Naslov
Performing "The First Dance" at Croatian Weddings: Musicians, Couples, and Creativity

Autori
Halužan, Tanja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Listening – Focusing – Ignoring. Annual Meeting of the ÖGMw 2020/21

Mjesto i datum
Graz, Austrija, 25.11.2021. - 27.11.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Podatak o recenziji nije dostupan

Ključne riječi
Croatian weddings ; the first dance ; wedding musicians ; creativity

Sažetak
Weddings have always been one of the most important life-cycle customs in Croatia. Even nowadays, when due to changed social and economic circumstances bride’s and groom’s lives are not so strongly affected by marriage as they were before, weddings represent one of the key events in the life of an individual. In Zagreb, couples and families invest huge energy, time, and money to ensure the marriage celebration is unforgettable. An emphasis is placed on representing personal style, worldview, and attitudes, elements that are also distinctly reflected in the choice of music and in the ways certain traditional elements are incorporated in the ritual. Music accompanies all ritual moments, providing a temporal, sonic, and spatial framework for the entire event. Extensive negotiations between couples and the musicians who will perform, result in mediated decisions regarding the music that will accompany all the most important ritual moments from the welcoming of the various members of the new couples’ families to the first dance and others. In this presentation, I focus primarily on the aesthetic decisions associated with the performance of wedding couple’s first dance. Although it is a relatively recent addition, the first dance is now a significant ritual for the new couple. My recent ethnographic research with all stakeholders reveals the complexity of the work involved in perfecting this moment. Focusing on the role of the musicians in this delicate process, my research suggests musicians approach constructing and performing this peak emotional moment in ways that are different from those of other musical decisions they must make before/during the event. The success of the ‘first dance’ depends on the creativity and skill with which individual musicians interpret the desires of the couple, not only as performers but also as musical guides/curators for the whole event.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Etnologija i antropologija

POVEZANOST RADA