History

The Jitřenka Folk Ensemble was founded in 1995 by Yvona Rybová, who led the ensemble for almost 30 years. The establishment of Jitřenka was closely connected with the organization of the IFF Čermenské slavnosti, which was missing a local ensemble. And what better way to start building a tradition than by creating a children’s folk ensemble?

From the very beginning, Jitřenka was a children’s folk ensemble, with up to 60 children dancing in several age groups ranging from 6 to 15 years old. Most of its members were children from Vincenc Junek Primary School in Dolní Čermná, where Yvona Rybová worked as a teacher. In its early years, the school provided organizational support for the ensemble.

Over the years, however, interest among children began to decline, while the existing members grew up. After its 20th anniversary, the ensemble therefore became an adult folk ensemble. Some former members also returned to Jitřenka. In 2023, the children’s group was re-established.

Most of the ensemble’s choreographies and dances were created by its founder, Yvona Rybová, who had previously been a long-time dancer with the Družba folk ensemble from Ústí nad Orlicí. She has created a number of successful choreographies, including Na Pastvě, Štandrle, Tanec o vrkoč, Na Jarmarku, and others. The ensemble returns to some of these choreographies repeatedly, continuing to develop and refine them over time.

Since its foundation, Jitřenka was accompanied by a folk band led by Jan Dostál. After many years of successful cooperation, however, their paths eventually diverged, and Jitřenka gradually established a folk band of its own.