History
The origins of the association date back to 1957, when Ivanka Banovec, a teacher from Dragatuš, brought together a group of musically talented young people and began teaching them the traditional dances and songs of Bela krajina, which she had previously learned through her teaching and involvement with the folk dance group in the village of Preloka. Their first performance took place during the local holiday in Dragatuš in 1957, marking the beginning of organised folklore activity and the emergence of "white folklorism" in the village. The initiative was then taken forward by local resident Janez Mušič, who brought in teachers, gifted young dancers and singers, as well as the spirited Cestnik tamburitza players. After his move to Ljubljana, leadership passed to Mara Brodarič, who continued the work in collaboration with Evgen Cestnik. This period saw a flourishing of Bela krajina folk tradition, further inspired by the founding of the Jurjevanje Folk Festival in Črnomelj in 1964.
During the 1970s, folklore activity in Dragatuš functioned as a section within the local youth organisation. The foundations of folklore knowledge were laid at the village primary school, where Ivanka Jaketič taught traditional folk material. Dragatuš Primary School consistently served as a cradle for nurturing talent, learning, and the preservation of folk heritage—an endeavour steadfastly supported over many years by headteacher Fani Toman.
Zdenka Flajnik, later Pezdirc, left a distinctive and lasting legacy through her long and successful leadership of the Folk Dance Group Dragatuš, beginning in 1975. She acquired extensive knowledge and experience through collaboration with some of the most prominent experts in the field of folklore. Known for her distinctive, team-oriented leadership style, she consistently surrounded herself with capable collaborators from a range of disciplines. In the musical domain, leadership was initially done by Dušan Šuštar, followed by Judita Ilenič and Tone Grahek until the mid-1990s, and later by Roman Žlogar, Jure Matkovič, and Matej Banovec.
The group’s close connection to the cultural life of the local community, the Municipality of Črnomelj, and the wider Bela krajina region was further reflected in the organisation and hosting of the first—and so far only—gathering of all Bela krajina tamburitza players, which took place in Dragatuš in 1994. To mark the occasion, the group published a booklet entitled Meeting of Tamburitza Players in Dragatuš. In 2019 and 2020, the group created several new dance choreographies and took part in the world’s first tamburitza opera, In the Embrace of the Lahinja (Ambrož and Katarina), performed by the Tamburitza Orchestra Dobréč Dragatuš.
At the start of the new millennium, the group was led for two years by Manica Šuštarič. Since 2004, the role of artistic director has been held by Tadej Fink. With his expertise, energy, and strong interpersonal skills, he has, in collaboration with Zdenka Pezdirc and the leadership team, brought the Folk Dance Group Dragatuš to some of the most prestigious and demanding stages. The interdisciplinary nature of the folk dance work calls for effective cooperation across various fields—vocal training is led by Ani Jankovič Šober, costume design by Anica and Anita Matkovič, and, from 2023, by Kristina Zajc. The leadership of the tamburitza and folk music sections was initially done by Tajda Klobučar, who was succeeded in 2020 by Jan Gašperič. In 2024, after three decades under Leopold Perko, the organisational leadership passed to Jakob Bahor.
Since its inception, the Folk Dance Group Dragatuš has been dedicated to recreating the cultural heritage of Bela krajina, representing the region’s broader folklorism. In the late 2000s, under the direction of Zdenka Pezdirc, the group carried out field recordings and ethnographic research throughout Bela krajina, focusing on folk songs, dances, instruments, customs, and oral traditions. The outcomes of this work, along with collaboration with experts from the Institute of Ethnomusicology in Ljubljana, are reflected in the enriched content of the group’s repertoire. In addition to the traditionally recognised “white folklorism” of Bela krajina, the programme now also presents a more vivid and authentic portrayal of the region’s multi-layered cultural heritage.
Since 2010, the group has been implementing field-collected songs and reconstructing the third dance layer of Bela krajina folklore (from the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century), performed in dark (festive) costumes and accompanied by folk musicians.
In 2020, the group published the booklet Citre v Beli krajini (Zither in Bela krajina) and launched an initiative to teach the playing of the zither and ‘oprekelj’, which has since continued in Dragatuš. A major achievement came in 2007 with the recording and release of the CD Lepo je tam v Beli krajini (It’s Beautiful There in Bela krajina), followed in 2017 by the album Belokranjske sledi (Traces of Bela krajina).
Since 1998, the group also includes the Children’s Folk Dance Group Dragatuš.
Local residents awarded honorary membership by FS Dragatuš:
Evgen Cestnik (1913 - 1998)
A versatile folk artist: musician, poet, composer, choir leader, actor, director, organist, partisan, restorer, and long-time tamburitza leader in Dragatuš.
Fani Toman (1933 - 2025)
Long-time principal and teacher at the Dragatuš Primary School, who actively supported folklore work in Dragatuš for decades through her organization and encouragement. She always found ways to ensure the continuation of folklore at the school.
Cita Cestnik por. Matkovič (1923 - 2007)
Folk singer, poet, painter, and author of folklore stories.
Janez Mušič (1938 - 2011)
Editor, publicist, translator, writer, publisher, and leader of the FS Dragatuš in the late 1950s.
Martin Matkovič (1950)
Long-standing member of FS Dragatuš, whose lasting contributions have helped preserve the cultural heritage of Bela krajina. He is the recipient of two Župančičeva diploma (Župančič’s Diplomas) from the Municipality of Črnomelj for his cultural work (1996 and 2012).