“TRAVEL, DANCE AND CATCH THE RHYTHM” – A THEMATIC LECTURE AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE “RETROPATIJA” FESTIVAL

at the Croatian Museum of Tourism on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, starting at 7 PM

The lecture will be held by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Romana Lekić, anthropologist in tourism and member of the Committee for Tourism and Space at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU).

Admission is free!

Do you love to dance? Do you dance every day?
Dance is the movement of the body in rhythm, usually accompanied by music, within a defined space. Through dance, emotions are expressed and energy is released. The goal is to enjoy the movement itself and thus contribute to one’s well-being. That’s why we celebrate International Dance Day, under the patronage of UNESCO, every year on April 29. The date also marks the beginning of the tourist season – and symbolically, the arrival of a good rhythm!

Play and dance, as forms of communication, hold a significant place not only in individual life but also as an integral part of social life, tradition, and customs. Fantasy, illusion, or dreams add a deeper emotional layer. It is a kind of freedom that a dancer feels when they catch the rhythm.
Dance and song offer a unique experience and are also powerful forms of communication. Life itself can be seen as a kind of dance – sometimes we dance alone, sometimes as a couple, sometimes in a group. In doing so, we follow the natural rhythms that harmonize us with nature and Mother Earth.

To understand culture, we must first study dance… and that’s the link – to understand dance, we must study people!
Throughout history, we can trace different dances that reflected ways of life and marked important events – many of which are preserved in film.

Opatija holds a special place in the history of dance. The famous choreographer and dancer Isadora Duncan, considered a pioneer of modern dance, drew inspiration for her movements while observing the fluttering of palm trees in the park in front of Villa Amalia, where she stayed with her husband, Sergei Yesenin.

And that is why nothing affects us as deeply as music and dance.

A rhythm, a powerful rhythm, generous in its repetition…

It melts and warms the heart, creates space for it to show and dance everything we carry inside, to open up and share our stories with other hearts…
and then we can feel and embrace the shoulders of others, and share the weight from our own.

Ah… what a relief…

Isadora Duncan explores natural movement


Romana Lekić explains how Isadora danced barefoot…