Friday Night L.I.F.E. features Jaap Leegwater and Jan Wollring May 14 and 21

This is week 60 of our virtual adventures!

Time: Friday 08:00-10:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) every week, until we return home to LA Dancefit!
Contact Sherry for the Zoom link at

***On May 14th, 2021, and reviewing on May 21st, we are happy to bring you, live from the Netherlands (at 5am), the return of Jaap Leegwater with a different set of dances from his recent workshops for us. Jaap is known worldwide for his fun teaching and having introduced dances including Karamfil, Dobrudžanska Pandela, and Mari Marijko. He began his dance career in the Netherlands, where he earned one of his degrees in international folk dance, specializing in Bulgarian folk dance and choreography. Jaap studied at the State Choreographer’s school in Sofia and Plovdiv, living there for two years; he regularly returns to Bulgaria to update his studies and make new recordings.

Accompanying Jaap will be master accordionist Jan Wollring, the regular accompanist of Bulgarian singer Galina Durmushliyska during the years she lived in the Netherlands.

Sherry Cochran, Joan Hantman, and Tom Bozigian and Sheree King will be on hand for this special evening. We will open the doors at 7:45pm with warmup dances. Jaap will start […]

By dale|2021-05-13T11:09:06-07:00May 13th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

San Diego Folk Dance Center International Dance May 8

San Diego Folk Dance Center International Dance May 8

6:30 pm Pacific time: social time
7 pm – 10 pm Pacific time: dancing
Chin Yu, hosting
Featuring Chin Yu’s favorite dances tonight. See playlist here.

To join our Zoom dance session, go to the San Diego Folk Dance Center’s website/Newsletter page, scroll down to “Join Zoom Meeting,” and click on the Zoom link there. http://folkdancecenter.org/newsletter.html

Come dance with us this evening!
Cost: Free

By dale|2021-05-08T13:03:39-07:00May 8th, 2021|Dance, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Dance workshop with Achilleas Tsiaras – Kypseli – May 8

Greek Dance Workshop
with Achilleas Tsiaras

Live Stream from Meliti in the Roumlouki region of Macedonia, Greece
Saturday, May 8, 2021
1 pm PDT, 3 pm CDT, 4 pm EDT, 23:00 in Greece, 10 am in Hawaii

Click here to join the event on Zoom

Achilleas will teach Dimitroula, Seferli, Geiko and more dances
from his home in Roumlouki, Central Macedonia, Greece.

English translation provided by Giouli Dimou and Joe Graziosi

We continue to offer dance workshops via Zoom to support our dance teachers and musicians. Most of the donations we receive are given to the instructor or musician with a small amount reserved for Kypseli to build up a reserve. Though we cannot meet in person, we want to stay connected to our Greek dancing friends. We hope to come back to dance together as soon as it is safe to do so!

Free to join but donations welcome.

If you wish to donate via Venmo, please use: @Jozef-bilman
If you wish to donate via Zelle, please use:
If you wish to donate via PayPal, please use:
(Please note the updated email!)
and note that you are donating to “Friends and Family”.
If you wish to send a […]

By dale|2021-05-07T09:33:38-07:00May 7th, 2021|Dance, Greek, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Hawaiian Dance and Culture at FACONE – May 1

Hawaiian Dance and Culture

with Kumu Hula Kawika Alfiche

Saturday, May 1: 2:00 – 4:00pm EDT

Online via Zoom – To benefit the Folk Arts Center of New England

$10 is suggested to support this program and FAC, but any amount is appreciated.

Join this workshop via Zoom by activating this link.

About the Workshop

May is Pacific Islanders Month and we celebrate Hawai`i which is the furthest north of all the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific. Come share in this class of both traditional and modern Hula-Hawaiian Dance for both men & women. Hula is the language of the heart and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. These are the words of our last King, Kawika Kalākaua, who returned hula into the public eye after being banished by missionaries for some 50+ years (1820-1870).
This fun gathering will include basics of hula, language, history, geography, chanting, singing and more! This class will be taught by Kumu Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche (Hula Master) of Hālau o Keikiali`i.

About Kawika

Kumu Hula Kawika Keikiali’ihiwahiwa Alfiche has been teaching hula and Hawaiian cultural arts for almost 30 years. Kawika is the […]

By dale|2021-04-30T22:41:24-07:00April 30th, 2021|Culture, Dance, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Lyrids/Kyklos Folk Dance Festival April 23-25 – Register Now!

LYRIDS/KYKLOS FOLK DANCE FESTIVAL

co-organized by Burnaby and Kyklos International Folk Dancers

April 23 – 25, 2021 online via Zoom

Register Now for your unique Zoom link. FREE to attend!

Here is all the information about the festival you could possible want, and there is lots there!

Festival highlights include:

The two primary teachers this year are Tineke & Maurits van Geel, teaching Armenian, International and Roma dances. In addition, we have 8 dance, singing and music workshops Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with Ahmet Luleci teaching Turkish dances, Gergana Panova-Tekath teaching Bulgarian dances and Miamon Miller teaching a Balkan musical instruments workshop (All instruments are welcome). As well, there will be Israeli dances, seated dances, Balkan singing and drumming workshops.

At mealtimes, watch culture talks and memorable videos from past Salt Spring Island & Lyrids Folk Dance Festivals with Dale Adamson and Rosemarie Keough (founder of the Salt Spring Island folk dance festival).

You won’t want to miss our evening parties with our favourite recorded dances, and with Osem i Devet + friends playing recorded and live music.

Here’s how you can get involved and participate:

Register for the […]

By dale|2021-04-22T13:39:05-07:00April 22nd, 2021|Armenian, Balkan, Culture, Dance, International, Live, Music, Party, Singing, Workshop|0 Comments

Greek Dance Workshop with Kyriakos Moisidis at FACONE – April 17

Greek Dance Workshop
with Kyriakos Moisidis

Saturday, April 16: 2:00 – 4:00pm EDT

Online via Zoom – To benefit the Folk Arts Center of New England

To support FAC and this program $10 is suggested, but any amount is appreciated.

About the Workshop

Kyriakos will be teaching dances from a variety of regions within the country. A list of dances from which he will choose for Saturday’s workshop will be posted on this page soon.

Join this workshop via Zoom by activating the link that will be posted here prior to the event.

About Kyriakos

Kyriakos is a prolific researcher instructor, and performer of Greek traditional dance. Born in the village of Prohoma, near Thessaloniki, his family origins trace back to Pontic Greeks from the region of Kars (present-day northeastern Turkey).

In 2003, Kyriakos completed a degree in Physical Education and Athletics from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, with a major in traditional dance. He has conducted extensive research on traditional Greek dance, music, and customs. He is a very popular teacher and well-versed in the dances from all regions of Greece; his expertise on dance traditions from Pontos, Kappadokia, […]

By dale|2021-04-14T16:57:15-07:00April 14th, 2021|Dance, Greek, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Ontario Folk Dance Camp Goes Virtual! – May 22

Ontario Folk Dance Camp Goes Virtual!

Saturday, May 22, 2021, 7 – 10 p.m. Eastern

Our Featured Guests Are:
Lucia Cordeiro – Brazilian Dances
Vlasto Petkovski – Macedonian Dances

Schedule:
7:00 – 8:00 Eastern Teaching
8:00 – 10:00 Eastern Dance Party With Various Leaders

Poster here.
Registration Link: OFDC Registration
For more information visit: www.ontariofolkdancecamp.ca
Email:

By dale|2021-04-04T18:45:45-07:00April 4th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, International, Live, Party, Workshop|0 Comments

June Camp on June 4-6 – Registration is open

June Camp, the Midwest’s residential extended folk dance weekend, is moving to Zoom for 2021 and will take place on the usual weekend, June 4 – 6.
This year we will be bringing all the artistic excellence, community, and that special feeling of June Camp to you in the safety of your own home as June Camp goes online. Join us for:

Workshops from 2 excellent teachers: Lee Otterholt (Balkan) and Penny Brichta (Israeli)
Bonus workshop and Golden Oldies with Jaap Leegwater (Bulgarian)
The Dance Exchange, where dances you’ve requested are reviewed (request by April 12!)
Happy Hour-and-a-half – an informal time for singing, dancing, and socializing
The Hospitality Room – breakout rooms for when you don’t want to dance
Saturday’s dance party with Tom Pixton and friends
Retrospectives of past June Camps and personalities

Free registration is open now. You will receive a personalized Zoom link to attend all events.
Please support June Camp and our artists through monetary contributions. Incentives are offered.
Find further information as well as the registration link and Dance Exchange request link on the June Camp website at https://sites.google.com/site/junecampifd/.
Email: with questions or to join the mailing list.

By dale|2021-04-01T11:34:04-07:00April 1st, 2021|Dance, International, Live, Party, Workshop|0 Comments

San Diego Folk Dance Center International Dance April 3

San Diego Folk Dance Center International Dance April 3

6:30 pm Pacific time: social time
7 pm – 10 pm Pacific time: dancing
Chin Yu, hosting
Featuring Kathy R’s and Carol C’s favorite dances tonight. So there’ll be some really good dances in the lineup!

To join our Zoom dance session, go to the San Diego Folk Dance Center’s website/Newsletter page, scroll down to “Join Zoom Meeting,” and click on the Zoom link there. Here’s the link to the Newsletter page:
http://folkdancecenter.org/newsletter.html

Come dance with us this evening!
Cost: Free

By dale|2021-03-31T15:36:54-07:00March 31st, 2021|Dance, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Dance workshop with Yannis Konstantinou – Kypseli – Apr 3

Greek Dance Workshop
with Yannis Konstantinou

Live Stream from Lake Prespa, in the Florina region of Greece
1:00 pm PDT * 4:00 pm EDT * 23:00 in Greece
Click here to join the event on Zoom

Yannis Konstantinou has hosted seminars in the Lake Prespa region of NW Greece every August, attracting hundreds of international dance enthusiasts.

His passion for traditional music and dance began in his childhood, dancing with his family in his parents’ villages of Alona and Akrites in the Florina region of Greece. Today, his knowledge extends beyond that of the Greek Macedonian people indigenous to the area. More about Yannis can be found here.

The Kypseli website is here.
Contact email:

Donations welcome via PayPal to or via Venmo @jozef-bilman.
Or if you wish to send a check, please email Jozef , or Anne at ($15 suggested.)

By dale|2021-03-27T15:44:33-07:00March 27th, 2021|Dance, Greek, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

“Cool Oldies” – Online Dance Workshop with Roberto Mar 28

“Cool Oldies”
– Online Dance Workshop with Roberto

“Are you interested in learning some of my old dances likeHora din Moldova, Dinata, Te Joci cu Focul or Hopai Diri Dai?

Join Roberto Sunday, March 28th in his Online Dance Workshop “Cool Oldies” — a workshop about some of his favorite dances, starting at 19.00 CET (10.00am PDT, 12.00 pm CDT and 1.00pm EDT).

To join Roberto via zoom, click here.
For more information, email me at or check the website: morenu.it

The Workshop is free.
If you would like to make a donation, follow the instructions on the website: www.morenu.it

Please spread the word and share it with your folk dance friends.
It’s going to be a lot of fun!

By dale|2021-03-27T12:37:47-07:00March 27th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

NEFFA Presents the New England Folk Festival 2021 Online April 23-25

NEFFA Presents the New England Folk Festival 2021 Online!

See flyer here.

April 23-25, 2021

Featuring Over 100 LIVE sessions on Zoom!

• To register, please visit www.neffa.org

Participatory Dance – Contras, International Folk, English Country, Scottish, Scandinavian, Morris, and more!

Singing & Music-making – Song swaps, singalongs, workshops, concerts, jamming

Concert Performances – Dancers, singers, instrumentalists, storytelling

Videos – Collaborative community video projects, recorded performances and workshops

Crafts and Folk Bazaar listings on the NEFFA website!

By dale|2021-03-26T11:03:04-07:00March 26th, 2021|Culture, Dance, English, International, Live, Music, Scandinavian, Scottish, Singing, Workshop|0 Comments

The Year That Zoomed By at FACONE – March 27

The Year That Zoomed By
with Marcie Van Cleave and Ahmet Lüleci

Saturday, March 27: Noon–? ET (9am – ? PT)

Online via Zoom – To benefit the Folk Arts Center of New England

Celebrate with us as we commemorate the anniversary of when the Folk Arts Center aired its first Saturday afternoon workshop!

Who would have thought that 52 weeks later we would still be spending Saturday afternoons dancing together? Not to mention enjoying a Thursday SOFA (Some Other Folk Arts) series. And adding a Sunday late afternoon community dance?

But here we are, so we must celebrate! We are inviting all the teachers who have graced our online stage lo all these Saturdays to join us in leading a dance party! The program will be posted on the website when completed.

You’ll have the chance to review videos of the dances before the event as demonstrated by the teachers themselves! This collection of videos are reviews of the dances that will be programmed.

Visit our shop buy access to a collection of review videos, and support FAC’s programming.

Also note the earlier start time. We know the date is not ideal, […]

By dale|2021-03-24T19:54:08-07:00March 24th, 2021|Balkan, Culture, Dance, Information, International, Live, Party, Workshop|0 Comments

Sharing Dance Older Adults with Canada’s National Ballet School

The new Baycrest NBS Sharing Dance Older Adults website and app are now live!

This also means that the first batch of classes for the Spring session is now available! On this new platform, you’ll find more, easier-to-access content. In addition, you’ll be able to temporarily download classes within the app so that you can dance offline.

To access the newest classes, please head over to oa.sharingdance.ca and create an account. The process of creating an account on our new website is much simpler, but if you need any assistance in creating an account, please see our how-to guides or email me directly. My colleagues and I are standing by and ready to help you create a new account so that you can keep on dancing!

Once you log in to the Sharing Dance Older Adults website, you’ll notice that there are several new classes now available for you to dance along with. Moving forward, classes will be released in batches, approximately every six weeks, rather than a single class once a week.

You’ll also notice a few other changes:

Seated has become In Your Seat
Standing with Seated Options has become On Your Feet (with seated options)

It’s still the same teachers, classes and content you’ve grown to enjoy, just presented a little […]

By dale|2021-03-19T15:52:19-07:00March 19th, 2021|Anytime, Dance, Workshop|0 Comments

Ontario Folk Dance Camp – May 22, 2021

Please mark your calendar for a

free Virtual Ontario Folk Dance Camp

on Saturday, May 22, 2021,
from 7 – 10 p.m. Eastern Time

More details to follow

Ontario Folk Dance Camp committee

By dale|2021-03-13T20:52:08-08:00March 13th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, International, Live, Party, Workshop|0 Comments

The Laguna-San Antonio Spring Festival – March 12-14

Date: March 12 – 14, 2021

Festival Theme: “Dancing in the Sun”

This weekend!

The Laguna-San Antonio Spring Festival will hold a weekend of teaching, music, performance and dance parties!

Get your dancing shoes on for an entire weekend of non-stop dancing fun!

Registration is free.
For more information and to register please go to: springfestival.us

By dale|2021-03-09T14:26:25-08:00March 9th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, International, Live, Party, Workshop|0 Comments

Culture Corner with Yves Moreau and France Bourque-Moreau at FACONE Feb 27

Yves Moreau and France Bourque-Moreau Culture Corner

Saturday, February 27: 2–4:00pm EST

Online via Zoom – To benefit the Folk Arts Center of New England

World-renowned dance teachers and cultural emissaries Yves Moreau and France Bourque-Moreau will share memories of their Montreal-based folk ensemble «Les Gens de mon Pays» with whom they performed for 15 years in North America and Europe and show video excerpts from some of their performances

Yves will also share other interesting film clips and photos from Bulgaria. France will talk about her work teaching folk dances in public elementary schools in Quebec as part of a government subsidized program as well as some of her other projects over the years. There will be time set aside to answer your questions.

Learn more about Yves and France on their website.

Visit What you need to join to set up your computer or device to join the workshop online.
Donate on the FACONE website.
Please donate generously to FAC and help us through this period of social distancing when all of our events are postponed. We suggest a $10 minimum for attending this […]

By dale|2021-02-26T17:10:36-08:00February 26th, 2021|Culture, Information, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Dances from Brittany and Albania with Sibylle Helmer at FACONE Feb 20

Dances from Brittany and Albania
with Sibylle Helmer

Saturday, February 20: 2–4:00pm EST

Online via Zoom – To benefit the Folk Arts Center of New England

Sibylle Helmer has been teaching for more than 30 years in the international folk dance world, especially in the Netherlands but also in Belgium, England, Austria, Italy and Canada. She attends workshops of various teachers at home and abroad in order to keep up with the latest developments and continuously increase her knowledge. With her foundation Dansevent.nl, she organizes workshops, courses and festivals in the Netherlands with teachers from the Netherlands and abroad.

After her studies to become a French and Dutch language teacher, she stayed for six months in Paris as an au-pair. It was there where she first encountered Breton music and dance. Many summers after that, she went to Brittany for courses and festivals and thus her first specialty, Breton dance, was born.

Since 2010 she has been going to Albania regularly to learn more about that country’s dance, culture, history, and language. And so now she has developed her second specialty: Albanian dance. This week’s workshop will feature dances from […]

By dale|2021-02-16T14:44:02-08:00February 16th, 2021|Dance, International, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Online Bulgarian Dance Workshops with Jaap Leegwater Feb 16 & 23

Online Bulgarian Dance Workshop with Jaap Leegwater!

The Burnaby International Folk Dancers are sponsoring two dance workshops with Jaap Leegwater on Tuesday, February 16th and 23rd. Both workshops are from 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm (PST).

Jaap is an experienced and dynamic workshop leader specializing in Bulgarian dance and culture for over 30 years. During his numerous research and field trips to Bulgaria, Jaap collected and recorded many original dances and songs from village elders throughout the country and he and his accordionist, Jan Wollring are excited to share these two dance workshops with us. There is no charge for the workshops and everyone is welcome.

Hope to see you all there! Lori and Chrisanne

Zoom link below to BIFD weekly Zoom sessions and to Jaap’s workshops on Tuesday, February 16th and 23rd – 7:30 – 10:00 pm (PST)
https://zoom.us/j/99504932576
Meeting ID: 995 0493 2576
Passcode: Bifd (Uppercase ‘B’ lowercase ‘ifd’)

By dale|2021-02-13T17:11:56-08:00February 13th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, Live, Workshop|0 Comments

Balkan and Israeli Dance Workshops with Roberto Bagnoli – Feb 13

Balkan and Israeli Dance Workshops
with Roberto Bagnoli
as part of The Flurry Festival

Saturday, February 13
2-2:55pm ET — Balkan dance workshop
3-3:55pm ET — Israeli dance workshop

The Folk Arts Center’s weekly Saturday workshop is migrating from home this Saturday!

Roberto Bagnoli and Marcie Van Cleave will be with you on Saturday at our usual time, from 2-4,… but there are a few differences you will notice from previous Saturdays! Our workshop is the result of another collaboration between organizing groups: the Folk Arts Center and The Flurry.

The Flurry is a dance and music weekend, usually held in Saratoga Springs, New York, but being presented online this year. Visit The Flurry’s website for more information.

The Flurry is selling tickets for the weekend; the “economy level” is $25. There are many events happening from Friday through Sunday. Visit the performer list for details.

Some of the other workshops you might be interested in (in addition to Roberto’s on Saturday) include:

Pierre Chartrand – Quebecois Step Dance
Cheres – Ukraine and Yiddish Band
Henry Goldberg – Balkan Song leader
Ralph Iverson – Balkan Jam leader
Roo Lester – Hambo workshop and Scandinavian dances for Covid times!

By dale|2021-02-11T10:00:28-08:00February 11th, 2021|Balkan, Dance, Israeli, Live, Workshop|0 Comments