diana Kanlic
Vice-President – Vera Markovic
Treasurer – Danka Kovinjalo
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