ABSTRACT
This research explores the role of cultural heritage in post-Yugoslav states, specifically focusing on dance heritage as a means of emphasizing national and cultural identity while also generating cultural and economic capital. By analyzing three social dances from Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, this study examines the gradual process of heritagization and recontextualization that these dances underwent before receiving recognition. The research highlights the politics of safeguarding local or national culture, as formal recognition by UNESCO transforms these dances from local traditions into subjects of global culture that can be marketed internationally. The study further demonstrates the crucial role that choreographers play in making dance heritage accessible to wider audiences and how heritage appreciation and safeguarding can be viewed as attempts to reintroduce and adapt heritage practices into modern societies. Ultimately, this research contributes to our understanding of the politics of choreographing and performing dance as intangible cultural heritage and the ways in which it is used to legitimize national cultures and identities.
