In 1977, the EEFC offered the first of many wonderful getaway Balkan Music & Dance Workshops. In 2020, we’re excited to roll with the punches and debut our online edition, which you can enjoy from the comfort of home. Join us July 17-19, 2020! Learn more here and register via our website. Facebook event is here.

Thanks to high-speed internet, we continue to welcome new friends and old to our community of musicians, singers, dancers, and those who love them. Beginners and advanced practitioners will continue to “rub shoulders” while benefiting from the expertise of our extraordinary teaching staff and enjoying bliss-inducing live-music performances. We can’t provide the traditional rustic redwoods setting nor a superb glamping experience in the Catskills, but this Virtual Camp weekend retains our signature style—an immersive learning experience that opens hearts and minds to the beauty of Balkan music, dance, and culture.

The Platform

We’re using an online platform to centralize our gathering for the weekend. In other words, this event is more than just a series of Zoom meetings—we’re creating a digital village. On Wednesday, July 15th, you’ll receive an invitation to join our online space, which, while initially designed to recreate the functionality of community office spaces, is about to receive a Balkan twist. On the surface, it’ll look like a regular office building, but you’ll see rooms named for familiar places like the Registration Table, which will have volunteers ready to take your questions; the Meadow, where you’ll enjoy an afternoon class; and the Dance Hall and Kafana, where we’ll gather for live music and dancing. You’ll even be able to locate where your friends are within the map and casually hang out (i.e. video chat) around the Fire Circle and other organic gathering places.

For official programming, each “room” of our office space contains a direct link to a Zoom meeting where the real magic is taking place. We strongly recommend that you download the latest version of Zoom for the optimal experience. But if you want to take a break from class, there are plenty of areas to relax with friends and catch up contained within our online village.

The Workshop & Program

Virtual Camp runs on Pacific Time from Friday evening, July 17, to late Sunday afternoon, July 19. Classes begin Saturday morning and continue on Sunday. A selection of instrumental, vocal, and dance classes at all levels are offered across six 90-minute class slots.

The early-evening programs include folklore presentations and group sings with musical accompaniment. Live-music dance parties featuring our world-class staff musicians will delight your feet; and the party continues in the Kafana, with a variety of musical sets by you and your fellow campers. Sign up to perform in the Kafana here.

Families

We welcome families! Children are welcome to participate alongside their parents and guardians in any adult class, and we have a special singing class with Lily Storm, just for them.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many opportunities to help us out behind the scenes! Please email our Site Manager, Corinne, here.

Registration

You can register here. On Wednesday, July 15, campers will receive an orientation video and be invited to join the Sococo platform and begin exploring. Registration will close Wednesday, July 15th at 12 noon Pacific. Workshop updates are announced on the EEFC listserv discussion group, and on our Facebook page.

We’ve had years to hone our in-person workshops, and we know their ins and outs like the back of our hands. This is a new endeavor for our organization, and while we are doing our best to anticipate your questions, you might have one we haven’t thought of yet!

Contact the EEFC Office if you need tech support or further clarification. Our staff and volunteers are eager to help, and your feedback will help us review and hone our processes. There is no question too small. See you at Camp!