America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures. Crossings brings the Tamburitzans to the State Theatre.
The Tamburitzans’ goal is to enrich lives by entertaining and educating their audiences. Each year the Tamburitzans present a new two-hour program that represents the joy of life and beauty of the cultures that it represents. The work is based on the countries and ethnographic regions of Armenia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Russia. The troupe combines colorful traditional costumes, authentic instruments, and beautiful voices to create a spectacular evening’s entertainment.
When the Tamburitzans perform, their stage becomes a kaleidoscope of sight and sound. Songs are sung in many languages and dialects. Footwork is articulated in hundreds of styles. Along with the more conventional accordion, clarinet, violin and guitar, folk instruments such as the bandura, tambura, gadulka, and cimbalom are plucked, picked, bowed and hammered.
Costuming alone is a great reason to see a Tamburitzans show. During the course of a single performance, more than 400 original and authentically reproduced costumes are worn by the performers. Each costume design is meticulously researched for authenticity, then created for the stage. The result is a carousel of style and color from the first note to the final stomp.