Folk Arts - Master Artist - Maria Petrish

Maria Petrish was born in Vela Luka, Croatia. Her family escaped the war-torn country in the 1940’s, enduring years in refugee camps before finally coming to the Americas. Now an Anacortes resident, Maria founded the internationally acclaimed dance troupe Vela Luka. The group involves five main families and over sixty-five members, ranging from age 4 to 40.

Maria and her dancers practice the traditional Croatian dance, which is preformed in a “Kolo”, or circle, of family and village members. The dance itself involves more than just the music, energy, and dazzling footwork, it also involves the creation of costumes for the show. In Croatia the dance is preformed for harvest in the fall, banish the winter darkness, herald the spring, and on Sunday afternoons for the young to preen for each other. The dance costumes are works of art in themselves, bringing together weaving, bead - and leather -work, and exquisite design.

As a leader of the dance troupe and native Croatian, Maria is a master not only of the folk dance, but of traditional dance costume - making. She learned the dance from her parents and grandmother, and now passes the tradition on to her children and the Vela Luka children.

Petrish received Washington State's highest artistic honor in 1996 as the recipient of a Governor's Heritage Award.

In 2002 Maria was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the preservation of traditional Croatian dance and Croatian culture.