Tamburitzans display flare with folk dances in Greensburg

Swords flashed and scarves twirled Sunday as the Tamburitzans presented a Georgian folk dance in Greensburg.

Their touring show, “Symbols: The Awakening,” also features tradition-based songs and dances from several Eastern European and Nordic countries, as well as from Italy.

The Georgian dance, featuring clashing swords and acrobatic leaps, highlights the power and agility of the troupe’s male performers.

“Some of them are war-like dances,” said Courtney Mireles, a female member of the Tamburitzans who serves as their stage manager while also taking her turn out on the boards.

In the 25-member ensemble, she said: “You step in wherever you’re needed. Some of the members may have started as a dancer. By the time you leave, you’re a dancer, you’re a singer and you’re a musician.”

Based in Pittsburgh, the Tamburitzans draw members from the undergraduate ranks at several area universities.

Mireles, a 2018 graduate of Penn-Trafford High School, is a senior majoring in entrepreneurship and digital marketing at Duquesne University.

“We have rehearsals every weekend throughout the school year,” she said.

That’s after the members learn their 11-set show during an intensive summer training camp.

“We start at 8 in the morning and go sometimes until 10 or 11 at night,” Mireles said.

That dedication pays off for the audiences at the Tamburitzans’ tour stops.

Upcoming performances are scheduled for Feb. 12 at Gateway High School in Monroeville and Feb. 26 at the Richland Performing Arts Center near Johnstown.

Visit thetamburitzans.org for more information about the ensemble.