A collage of city skylines, including the Statue of Liberty and Chicago's Willis Tower, is overlaid with Slovak folk art and event details for a joint program by Východná Slovak Dancers and Veselica Slovak Cultural Organization.

Veselica Slovak Cultural Organization

LXCL:General Admission Adult: 18+ years old

Adult

LXCL:General Admission Youth: 13 to 18 years old

Youth

LXCL:General Admission Child:12 or younger

Child

LXCL:Gift: General Admission Members Only

Gift

Zostalo to v n&aacute;s&hellip;&bdquo;Človek si uvedom&iacute; hodnotu niečoho až vtedy, keď o to pr&iacute;de.&ldquo;S touto my&scaron;lienkou sa zač&iacute;na pr&iacute;beh. Pr&iacute;beh mlad&eacute;ho muža, ktor&yacute; op&uacute;&scaron;ťa svoj domov s n&aacute;dejou, že si v novom svete n&aacute;jde lep&scaron;&iacute; život. Odch&aacute;dza s odvahou. Sn&iacute;va o bud&uacute;cnosti. Ver&iacute;, že sa raz vr&aacute;ti.Ocitaj&uacute;c sa v novom svete, medzi ľuďmi r&ocirc;znych n&aacute;rodnost&iacute;, jazykov a kult&uacute;r, postupne spozn&aacute;va kr&aacute;su aj n&aacute;ročnosť emigrantsk&eacute;ho života. Uč&iacute; sa žiť inak. Uč&iacute; sa prisp&ocirc;sobiť. No z&aacute;roveň si čoraz viac uvedomuje, čo v&scaron;etko zanechal doma.Nie len miesto, ale pocit domova, bl&iacute;zkosť rodiny, zvuk vlastn&eacute;ho jazyka. Piesne, ktor&eacute; kedysi zneli tak samozrejme&hellip; Tradicie a zvyky, ktor&eacute; kedysi len &bdquo;boli&ldquo; &hellip; a dnes znamenaj&uacute; v&scaron;etko. V ruchu veľkomesta sa uč&iacute; žiť nov&yacute; život. Snaž&iacute; sa zapadn&uacute;ť, prisp&ocirc;sobiť sa. Ale niečo v ňom sa ned&aacute; umlčať&hellip;&nbsp; Možno je tento pr&iacute;beh aj obrazom n&aacute;&scaron;ho života &ndash; prich&aacute;dzame, hľad&aacute;me, uč&iacute;me sa&hellip; no niekde hlboko v n&aacute;s zost&aacute;va tich&aacute; t&uacute;žba vr&aacute;tiť sa &ldquo;domov&rdquo;&hellip;&nbsp;&bdquo;Zostalo to v n&aacute;s&hellip;&ldquo; je pr&iacute;beh o odchode, ale e&scaron;te viac o n&aacute;vrate &ndash; k sebe sam&eacute;mu. O pochopen&iacute;, že človek m&ocirc;že od&iacute;sť kamkoľvek&hellip; no svoje korene si nesie vždy so sebou. Je to v&yacute;poveď n&aacute;s v&scaron;etk&yacute;ch, ktor&iacute; žijeme ďaleko od Slovenska. O tom, že aj keď sme si vybrali život inde, svoju kult&uacute;ru nezanech&aacute;vame &ndash; my ju žijeme. Žijeme ju v piesňach, v tanci, v stretnutiach, kde na chv&iacute;ľu prest&aacute;va byť svet cudz&iacute;. Folkl&oacute;r sa pre n&aacute;s nestal len spomienkou. Stal sa mostom medzi t&yacute;m, odkiaľ poch&aacute;dzame, a t&yacute;m, kde dnes žijeme.A pr&aacute;ve tu, ďaleko od domova, si ju možno v&aacute;žime e&scaron;te viac. V&yacute;chodn&aacute; Slovak Dancers z Toronta spolu so s&uacute;borom Veselica z Chicaga v&aacute;m prin&aacute;&scaron;aj&uacute; pr&iacute;beh, ktor&yacute; je bl&iacute;zky mnoh&yacute;m z n&aacute;s &ndash; pr&iacute;beh o hľadan&iacute;, strat&aacute;ch, n&aacute;vratoch&hellip; a najm&auml; o uvedomen&iacute; si vlastnej identity. Pretože emigr&aacute;cia nie je len o odchode. Je o hľadan&iacute; rovnov&aacute;hy medzi t&yacute;m, kde žijeme&hellip; a t&yacute;m, k&yacute;m sme.A nech n&aacute;s život zavedie kamkoľvek, to najcennej&scaron;ie&hellip; zostalo v n&aacute;s.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787680350/wysiwyg/zzflhgkqqtzwxdjjnrci.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> &quot;A person only realizes the value of something once they lose it.&quot;This thought is where the story begins. The story of a young man who leaves his homeland with the hope of finding a better life in a new world. He leaves with courage. He dreams of the future. He believes that one day he will return. Finding himself in a new world, among people of different nationalities, languages, and cultures, he gradually comes to understand both the beauty and the hardship of immigrant life. He learns to live differently. He learns to adapt. Yet at the same time, he becomes increasingly aware of all that he left behind at home. Not only a place, but the feeling of home, the closeness of family, the sound of his own language. The songs that once sounded so natural...The traditions and customs that once simply were ... and today mean everything.In the bustle of the big city, he learns to live a new life. He tries to fit in, to adapt. But something within him cannot be silenced... Perhaps this story is also a reflection of our own lives &mdash; we arrive, we search, we learn... yet somewhere deep inside us remains a quiet longing to return &ldquo;home&rdquo;... &ldquo;It Stayed Within Us&hellip;&rdquo; is a story about departure, but even more about return &mdash; a return to oneself. About understanding that a person may go anywhere... but they always carry their roots within them. It is the testimony of all of us who live far from Slovakia. It is about the fact that even though we have chosen to live elsewhere, we do not leave our culture behind &mdash; we live it. We live it in songs, in dance, in gatherings where, for a moment, the world no longer feels foreign. For us, folklore has become more than just a memory. It has become a bridge between where we come from and where we live today. And perhaps it is here, far from home, that we value it even more. V&yacute;chodn&aacute; Slovak Dancers of Toronto, together with the Veselica ensemble of Chicago, bring you a story that is close to many of us &mdash; a story of searching, loss, return... and above all, of realizing one&rsquo;s own identity. Because emigration is not only about leaving. It is about finding balance between where we live... and who we are. And wherever life may take us, the most precious thing... has stayed within us.

Thank you for your order!We&rsquo;re excited to welcome you to &ldquo;Zostalo to v n&aacute;s&rdquo; (&ldquo;It Stayed Within Us&rdquo;), a special collaboration between Veselica Slovak Cultural Org in Chicago and Vychodna Slovak Dancers of Toronto, bringing more than 80 performers together to share the story of Slovak immigration to North America through Slovak folk dance, live music, traditional costumes, and storytelling. Sunday, October 11, 2026Open door at 2:00 PM&nbsp; Show begins at 3:00 PM 📍 Goodwin Auditorium, Benedictine University 5700 College Rd, Lisle, IL 60532 We look forward to sharing this special story and celebrating our Slovak heritage with you. Thank you for being part of it!❤️ Zostalo to v n&aacute;s. It stayed within us. Veselica Slovak Cultural Org.www.veselica.org<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787682734/wysiwyg/cy1fl6gm4fvlwqvifv5n.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">

Zostalo to v nás…„Človek si uvedomí hodnotu niečoho až vtedy, keď o to príde.“S touto myšlienkou sa začína príbeh. Príbeh mladého muža, ktorý opúšťa svoj domov s nádejou, že si v novom svete nájde lepší život. Odchádza s odvahou. Sníva o budúcnosti. Verí, že sa raz vráti.Ocitajúc sa v novom svete, medzi ľuďmi rôznych národností, jazykov a kultúr, postupne spoznáva krásu aj náročnosť emigrantského života. Učí sa žiť inak. Učí sa prispôsobiť. No zároveň si čoraz viac uvedomuje, čo všetko zanechal doma.Nie len miesto, ale pocit domova, blízkosť rodiny, zvuk vlastného jazyka. Piesne, ktoré kedysi zneli tak samozrejme… Tradicie a zvyky, ktoré kedysi len „boli“ … a dnes znamenajú všetko. V ruchu veľkomesta sa učí žiť nový život. Snaží sa zapadnúť, prispôsobiť sa. Ale niečo v ňom sa nedá umlčať…  Možno je tento príbeh aj obrazom nášho života – prichádzame, hľadáme, učíme sa… no niekde hlboko v nás zostáva tichá túžba vrátiť sa “domov”… „Zostalo to v nás…“ je príbeh o odchode, ale ešte viac o návrate – k sebe samému. O pochopení, že človek môže odísť kamkoľvek… no svoje korene si nesie vždy so sebou. Je to výpoveď nás všetkých, ktorí žijeme ďaleko od Slovenska. O tom, že aj keď sme si vybrali život inde, svoju kultúru nezanechávame – my ju žijeme. Žijeme ju v piesňach, v tanci, v stretnutiach, kde na chvíľu prestáva byť svet cudzí. Folklór sa pre nás nestal len spomienkou. Stal sa mostom medzi tým, odkiaľ pochádzame, a tým, kde dnes žijeme.A práve tu, ďaleko od domova, si ju možno vážime ešte viac. Východná Slovak Dancers z Toronta spolu so súborom Veselica z Chicaga vám prinášajú príbeh, ktorý je blízky mnohým z nás – príbeh o hľadaní, stratách, návratoch… a najmä o uvedomení si vlastnej identity. Pretože emigrácia nie je len o odchode. Je o hľadaní rovnováhy medzi tým, kde žijeme… a tým, kým sme.A nech nás život zavedie kamkoľvek, to najcennejšie… zostalo v nás.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787680350/wysiwyg/zzflhgkqqtzwxdjjnrci.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> "A person only realizes the value of something once they lose it."This thought is where the story begins. The story of a young man who leaves his homeland with the hope of finding a better life in a new world. He leaves with courage. He dreams of the future. He believes that one day he will return. Finding himself in a new world, among people of different nationalities, languages, and cultures, he gradually comes to understand both the beauty and the hardship of immigrant life. He learns to live differently. He learns to adapt. Yet at the same time, he becomes increasingly aware of all that he left behind at home. Not only a place, but the feeling of home, the closeness of family, the sound of his own language. The songs that once sounded so natural...The traditions and customs that once simply were ... and today mean everything.In the bustle of the big city, he learns to live a new life. He tries to fit in, to adapt. But something within him cannot be silenced... Perhaps this story is also a reflection of our own lives — we arrive, we search, we learn... yet somewhere deep inside us remains a quiet longing to return “home”... “It Stayed Within Us…” is a story about departure, but even more about return — a return to oneself. About understanding that a person may go anywhere... but they always carry their roots within them. It is the testimony of all of us who live far from Slovakia. It is about the fact that even though we have chosen to live elsewhere, we do not leave our culture behind — we live it. We live it in songs, in dance, in gatherings where, for a moment, the world no longer feels foreign. For us, folklore has become more than just a memory. It has become a bridge between where we come from and where we live today. And perhaps it is here, far from home, that we value it even more. Východná Slovak Dancers of Toronto, together with the Veselica ensemble of Chicago, bring you a story that is close to many of us — a story of searching, loss, return... and above all, of realizing one’s own identity. Because emigration is not only about leaving. It is about finding balance between where we live... and who we are. And wherever life may take us, the most precious thing... has stayed within us.

Veselica Slovak Cultural Organization

"Zostalo to v nás" by Vychodna & Veselica

5700 College Rd

Adult

$45

Youth

$25

Child

Free

Gift

$45

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