The first student folk ensemble in the Sibiu university centre, under the aegis of the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu), since 1994.
The “Ardealul” Ensemble is not just a name. It is energy, it is emotion, it is a story written in dance steps, with a longing for tradition and with souls that burn with authenticity. For 30 years, these ambassadors of Romanian culture have been carrying our heritage forward, from the heart of Sibiu to the farthest corners of the world.
They have danced on stages in Europe and Asia, in front of audiences who had no idea where Romania is, but who went home charmed by the joy and authenticity of our traditions. They have brought audiences to their feet, drawn frenzied applause and shown that Romanian folklore is not just a memory, but a living, powerful and spectacular force.
For hundreds of young people, “Ardealul” has been the place where they discovered their passion, made lifelong friendships and learned that folk dance is not just a custom – it is identity, it is community, it is soul.
If you want to feel this magic for yourself, to live the rhythm, to wear the folk costume with pride and to carry this story forward, your place is here. Join the “Ardealul” Ensemble!
Upcoming events first, then the archive, from most recent to oldest.
Folk performance featuring the “Ardealul” Student Folk Ensemble and guest folk ensembles:
Every year, the love of song, dance and tradition comes together in an exceptional folk showcase, bringing to the stage the joy and authenticity of the Romanian people. Over the years, “Tradiții” has become a landmark event, a true celebration of folk values, traditional costumes and the cultural heritage proudly preserved by the young generations.
The festival is dedicated to winter customs — traditions, dances and the atmosphere of Romanian villages —, together with guest ensembles.
Every year, the love of song, dance and tradition comes together in an exceptional folk showcase, bringing to the stage the joy and authenticity of the Romanian people. Over the years, “Tradiții” has become a landmark event, a true celebration of folk values, traditional costumes and the cultural heritage proudly preserved by the young generations.
At the 2025 edition, the “Ardealul” Ensemble appeared alongside the “Silvana” Folk Ensemble of Centrul Cultural “Drăgan Muntean” in Deva.
The “Ardealul” Student Folk Ensemble of Sibiu celebrated 30 years of activity in November 2024, being the first student folk ensemble in the Sibiu university centre.
The anniversary event took place on 29 November 2024 at Centrul Cultural “Ion Besoiu”, bringing together generations of dancers, vocal soloists and instrumentalists. The performance was conceived by choreographer Sorin Bădiță, with conductor Doru Badea, and included musical and choreographic moments from various folklore regions of the country.
The anniversary of the Ardealul Student Folk Ensemble – was a heartfelt moment for all of us, an opportunity to look back on three decades of work, passion and dedication. Over these 30 years, our ensemble has brought joy and authenticity through traditional dances, costumes and music, offering our audience a living connection with authentic Romanian folklore. Generations of dancers and soloists took the stage, former members of the ensemble and young talents, in a vibrant performance full of emotion and colour. It was more than a performance – it was a journey through Romania’s folklore regions, a celebration of our roots and a promise to keep traditions alive for future generations.
More than 100 dancers — current and former members of the ensemble — came together on stage.
The “Ardealul” Ensemble performed as the local representative, alongside groups from Italy and Mexico.
The ensemble represented Romania on the National Day in Lisbon, together with the Embassy of Romania in the Portuguese Republic.
20th anniversary; artistic direction handed over from Ion Terchilă to Sorin Bădiță.
International debut of the youth branch, Ardealul Jr., at the Vrnjačka Banja Carnival (Serbia).
The only Romanian ensemble invited to the 2013 edition of the Folkart International Festival in Maribor, the largest festival of its kind in Slovenia and Central Europe.
Celebration of 15 years of activity.
First international tour — Macedonia. The start of a series of almost yearly tours in Europe.
Competition debut in Cluj-Napoca — 3 first places, 4 second places.
With roots in Mărginimea Sibiului, the Hârtibaciu Valley and the Olt Valley, the “Ardealul” Student Folk Ensemble operates under the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu) as a meeting place between generations of young people and the cultural heritage of the Romanian village.
The story of an ensemble that began with one dancer’s wish to bring the authentic folklore of Southern Transylvania into Sibiu’s student life.
Ion Terchilă was born on 1 January 1947 in Ilimbav, in the Hârtibaciu Valley. He took his first dance steps in the fifth grade, in Marpod, and from 1965 he was active for six decades with the “Junii Sibiului” Ensemble. In 1992 he founded a youth group within the same ensemble.
In 1994, leafing through a local newspaper, his attention was caught by an article about the activity of the Student Culture House of Sibiu (Casa de Cultură a Studenților Sibiu): theatre, modern dance, contemporary dance — but nothing related to folklore. He went to the management that same day and proposed to the then director, Constantin Chiriac, the founding of a folk ensemble. The idea was well received, all the more so as there was already a similar initiative by Sergiu Cipariu, with whom Terchilă formed a partnership.
A recruitment notice in the newspaper followed. High-school and university students from across the Sibiu university centre responded, and in October 1994 the first rehearsal took place. The official founding, under the Student Culture House, is recorded in January 1995.
Only a few months after the first rehearsal, the ensemble presented four dance suites at the first Student Festival, in Cluj-Napoca. The result: three first places and four second places, across several award categories — unexpectedly good for such a new group.
A camp in Costinești followed, the ensemble’s first contact with an audience on a national scale. Then, in 1997, the first international tour — in Macedonia. Since then, almost every year, “Ardealul” has carried Sibiu’s folk costume and dance onto stages in Bulgaria, Germany, France, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Serbia and Greece.
After two decades of artistic leadership, Ion Terchilă entrusted the role of choreographer to Sorin Bădiță, a professional dancer who was already working alongside him. The moment was not easy for the founder — but it was a natural step for a man who had always chosen to do something “as long as he believes he can do it well”.
Since then, Sorin Bădiță has been the ensemble’s artistic leader, together with conductor Doru Badea, under the general coordination of the director of the Student Culture House, Liliana Popescu. The repertoire inherited from the founder has been constantly expanded with new suites and musical material.
“Joc, traditional folk dance, is an interweaving of dress, music and traditional movement. Many people dance — we have always sought to do joc.”
The artistic philosophy inherited from Ion Terchilă, the ensemble’s founder
The “Ardealul” repertoire starts from the ethnographic area of Sibiu and gradually extends to the other folklore regions of the country.
The home area of most of the ensemble’s members — costume, song and dance with a distinctive ethnographic vitality, kept alive to this day in the villages at the foot of the mountains.
The native area of founder Ion Terchilă. According to the ensemble’s choreographers, this is where the most talented dancers of recent generations are consistently found.
The third area at the core of the repertoire — its specific songs and dances, together with those of Mărginime and Hârtibaci, form the backbone of the “Ardealul” performances.
On top of this core, the ensemble has built over time suites dedicated to other folklore regions of the country, reaching a repertoire varied enough for stand-alone themed performances and for appearances alongside groups from other countries.
For the ensemble’s founder, Ion Terchilă, joc — traditional folk dance — is not mere choreography: it is an inseparable combination of three elements: costume (the authentic folk costume), music (performed live, with instrumentalists and vocal soloists) and traditional movement, passed on from one dancer to another, not learned from a book.
Performances usually combine group dance moments with vocal and instrumental recitals, themed sections — such as the winter customs of the “Tradiții” Festival — and re-enactments of scenes from rural life: village evening gatherings, calendar customs, moments of community celebration.
A small artistic and institutional leadership team, and dozens of students who carry the same story forward, year after year.
A professional dancer, he has been the ensemble’s artistic leader since 2015, when he took over from founder Ion Terchilă. He has continued developing the repertoire, keeping the inherited body of suites and adding new choreographies.
He coordinates the musical preparation of the ensemble — vocal soloists and instrumentalists — and the musical concept of recent performances, together with choreographer Sorin Bădiță.
She coordinates, at institutional level, the activity of the “Ardealul” Ensemble and of the other artistic groups of the Student Culture House of Sibiu.
He founded the ensemble in 1994; he himself comes from Ilimbav, in the Hârtibaciu Valley, and danced with “Junii Sibiului” for six decades. He is the author of the artistic philosophy “joc, not dans” (folk dance, not mere dance), which still defines the ensemble today.
You don’t need stage experience — you need the desire to learn. The ensemble welcomes students from the Sibiu university centre: dance / folk dance, folk singing (vocal soloist) or traditional instrument.
“Young people come, and they leave. But anyone can dance — I have also worked with people with disabilities, and with deaf-mute people. I was amazed at how they dance without feeling the music.”
Sorin Bădiță, the ensemble’s choreographer
Contact: Student Culture House of Sibiu, Calea Dumbrăvii nr. 34A · tel. +40 269 212 883 · ccs.sibiu@yahoo.com · contact page
Photos from the ensemble’s performances, tours and photo sessions.
Come and enjoy authentic folk music and dance performances, in which the passion and talent of young artists bring to life the beauty of Romanian folklore! Don’t miss the chance to feel the genuine emotion of our traditions! We warmly invite you to be part of the story of the “Ardealul” Ensemble!