The Cesiomaggiore Folk Group was born in 1971, with the aim to restore the old Folk Group existing before the second word war and to show with continuity the rich heritage of popular traditions of Cesiomaggiore.

 

 

The first public show was 1971 Febbruary the 12th, together with a carnival float parade organized for the San Gregorio village carnival.

 

 

Friendship and fun are peculiarities that always went together with the activities of the group.

 

 

Anyway, happiness and wish of staying together having fun, never stopped from reaching the strict aims fixed since the beginning by the founders.

 

The Group started since the beginning an earnest job of research with the aim to get technical and philological knowledge, not only to face the several show needs, but even because it understood that its shows couldn't just be entertainment, but should be an interesting way to spread folk culture.

Every show still have good estimations, for the involving music, for the costumes and for the way of performing the pieces, but even because it brings to life again with colourful images moments of dull, but never forgotten, times and build for youth an interesting bridge between past and present times. Actually around thirty people are involved in the Folk Group, as dancers, musicians, choreographers and costume designers, and they are carrying on with perseverance and determination the work of spreading of ancient traditions. In the last few years the surrounding schools gave the possibility of starting on the way of teaching in the schools. Some teachers put into their school program the study and research of the old traditions, allowing the members of the Group to teach, even if in a very simple way, some of the dances to the youth as a fulfilment of their research work. From the time of its foundation the Group performed over five hundred shows all over Italian regions.

The Group performed even over several european countries: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Holland and Sweden. Big part of these trips were organized by the Belluno emigrants associations in Italy and abroad.

The Group went even across the ocean, to Portorico and, a delegation, took part in a show in Taipei (Taiwan).
In 2009 the Group had the honour, thanks to the help of Bellunesi nel Mondo, to visit Aratiba, city of Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil) twinned with Cesiomaggiore: Brazil was a long-awaited destination, that left its mark on our hearts and even on the Brazilians too, almost all by Italian origin.

The Cesiomaggiore Folk Group collected several TV shows apparitions: Rai 1 (Unomattina and Sereno variabile), Rai International, Canale 5, Antenna Tre, ZDF (Germany).

The Group, year by year, performed in important theatres, taking part to folk festivals and representation ceremonies, but it went and still goes to simple entertainment shows on the squares, during the fairs and the village festivals, sometimes just for charity too.

It's noteworthy the commitment on divulgation of popular traditions and folklore to the primary and secondary schools of Belluno province.   

 

The Group always cooperated in school projects about local traditions, offering the chance to the students to learn some folk dances.