My diploma work is concerned with the motives of the active dancers and others who reproduce folk traditions for the Academic Folk Dance Group France Marolt. Since the work of folk dance groups is strongly intertwined with folk heritage and its reproduction, the thesis also addresses the perception of these traditions among dancers and reproducers and the extent to which the desire to maintain these traditions influences their decision to join a folk dance group. The first chapter is concerned with explaining the concept of folk dance, how it is researched and how it fits into the activities of folk dance groups. This chapter also explains an important distinction between folk dance and folklore dance. The second chapter deals with the concept of cultural heritage and its connection to the work of folklore groups. The third, most comprehensive chapter presents the motives of various dancers and reproducers for participating in the Academic Folk Dance Group France Marolt. The chapter also presents the perception of the concept of cultural heritage, its reproduction and the activities of folk dance groups among the respondents. The chapter is divided into sub-chapters that summarise the main findings of the research. The first two chapters present the literature review, which focuses on dance and folk dance, and on cultural heritage and its use in folk dance groups' activities in the past and today. The third chapter is based on the interviews conducted with active members of the group and the interpretation of their responses.
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