Concerts at the Chicago Civic Opera House, Chicago, February 4 and 5, 1956
‘fill up the Civic Hall with enthusiasm’
"The Yugoslav National Folk Ballet consists of young dancers, singers and musicians who filled up the Civic Hall with enthusiasm with their dances and songs..." – from an article that appeared in the Chicago Daily News, Chicago on February 6, 1956.

The three concerts in Chicago were performed in the 3000-seat Civic Opera House on February 4 at 8:30 pm and on February 5, 1956 at 2:30 pm. and at 8:30 pm.

        Concerts at the Chicago Civic Opera House, February 4 and 5, 1956
      "Yugoslav Ballet a Colorful Addition to International Dance...Called Tanec, which is the Macedonian word for
        dance, this group of 37 dancers, singers and musicians is akaleidoscope of the Balkans..." – Claudia Cassidy,
        the Chicago Daily Tribune

"...The Yugoslav National Folk Ballet, which spent the week-end in the Civic Opera house, is a fair sample...Called Tanec, which is the Macedonian word for dance, this group of 37 dancers, singers and musicians is a kaleidoscope of the Balkans,..When five of them dance the "Sopska Poskocica," (the clarinet soloist was Tale Ognenovski - remark made by Stevan Ognenovski) which apparently just means they are showing off to the girls. I would keep them any day as a unfair trade for the four little swans in "Swan Lake." They are brilliant, gay, and worth seeing...But of all the singers, dancers, and musicians who range from fiddle and guitar to ancient drum and shepherd’s pipe (the pipe and clarinet soloist was Tale Ognenovski - remark made by Stevan Ognenovski), none is unworthy. They have ritual, festival, epic, and what they call "borrowed" dances, and to choose one or two is not to decry the others..." From an article written by Claudia Cassidy and entitled "On the Aisle - Yugoslav Ballet a Colorful Addition to International Dance." It appeared in the Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago on February 6, 1956.

Concerts at the Chicago Civic Opera House, Chicago, February 4 and 5, 1956
Every folk dance performed was in complete coordination with the orchestra
"The arrival of Tanec in Chicago had been awaited by more than 10,000 people who had bought their tickets a few weeks earlier. This was Tanec’s first time in America. There were only three concerts in Chicago. Several million people got to know about our folk dances from reports and photographs, from a very successful debut on American television and from reviews in the newspapers about the concert in New York (Carnegie Hall)... CHUPURLIKA (the clarinet soloist was Tale Ognenovski - remark made by Stevan Ognenovski) was greeted with stormy applause and received several encores. Every folk dance performed was in complete coordination with the orchestra and made the whole concert dynamic, live, interesting..." wrote Gjorgi Iliev from Chicago in an article entitled "Letter from America", appearing in the newspaper "Nova Makedonija" on February 19, 1956.

Congratulations Tale, we will forever remember the whole Ensemble...
Ensemble ‘Tanec’ performed in one of North America’s most beautiful opera houses, the Civic Opera House, (the Lyric Opera) in Chicago on February 5, 1956. The Opera House was built in 1929.
Present at the concert were Tale Ognenovski’s uncle, Petar Hristov, and his family from Saint-Louis, Missouri and Tale Ognenovski’s friend, Jandre Kunovski, and his family from Gary, Indiana. After the fascinating concert, a photograph was taken of Tale Ognenovski and Jandre Kunovski together with his family in front of the Opera House. On the back of this photograph Jandre Kunovski wrote, ‘5 February 1956, Chicago, Remembering our meeting Tale in Chicago. Congratulations Tale, we will forever remember the whole Ensemble’.

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