Zagreb Majorettes

You might see them dancing on the streets of Zagreb - recognisable by their blue uniforms and sticks that they throw high in the air in their perfectly trained choreography, Zagreb's majorettes are actually much more than just dancers – they are the symbol of Zagreb, its only living souvenir and overall hard working athletes. Find out more about these lovely ladies that recently put their jubilee 4,000th performance.

Image credit: Zagrebačke mažoretkinje

What are the majorettes at all?

Majorettes were created in the late 18th century in France. At that time the girls walked in front of the military parade as a replacement for the conductor and managed the trajectory of the orchestra with their sticks. The intention was to make the departure to the battlefield less stressful for soldiers. With the time that ceremony has changed as they began to use more dance movements. So, majorette dancing slowly evolved into what it is today, then it spread to the United States and around the world without any connection with military activities. Majorettes are now most popular all across the Europe. Zagreb majorettes have been operating for twenty-two years now and their 'troop' has about 600 members, who are from 3-25 years old.

Much more than dancers

In that period, Zagreb majorettes have become true ambassadors and symbols of the city of Zagreb and whole Croatia. Whatsmore, they earned the title of the only living souvenir of the city. Their importance for Zagreb is evidenced by the fact that they keep the symbolic keys of the city. Although they have existed for a relatively short period, everyone recognises their blue uniforms, and their performance, synchronised and brought to perfection, and there is a pure admiration and smiles on the faces of all those who see them. Thus, it is not surprising that many girls in Zagreb are dreaming of becoming majorettes. But that's not an easy task - majorettes are actually true athletes that put many hours of training, hard work and perseverance in what they do.

Image credit: Zagrebačke mažoretkinje

All the medals and performances

After so much effort, success is inevitable. Zagreb majorettes are among the European top for years now and they set the standards and educate others. These girls have been 19 times Croatian champions, 14 times champions of Europe, and overall they won 193 medals. Annually, on average, they perform 250 times, and recently they have put their jubilee 4,000th performance on Zagreb's main square. Of course, along with their dance, music, cake and Zagreb's blue double-decker bus.

Where can you see them perform?

Considering that their performances are seen by about 12 million people every year, you have a good chance to be one of them. Besides competitions and marking of many significant manifestations and events in Zagreb and Croatia (anything from sports, government to corporate activities), they travel around the world, too. So far, Zagreb majorettes have been in 22 countries and 263 cities of America, Europe and Asia. But you can often see them in France, Italy, Serbia, Austria and Slovenia. Next year, Zagreb majorettes will, except travelling throughout Europe, travel to the Caribbean, and after that, they will perform at the biggest Chinese festival in Shanghai which gathers around 500,000 viewers. Impressive, right?

Image credit: Zagrebačke mažoretkinje

Header image credit: Zagrebačke mažoretkinje

Author: Anđela Ivčević