Information: Dobrivoje Putnik, teacher of Serbian dance.

Dobrivoje Putnik was the Artistic Director of Ansambl KOLO after it was formed in 1948. He is the only one who has ever officially held that title in the field of Yugoslav folk dance. During that time, he was also very closely associated with Madame Olga Skovran, the General and Artistic Director of KOLO from 1948 through 1965.

Mr. Putnik's vast knowledge of traditional dances and his many research trips to the villages of Yugoslavia have earned for him the well-deserved name of "The Encyclopedia of Yugoslav Dances."

Ansambl KOLO's repertoire contains over eighty choreographies, of which almost half are products of his genius. He has choreographed suites from most parts of Yugoslavia, but his specialties are eastern Serbia, Croatian Posavina and Baranja, Vojvodina, and Macedonia. Critics in Yugoslavia have called these choreographies "Pearls and Masterpieces." For instance, he choreographed a suite of dances from the Timok region for MIT.

Dobrivoje at one time was the director of the KUD (Cultural-Artistic Society) Abrasevic ensemble.

Mr. Putnik's first appearance in the United States was at the Second Annual Borino Kolo Festival in San Pedro, California. The Borino Kolo Folk Ensemble was directed by Bora Gajicki, a former dancer with Ansambl KOLO in Yugoslavia.

Mr. Putnik's articles and publications include

• 10 dances of Yugoslavia. Dobrivoje Putnik. Accompanies the recording, Borino Kolo FolK Ensemble, BK-678. Includes Šaranac, Cigančica, Popovičanka, Lesnoto, Kolubarski vez, Treskavica naokolo, Raca, Splitska igra, Kolovodja diko nasa, Stara vlainja. Softcover.
• Zbirka srpskih, bizbor obunjevačkih, madjarskih, slovačkih, rusinskih i rumunskih igara. Borino Kolo Folk Ensemble. Softcover.
• Prosvjetni sabor Hrvatske. Odbor zu muzičku kulturu. Ivan Ivančan; Milica Ilijin; Dobrivoje Putnik. Prosvjetni sabor Hrvatske, Odbor zu muzičku kulturu, 1971.

Dances Mr. Putnik taught include Čičino Kolo, Cigančica, Kolubarski Vez, Kolovodjo Diko Nasa, Lesnoto, Popovičanka, Pošla Rumena, Raca, Šaranac, Splitska Igra, Stara Vlainja, and Treskavica Naokolo.