Donald Pafko 5232 West 96th Street Bloomington MN 55437-2008 (952) 831-1440 fax (952) 831-4702 Pafkova@aol.com web site under construction Work Samples Video: video clip 1 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 1 (lower bandwidth, 56K) video clip 2 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 2 (lower bandwidth, 56K) To view the work samples, Windows Media Player is required. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here: Download Windows Media Player

Lipa Slovak Folk Dancers Slovakian dance Lipa Slovak Folk Dancers performs traditional dances of western, central, and eastern Slovakia. Authentic folk dress and music compliment each performance. Experienced instructors who have trained in Slovakia have guided the group in its dance and customary clothing so that audiences are presented with a truly enjoyable and accurate representation of the culture one would find in the Slovak Republic. Lipa Slovak Folk Dancers have performed at special events and cultural expositions all around Minnesota. The circle and couple dances are punctuated by stomps, whistles, and twirls that delight all ages. Available: Group will perform primarily on evenings and weekends. Prefer entertaining primarily in the five state Midwest area but will travel further with advance notice and arrangements. Space: The group requires electrical outlet for its sound equipment and would prefer a wooden floor but have danced on other mediums. Fee: Negotiable

Additional Information:
In 1993, Slovakia gained statehood when Czechoslovakia was split apart into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakians had always held that the country of Czechoslovakia was a political entity composed of groups possessing separate histories and distinct cultural identities. For Slovakian-Americans motivated to maintain their Slovakian identity, the split lent credibility to their desire to assert the culture of the homeland of their ancestors.

Lipa is part of this movement. The dance group is named for the Slovak word for the national tree of Slovakia, which is called the Linden in the United States. Because travel was difficult in earlier times, Slovakia developed pronounced eastern, western and central folk regions with specific characteristics. Among these differences are spoken dialect, dances and costumes. Lipa performs dances from all three Slovak cultural regions, but wears costumes from eastern Slovakia.

As in many European immigrant traditions, Lipa values choreographies which most accurately represent movements from village life a century and more ago. Inspiration for Lipa's repertoire comes from annual summertime visits to Slovak folk dance school. Group members bring dances back learned ifrom masters in Slovakia back to Minnesota, and Lipa takes pains to perform the dances just as they learned them in Slovakia. Detailed adherence to every detail of specific dances is also typical in Slovakia, where it is considered inappropriate to alter a master's choreography.

One half of the members of Lipa are immigrants from Slovakia and the other half is composed of Americans of Slovak background. They reason for existence of Lipa is group members' interest in enacting the dances that represent their cultural heritage, combined with their desire to share it with others.