PART OF THE MONOGRAPH "TOMOV" BY SLAVE KATIN
The monograph "Tomov" by the author Slave Katin was printed in 2007, in Macedonian and English, published by the "Makedonska Iskra" Publishing House from Skopje, on 320 pages, and the reviewers are Prof. Dr. Vera Stojchevska - Antić and Dr. Kriatina Kalas. Georgi (George) Tomov was a living legend of Macedonian dances and songs. He was one of the main Macedonian and Balkan driving forces in the United States of America (USA) responsible for the development of the uninterrupted passion for folk dances and dances that progressively flourished from one coast to the other of America.
The author of this bilingual work (in Macedonian and English) is the famous researcher of Macedonians in the diaspora, journalist and publicist Slave Nikolovski - Katin, and the work was published by the "Makedonska Iskra" Publishing House from Skopje.
The monograph “Tomov” by Slave Katin is a mirror for the famous and recognized folklorist, ethnologist, choreographer, sculptor, or as they often call him, the ambassador of Macedonian culture, traditions and the truth about Macedonia and the Macedonian people – Gjorgji (George) Tomov. This significant and, in many ways, the only bilingual monograph of its kind is a review of the character and work of George and the truth about his American ensemble “Tomov” from New York.
The monograph is a sublimation of the twenty-year work of around 250 Americans, who affirm Macedonian and Balkan folklore, Macedonian culture, traditions and the truth about Macedonia in the United States.
Georgi (George) Tomov was the man who spent his entire life creating, creating something of his own, something authentic. He lived his life's dream, sharing reality with his people without whom the dream would not exist. He was tireless, with an incredible creative spirit: sculptor, sculptor, publicist, artistic choreographer, founder of numerous Macedonian folklore associations.
In a word – a successful ambassador of Macedonian cultural creativity on the soil of the United States of America. Georgi (George) Tomov was simple, modest, a man of the people, dignified and proud of ancient Macedonian traditions.
He created the famous folk dance and dance ensemble "TOMOV" which performed and toured all over the world. He also directed the Folklore Ensemble "Goce Delchev" of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Saints Cyrill and MethodiusHe also established a large center for folk dances and songs in New York. Tomov, without anyone's help, promoted goodwill and understanding internationally by connecting the cultures of America and Macedonia, as well as the countries of the former Yugoslavia and the Balkans.
Macedonian Tomov organized and taught Balkan dance and song classes all over the world. This dynamic artist is one of the few performers who was brilliant not only in his craft, but also in the art of teaching, conveying to his students the joy that is expressed in dancing.
Whether teaching groups or individuals, Georgi (George) Tomov was a wonderful and gifted instructor in all phases of choreography, ensemble dancing, and costume design.
Educated not only in artistic performance, but also in how to convey knowledge, Tomov delighted students who wanted to learn the pleasure that folk dances and songs bring, with his humor, patience, his wonderful nature, and his way of behaving with people of all age groups.
Folk dances, by definition, are traditional ways of social self-expression that evoke emotions in people – manifestations of love, courtship, social customs, sociability, happiness, and the joy of life. Accordingly, dancing provides a colorful and graphic link that combines the need to express feelings practically through movement with the happiness that comes from socializing.
When a person, who possesses a whole range of feelings, is affected by the stress and pressure characteristic of today's way of life, there is a need for thought and expression that happily manifests itself with beautiful body movements in the form of folk dances.
Georgi (George) Tomov, a native of Macedonia, in his dancing and in his classes, conveyed the legacy of the energetic, yet elegant steps of Macedonia, the proud and glorious masculinity of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the diligence of Croatia and Slovenia, and the endurance of Montenegro. These qualities lead to a wide variety of steps and dances, all of which were incorporated into Tomov's classes.
The TOMOV Folklore Ensemble has quickly risen to the rank of the leading ethnic dance company in the United States. Acclaimed by critics and received with enthusiasm by audiences across the country and around the world,
The folklore ensemble has acquired a large number of dancers, singers and musicians.
Performing around 300 concerts in a dazzling array of over 300 authentic, handmade folk costumes, the ensemble brought a timeless tradition to the stage, transporting the audience to a world of dazzling colors, stunning footwork, and beautiful melodies that linger in their minds.
The soul of the Folklore Ensemble “TOMOV” was Georgi (George) Tomov. He was the founder, artistic director, dancer, organizer and choreographer of the ensemble, as well as the president of the Folk Dance Foundation. As an expert in Balkan, especially Macedonian folk dances, music and folklore culture, he traveled extensively to give lectures, give professional classes and hold workshops all over the world.
Therefore, Tomov became famous in the United States and abroad not only as a choreographer of folk dances and as a dancer-teacher, but also as a sculptor whose works of art have received great recognition from experts and collectors from the United States and other countries.
In particular, Gheorghe (George) Tomov was an active member of the Macedonian Orthodox Church "St. Cyril and Methodius" and, among other things, was the choreographer of the "Goce Delchev" dance group that works at the church. For many years, he prepared the young Macedonian generations born in the United States.
From his early youth, George Tomov began his professional engagements, first in "Tanec", and then in the Croatian ensemble "Lado", and then, with his journey, through France to the USA, in the new capital of the world, New York or the Big Apple, in Manhattan, he formed the institution "International Dance Ensemble - George Tomov", through which over 3.000 people from the American continent and our people displaced around the world have passed.
George Tomov, an international professor and bard of the history of Macedonian dance and the ora, which is the foundation of our civilizational memory, flooded world festivals and stages with his endless love and became a legend of the Macedonian diaspora and of Macedonia's international destiny.
Symbolism wanted, when the US government established the "Museum of Emigration" on Ellis Island, where numerous emigrants arrived in the new world, that his name would be engraved in the eternity of world memory: George Tomov - Macedonia, because he taught the whole world to dance in Macedonian.
Gjorgi George Tomov was born on March 18, 1933 in Strumica, and died on August 5, 2008 in New York. Gjorgi's death by his closest friends and acquaintances in the Macedonian media in 2008 echoed everywhere as a great loss, not only in Macedonia, but also throughout all the meridians where Macedonians live, from Australia and New Zealand through Europe to Canada and the USA, because George Tomov was a mythical name in modern Macedonian history.
The end
It says: SLAVE KATIN
