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Silviu Ciuciumiș
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Silviu Ciuciumiș was born in Galați, southern Moldova, where he also grew up. As a boy he came into contact with the folklore of local villages and became so fascinated by it that he decided to explore it in depth.
During his youth he danced in various groups with teachers including Gela Dinu, Ion Lazăr, Sandu Nicolaie, and Grigore Băcanu.
At the age of 20 he was called up to military service and entered the navy as a dancer with the Albatrosul military ensemble in Mangalia on the Black Sea. This ensemble gave special training in dance and also gave frequent performances.
Following his military service, Silviu spent two years studying folk dance at the Şcoala populară de artă (People's school of arts) in Galați. After qualifying as a dance-teacher he choreographed dance suites for various groups in the area around GalaĊ£i At the same time he was a member of the Horincea ensemble with which he toured both at home and abroad.
In 1974 he came with the ensemble on tour to the Netherlands to participate in the International Folklore Festival in Leiden, where he noticed that the Dutch were very interested in foreign people and cultures. During a tour in England in 1975 he decided not to return to Romania, so he stayed behind when his ensemble left and chose the Netherlands as his new abode. In a few years he became known there as a dance teacher and choreographer.
Silviu gives dance courses to amateur groups all over the Netherlands. In addition, he has worked for many years as a guest teacher at the Rotterdam Dance Academy.
Another aspect of his creativity can be seen in the 30 choreographies he has composed, which represent different regions of Romania: Banat, Maramureș, Transylvania, Moldova, Dobrogea, Muntenia, and Oltenia. He is also regularly invited to Belgium, England, Finland, France Germany, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland to rehearse choreographies and to teach dance classes.
Silviu has an inexhaustible dance program. His collection contains thousands of dances with authentic village and professional music. He has collected these dances both during the more than 60 folklore dance tours that he has organized in Romania to date, during his many private journeys to Romania, and during the numerous courses he has participated in with other Romanian choreographers in Europe.
Silviu is not only interested in Romanian dances, but also the background of Romanian folk customs. He has archives containing countless photos, slides, videos, and sound recordings. Part of this collection of material is compiled in his book "Roemeense Volksgebruiken" (Romanian Folk-Customs), which is the only publication in the Dutch-speaking regions on this subject.
As the founder and patron of the DOINA Foundation, Silviu strives to achieve recognition in the whole world for the different facets of the rich and glorious folklore of his native country: Romania.