Considering that the School of Economics in Bratislava lacks an ensemble, students of the school
Jano Varoščák, Peter Kracina, Ivan Milko and Igor Medlen decided to start a folk group to be
called Ekonóm (Economist). It was shortly before the summer holidays, and exactly in the evening
of May 22, 1969 (it was a Thursday), the first rehearsal was organised. Eighty applicants
appeared, and this is what made the core of the group to be born a couple of months later.
There was nothing up after the rehearsal throughout the aummer, and it was but during the fall
that premises could be found in the Vajnorská Street, at the House of Culture, in the basement,
far from being an ideal space for training. Everybody attending the trainings had to pay 2
korunas, making 40 - 50 korunas together. The money was not intended for drinks, rather it was
honestly forwarded to the lady who cleaned the rooms, would open the basement at seven and close
it at nine.
First we learned how to dance, and this meant that the first to be established and come to
existence was the dance group. Vilo Sloboda took over as the first head of the dance group.
Dance rehearsals needed piano - Dano Janšo, student of the School of Economics did it. The first
dances were from Eastern Slovakia: karička and Zemplín. Palo Širák, a dancer from SĽUK was their
choreographer.
In June 1970, we participated at the Academic Nitra Contest, and ranked third with our Zemplín
dance. There was nobody to be awarded rank two. We could have ranked second, but we didn´t
have our own music group. We managed very easily: we just took musicians from other
University groups attending Academic Nitra, and they joined the lady from Ekonóm playing
accordeon to accompany the dancers. Also, the first song performance was born at the Academic
Nitra. The criteria of the participation included a 20-minute performance, and to fill in the
time, one of the lady dancers started a solo: Oh, hey thee, how boys loved me...
People danced in old costumes discarded from Lúčnica.
After this first year, a competition was opened for folk musicians - Vierka Drobková, at that
time a violinist of the National Theatre Orchestra became the first head musician. Among the
first playing musicians of Ekonóm (and those staying for the longest time) were Ivan Kysucký
(alias Tomcat) - violin, Ján Popálený (Popko) - second violin, Ján Dekánek (Skeleton) -
violin, Ján Čarnogurský (Guro) - contrabass (he was not the known politician), and others.
It was then that the singer group was born, headed by Jožko Tkáčik who sang with Lúčnica.
After the Academic Nitra, Ekonóm also attracted attention at the university itself, and
received spaces for trainings and rooms for costumes. Ekonóm deserved the pride of the
School of Economics, also thanks to the cooperation with famous persons such as the twins
from SĽUK Štefan and Július Antalík, Mária Antalíková - former SĽUK soloist, Juraj Kubánka -
choreographer, Jano Blaho who is known to everybody, Helena Jurasovová, head of the childrens
group Vienok, Albín Littva, Rudo Štefanovič, Libuša Bachratá. Marián Veselský, Alexander Móžy,
Štefan Molota made the music. Štefan Ladyžinský took over as the group´s dramaturge, and
there were many, many others.
The first trip of Ekonóm took place in 1972, and it went to Kyjev, but this is another story
I´ll be coming back some time later to tell you about it, together with the further
successfull advancing of the group.