Ljubica Janković

Ljubica Janković, along with her sister Danica, was a Serbian collector and analyst of folk dances from southeastern Europe. Between 1934 and 1964, they published extensively on the subject, analyzing approximately 900 dances. Their work detailed choreography, music, and costumes, while also exploring the cultural context and preservation of these dances. Notably, they emphasized the role of "gifted dancers" in refining folk dances and distinguished between authentic folk dances and adapted stage performances, coining the term "paraphrased folk dance" for the latter. The sisters' research contributed to ongoing scholarly discussions about the definition and categorization of folk dances.1