Mladina
Plzeň, Česká republika
Festival years: 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024
The Mladina Folk Ensemble was founded in 1954 as the Škoda Plzeň Song and Dance Ensemble. The group has been operating since 1994 under the current name, which refers to the Pilsen tradition of good beer. The repertoire is from the region of southwestern Bohemia (especially Chodsko, Plzeňsko and the South Bohemian Region). The ensemble collaborates with leading musicians and choreographers and regularly successfully represents Czech folk art at domestic and international festivals and performances. In 2013, Mladina won 1st place in the dance couple competition and 3rd place in the main category at the World Dance Festival Cheonan in South Korea. The group released 2 CDs - O Radost má (1997) and Mladina (2009). Today's Mladina is a group of about 35 young people who pull together and work hard at rehearsals to be able to perform on stage with top folk music from southwestern Bohemia. Our basic idea is "Presenting and developing Czech folk art in a high quality way".
Ensemble leader: Libor Hnát
music leader: Václav Wočadlo
Web: www.mladina.cz
The festival is a regular member of the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts CIOFF.