| Folk Arts - Master Artist - Nicholas Petrish
Nicholas Petrish is a master Croatian dancer, singer, musician, and lijerica instrument maker. He is a third generation native of Skagit County and is a member of the internationally known Vela Luka Croatian Folk Ensemble of Anacortes, Washington, and the Sarajevo Croatian Dance Ensemble of Vancouver, B.C. Petrish has danced with the Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble for the last thirty-years. He is one of the few people in North America who can both build and play the traditional Croatian lijerica. He began his studies with the Folk Ensemble and continued to train with Nikola Stjepovic, a master lijerica player, who is a native of Mrcevo, Croatia, residing in Vancouver, B.C. In 1990, Mr. Petrish returned to Croatia to study with Jagoda Lonjuh, the folklore director for Doli, Croatia. While in Croatia Petrish learned how to build the lijerica and studied the instrument’s history and traditions. He also learned dances, songs, and traditional costume styles associated with lijerica music. Petrish was awarded a grant from Francesca Von Hapsburg during his visit to Croatia in 2004. With these funds he made thirty lijerice. The lijerice instruments were gifted to Croatian children the week before Christmas. In the last thirty-years Nicholas Petrish has taught and performed all over Washington State. His commitment to preserving Croatian culture was honored through a 2005 Folk Arts Fellowship Award.
After the Croatian-Yugoslav War of 1990-1995, Croatia has aggressively pushed towards modernizing its culture. This economic change geared towards consumer spending has endangered rural folk industry and traditions in the area. Many traditional Croatian folk arts are unique to the area and irreplaceable. As Croatia pushes forward, developing into a fast paced and modern country, it moves further from its cultural roots. Petrish has witnessed the effects of modernization in small Croatian villages and towns, “many of the villages have simply died or are dying, and of the ones that are left, maybe one fourth still have a vital dance tradition”. The experience has been heartbreaking to see, but is what inspires Petrish to continue to sharing Croatian music and dance with others.
The lijerica is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument used to accompany Croatian lindjo dance. Petrish believes that lindjo dancing and lijerica music has the ability to create connections between Croatians and non-Croatians. Lindjo is a traditional Croatian dance that can be danced solo, in couples, or groups.
As a recipient of a 1993 Apprenticeship grant, Petrish taught John Lovric traditional lindjo dancing. John’s parents were born in Croatia and he is a first-generation American. John now dances in the Vela Luka adult ensemble. | |||
