Dance and Festivals in Serbian Villages along the Romanian Danube Gorge: Contextualizing Selena Rakočević’s Research

Abstract

This paper aims to frame and contextualize Selena’s research between 2010 and 2019 in villages with a Serbian population situated in the Danube Gorge in Romania and in particular the village of Svinit , a (Svinica). Selena’s research focus was on the community dance practices and local customs and festivals, and especially interethnic/cross-cultural sharing between the Serbians and Romanians living in this area. In order to provide this contextualization this paper draws on the concept of positionality encompassing historical, geographical, political and cultural facets, and that identities can be multiple, shifting and situational. After setting the historical background for the Danube Gorge, it discusses local customs in this area especially those during the pre-Lenten carnival, Easter celebrations and the regular contemporary cultural events organized in these villages. The final detailed section contextualizes the contemporary dance practices in social settings where a local identity is portrayed versus the preference for performing Serbian dances as a way of representing Serbian identity in presentational contexts.