National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia LADO was founded in 1949 in Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, SR Croatia, SFRY as a professional national ensemble. LADO represents the rich and diverse regional musical and choreographic traditions of Croatia. It has been called Croatia's most successful "cultural export product".

The ensemble consists of 37 dancers who also sing while they perform, and a group of 15 musicians who play traditional and classical instruments. Lado has had numerous famous Croatian ethnographers and choreographers, music arrangers, and folklorists work with them.

History

The Lado dance ensemble was founded on 11 November 1949 by Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer Zvonko Ljevaković, thanks in part to a grant from the government of the People's Republic of Croatia under the name Državni zbor narodnih plesova i pjesama (DZNPiP). Its mission was to find and collect samples of the rich Croatian music and dance traditions.

Awards

Throughout the years the Lado ensemble has won numerous national and international awards and competitions. In 1954 they won first place at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen

Llangollen

Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...

, Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. Afterwards, they won awards in various competitions in Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

 and Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, as well as honorary awards from Santiago

Santiago

Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Santiago may also refer to:*Santiago *Santiago , a Spanish given name*Santiago!, a shortened form of the Reconquista battle cry "Santiago y cierra, España"...

, Punta Arenas, Antofagasta

Antofagasta

Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...

, Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

, and the key to the city of Cleveland.

• 2002 - Lado represented Europe at the sixth World Symposium on Choral Music in Minneapolis, USA.
• 2003 - Winners of the Orlando Award at the 54th annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival
  Dubrovnik Summer Festival
  The Dubrovnik Summer Festival In a unique ambient of open and closed scenes of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance is presented.-External links:*...
  
  .
• 2004 - Winners of the Ivan Lukačić Award at the 34th annual Varaždin Baroque Evenings
  Varaždin Baroque Evenings
  The Varaždin Baroque Evenings is a classical music festival held annually in the city of Varaždin, Croatia. The festival, first held in 1971, showcases Baroque music and is usually held in late September and early October...
  
  .
• 2006 - Winners of INA award for promoting Croatian culture

Albums

• 1987 - Narodne pjesme i plesovi sjeverne Hrvatske
• 1994 - Telo Kristuševo, Narodi se mladi kralj'
• 1994 - Kalvarija
• 1998 - Iz Kajkavskih krajeva
• 1998 - Iz Kajkavskih krajeva vol.2
• 1998 - Iz Hrvatske narodne glazbene riznice vol.1
• 1999 - Kolo igra, tamburica svira vol.1
• 1999 - Kolo igra, tamburica svira vol.2
• 1999 - O vreme prelubleno -
• 2000 - Na moru i kraju -
• 2000 - U društvu svirača vol.1
• 2001 - Najljepše Božične pjesme
• 2001 - U društvu svirača vol.2
• 2001 - Na zelenom travniki
• 2002 - Raspelo
• 2003 - Preveliku radost navišćujem vama
• 2003 - LADO electro
• 2004 - Zorja moja zorja - Anđela Potočnik
• 2004 - Božić u svijetu
• 2005 - Iz Hrvatske narodne glazbene riznice vol.2'
• 2006 - Kalvarija
• 2007 - Polke i drmeši
• 2007 - Tete Liza i Lado
• 2009 - Janja - Niz Muru i Dravu