This is the second stop of my tour with Winnipeg-based photographer and vlogger Christian Narciso! Once again, all photos are from Christian and his company Viewsual Media!
Make sure to check out Christian’s vlogs too! Watch out for us on Wednesday as we do another round of Pavilion hopping!
Scroll to the bottom to watch the video! The Serbian pavilion is in the middle!
Serbian Pavilion “Beograd”
Venue: St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (580 Talbot Ave.)
Dates: Sun. Aug 6th to Sat. August 12th
Extra Show: Sun – 5:15pm
** For a complete, updated listing of pavilions I have visited so far, please click here.
Cultural Display
The cultural display is housed in the church itself. They are celebrating their 40th year as a pavilion so the past 40 years are highlighted in artefacts and videos. Also, the orthodox church itself makes for a beautiful setting for the cultural display.
Food
My favourite part of the food is that you can see the volunteers (who are church parishoners and/or families of the performers) cooking away in the church basement kitchen. Is that not the most homemade feel you could get when it comes to Folklorama meals? Try their paprika which is stuffed peppers, and their sarma (cabbage rolls). They are famous for their sljivovica (plum brandy) and their Jelen pivo for our beer fans.
Entertainment
The MC at this pavilion invites you to sing and dance along with the performers. She follows this with reminding us that they’re “always accepting new members.” 🙂 She also asks the kids each time they perform if it was difficult, to which they respond “Nope!” Adorable! It’s only right to start them dancing at a young age. You truly need to build a lot of stamina to perform a 40-minute show! You can hear the dancers’ jewelry acting as an added layer of music, keeping time the pulse of the music – the jumps, turns, hops, and stomps.
Also worth noting was that two of their ambassadors sang a duet acapella. These two young women then went straight back into the next dance number. ENERGY, ENERGY, ENERGY! I’m impressed.
The venue is in a church basement which allows you to get up close to the performers. You really get a good view of the work and energy that goes into these dances.
Above and Beyond
I really like the community feel at this pavilion. The volunteers are attentive and make sure you’re seated and are comfortable. After the show, the performers are outside and mingling with their guests. It’s a really relaxed pavilion – you’ll really feel welcomed here.
There is also an air of gratitude – they are thankful to their guests but also make sure to say thank you to their team and volunteers. Usually, you hear this spiel at the very last show of the week. This was a random weeknight! Loved this.
Thank you again to Christian of Viewsual Media for exploring three cultures with me in one day! Congratulations to the 40th anniversary of the Serbian Pavilion “Beograd!”
** For a complete, updated listing of pavilions I have visited so far, please click here.
xoxo,
Judianne