The Body as a Classroom: An Anthropological Analysis of the Folk Art Studio at the Pioneers' House in Belgrade

Abstract

This paper examines the emergence, development, and pedagogical significance of the Folk Art Studio at the Pioneers’ House in Belgrade through the biography of its founder and key actor, Bogdanka Boba Đurić, one of the most influential teachers of traditional dance in socialist Yugoslavia. Employing biographical and performative-anthropological approaches, the analysis draws on material collected through in-depth interviews and archival research. The theoretical framework builds on paradigms of embodiment, techniques of the body, and kinesthetic knowledge to demonstrate that the Folk Art Studio [Studio za narodnu umetnost] functioned as a space where the human body became a classroom – a place where knowledge was acquired through rhythm, discipline, group movement, and stage practice. Developing her own methodology, Boba bridged artistic practice, child psychology, and the cultural policies of socialism to create an educational model that exceeded the institutional boundaries of the Pioneers’ House.