Liljana Cingu (1950-2024) | The goddess of Albanian dance!

6 February 2024

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Liljana Cingu,
Outstanding dancer, soloist of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet, People’s Song and Dance Ensemble.
“Great Master” and “Honour of the Nation”

Born in Tirana on December 31, 1950, from a family of Kosovar artists from Gjakova. Cingu started her career when she was young, 12 years old, in the Palace of Pioneers, being connected to art and sports.

Her goal has always been to be someone on stage, it was enough to simply become an artist. Cingu started dancing early. She was no more than 16 years old when, in 1963, she attended a four-year Ensemble course, being announced at the end of the course as one of the five winners (one boy and four girls) and definitively becoming a part of this institution.

Her first professor was the unforgettable Gezim Kaceli. Liljana finished high school at the “Jordan Misja” Artistic High School, majoring in choreography. In 1967, she was accepted as a professional dancer at AKVP, alongside other dancers. In the beginning, she performs as a simple dancer in the dance group in the dances “Dance of the mountains”, “Dance of the turkuza”, etc.

It should not be left without mentioning her partners, the giants of Albanian dance Besim Zekthi and then Rexhep Celikun.

In 1969, on a tour in Turkey, she went abroad for the first time with the ensemble. And from this year she became one of the most prominent soloists of AKKVP. Perhaps the peak of her career would be in 1970, when in a tour in France, she was part of the “Golden Necklace” winner of our Ensemble.

Until 1997, when she retired from dancing, with a total of 200 dances and maybe more, the artist made a long career of 30 years.

This year she immigrated to Canada for a while. Cingu performed with finesse, style and master every dance that came from the country’s provinces, she stood out in the dance of Albania and also in that of Kosovo.

We can single out dances such as: “Albania has a big party today”, “Freedom Committees”, “Oshetime e maleve”, “Rugova’s wedding”, among her most loved dances was “Freedom fighters” with the heroes Azem Galica and Shote Galica, as well as “Dance of chestnuts”, “In competition”, “Dances with motifs of Labëria”, “Dance of Tirana”, etc.

From the north to the south, she and the Dance Ensemble were able to clearly reveal the temperament, the lyricism, the epic, the fun, all summed up in our Albanian dance.

An important role in the long artistic life of Lili Cingu has also been played by choreographers, those who entrusted her with the pearls of choreography, starting with Panajot Kanaçi, Gëzim Kaceli, Agron Aliaj.

She participated in the recitals of her partners Rexhep Çeliku and Besim Zekthi and in 2011 she organized her own recital “My dance, my life”.

Liljana Cingu is noted for a dignified interpretation, elegance and finesse, as well as a high musical culture, as a connoisseur of the folklore of all regions.

These qualities gave her the opportunity to better express her ability to perform lyrical, but also epic dances. For her skills, Liljana Cingu was awarded with the high titles the Republic Award, the “Naim Frashëri” Order. “Merited Artist” “Great Master” / “Honour of the Nation” and even becoming a dance queen.