If you’re like us, you would love a wonderful weekend of dancing with friendly people in a scenic location. We are planning a real (not virtual) Fall Camp November 12-14, 2021, at the beautiful Brandeis-Bardin Campus near Simi Valley. Share the joy of dancing safely together again! Everyone will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated long before then, and we all hope the health situation will allow a Fall Camp without masks or social distancing.

Master teachers include Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu, who will bring their uniquely entertaining teaching of Romanian dances, and Roberto Bagnoli who will present a great selection of international dances.

Registration available this summer! Check back soon!

If the pandemic precludes the same kind of magical camp as before, we will give everyone a full refund.

The camp is about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, near Simi Valley, at the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of American Jewish University. We will stay in motel-style rooms with private baths, enjoy five meals from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast (there is an optional Sunday lunch), and dance on a wood floor.

If you’d like to know more about Fall Camp — the master teachers, the location and campus, the rooms, the activities — read more at fallcamp.org or send an e-mail to Dance@FallCamp.org.

Instructors

Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu

The couple were married at the Stockton Folk Dance Camp in 2010. Cristian and Sonia have been guest performers with the Collage International Dance Ensemble of Boston, were regular teachers at l’École supérieure de danse du Québec, and were selected to be part of the Artists in the Schools program sponsored by the Québec Ministry of Education. In recent years, they have developed a specific interest in working with recreational folk dance groups and have traveled all over the world to share their love of Romanian folk traditions.

Cristian was born in Bucharest, Romania. He started dancing in 1982 with different Romanian folk ensembles, and studied with various specialists including the renowned Theodor Vasilescu. Cristian was principal dancer with the National Ensemble Cununa Carpatilor with whom he toured extensively in Europe, Asia and North America. In 1990-91, the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the ACAFR conferred on him a certificate as recognized solo dancer and choreographer in the field of folklore. He also was chief répétiteur for the Folk Ensemble Balada in Romania and worked as choreographer for the Academic Ensemble Joc in Moldova. In 1993, he joined Les Sortilèges, a professional folk dance company based in Montreal with whom he was actively involved as a dancer, teacher, répétiteur and choreographer until 2003. Since coming to Canada, Cristian has acquired multiple skills in various dance forms including modern dance, ballroom, jazz, tap as well as French-Canadian clogging and Irish step dancing.

Sonia was born in Québec and has been a professional dancer for many years. She was lead dancer and choreographer for Les Sortilèges dance company, Canada’s oldest professional folk dance ensemble, with whom she developed several new productions including Une page d’histoire, Un pas de danse, Montréal en danse, and Pour se faire plaisir. Sonia has toured worldwide and has been exposed to a wide range of dance techniques including Romanian folk dance, Scottish highland dancing, French-Canadian clogging and ballroom.
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Roberto Bagnoli

Roberto Bagnoli grew up in Rome, where he was first introduced to folk music and dance, eventually taking part in several performances and teaching dance classes. He subsequently studied various forms of folk dance in workshops throughout Europe, Israel,and North America.From 1995 to 2003, he performed as a dancer and choreographer with the Terra di Danza Dance Company and was involved in the production of Raggi di Luna Italiana (Italian dances); Giro Giro Mondo (dances from around the world);Keltic Emotion (Celtic dances); Mazal Tov (Israeli dances);and Ethnos (international folk dances). He currently organizes two dance camps in Europe: Balkanot (Balkan and Israeli dance) and Camp Yofi (Israeli dance). Roberto has lectured and conducted workshops throughout Europe as well as on numerous occasions in North America, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

Roberto teaches weekly classes in various cities in the north of Italy and conducts monthly sessions in Rome and Milan besides conducting workshops and seminars throughout Europe, the United States (notably the Stockton Folk Dance Camp), and Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. Roberto lives in Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy. Read more…