Sponsored by the EEFC!

All classes are at 7 PM Eastern Time, so 4 PM Pacific time!

Dates:
May 25
June 1
June 8
June 15
June 22

For your security, pre-registration is required. You can do so here: https://forms.gle/qBM6XWmvkkiWxrGF6

This event has a suggested donation of $15 per class. Send your donation via Paypal to gro.cfee@eciffo, or donate here: https://eefc.org/join-the-circle/covid-19/

Due to COVID-19, our organization had to cancel our bi-costal summer workshops. Losing regular camp programming this year will hurt in more ways than one as roughly 80% of our annual income comes from our workshops. We need your help to see us through this uncertain time, and to ensure that—when the danger has passed—we can gather once more in celebration!

Class Description | |

Can’t resist the urge to move to Balkan Romani music? Then don’t! Join us for a workshop series focusing on Romani dance. We’ll survey Romani community traditions from throughout the southern Balkans–from Serbia southeast all the way to Turkey. Come learn the basics of a variety of Romani line dances, as well as solo-style dances like čoček and 9/8 Roman. Beyond the steps, we’ll talk about how to model Romani dance style, gender differences, and important cultural background concerning Romani dance practices.

And then…we’ll see where our interests take us! Alex is versed in various regional dance traditions including Serbian, Greek, Macedonian, and Albanian dances. There will be something for everyone–come one, come all!

About the East European Folklife Center | |

The East European Folklife Center (EEFC) was established in 1982 through the love and dedication of a core group of musician and dancers. Today, this ever-growing and expanding organization brings together an inclusive, celebratory, and welcoming global community of passionate amateurs and professionals, to respectfully share the richness and complexity of Balkan music, dance, and cultures. To learn more about our organization, please visit www.eefc.org.

About Alex, EEFC Board President

I am a cultural anthropologist interested in music and dance, identity, and politics in the Balkans. I grew up in the Serbian community in Chicago where I began dancing at the age of seven. Throughout my teenage and young adult years, I was active in various Serbian and Greek folk dance groups. In addition to teaching dance in these communities, I gradually began researching music and dance culture in the Balkans. I went on to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Illinois-Chicago, conducting ethnographic research on Romani musical performance and ethnic identity in southeastern Serbia. I still enjoy teaching various Balkan dance repertoires to diverse audiences, bringing together my anthropological training and passion for Balkan folk culture.