Kolo Festival 2024

2024 will be the 73nd annual Kolo Festival! Kolo Festival includes dance, vocal, and instrumental classes, along with dancing, sing-alongs, culture corners, instrumental jam sessions, kafanas and parties, brass, Bitov, Izvorno bands and more!

Musicians from around the world playing folk dance music from Albania, Bosnis, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Norway, Romany communities, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.

Schedule

Friday, November 29 | Saturday, November 30 | Sunday, Dec 1

Dance Instructors

Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu

Romanian Folk Dance

Cristian and Sonia have been guest performers with the Collage International Dance Ensemble of Boston, have been regular teachers at l’ École supérieure de danse du Québec and have been 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 in Canada and the United States, Mexico and Brazil. They have been teaching in Europa (Austria, England, Poland, Germany, Italy,  Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France) in Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia) and Australia  to share their love of Romanian folk traditions.

In recent years, Cristian and Sonia have developed a specific interest in working with recreational folk dance groups. They’ve been teaching in Brazil, Canada and the United States, Europe (Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands), Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan) to share their love of Romanian folk traditions. They have taught workshops in Canada and the United States and choreographed Romanian suites for performing groups, including the world-renowned BYU Folk Dance Ensemble in Utah.Read more…

Anna Angelova

Bulgarian Dances

Anna grew up in a small town in Northern Bulgaria where the lively local festivities (sabors) and traditional ceremonies kindled her interest in folklore at an early age. Anna’s dance adventures started when she joined the town’s folk dance ensemble where she learned from esteemed choreographers and performed along experienced dancers throughout her youth years.

Upon coming to Boston to further her education, Anna got introduced to the internationally acclaimed Ahmet Luleci’s Collage Dance Ensemble: a unique experience that unlocked passion and appreciation for the greater Balkan magic, and beyond. The 8 years Anna spent performing with Collage on local and national stages were instrumental for her growth as a dancer – from professional attitude to stage presence to polished style to authentic connection with our ancestors through Ahmet’s vibrant choreographies. In 2022, Anna was honored to teach Bulgarian Dance at Ahmet Luleci’s annual World Camp in Rock Hill, New York.

With the start of her own family in Boston, Anna felt the need to be more involved in the local Bulgarian community. This is when she joined Ludo Mlado, a Bulgarian folk ensemble led by Pepi Petrov and Marieta Mircheva. Anna connected with Ludo Mlado’s mission to preserve the rich dance traditions of Bulgaria. An outstanding moment with Ludo Mlado was the opportunity to participate in the Chicago Folk Festival VEREA. Read more…

John Morovich

John Morovich, born in 1965, grew up in Seattle’s sizable Croatian community. Since 1973, he has studied, taught, and performed traditional music and dance of Croatia and other parts of Southeastern Europe. He was awarded the prestigious Washington State Arts Commission Folk Arts Fellowship for 2001.

He is currently the artistic director of the Seattle Junior Tamburitzans, a 50-member youth ensemble of which he was a performer from 1974 through 1987 and since 2013 has directed Tamburaski Orkestar Kisobran. He conducted the Jele Croatian Women’s Choir and Klapa Ruzmarin in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was selected as Guest Conductor for the Croatian Fraternal Union of America Junior Cultural Federation Festival held in Chicago, in July 2005.

John has taught at many camps and seminars, including the California Kolo Festival in San Francisco, the Balkana Seattle Balkan Camp, the Texas Camp, the East European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music & Dance Workshops, and the Seattle Folk Dance Festival. John has also worked with many folklore ensembles across the United States and Canada. He most recently choreographed for the Ban Jelačić Croatian Dance Ensemble of Penticton, B.C., Canada; Hrvatski Vitezovi; Sarajevo of Vancouver; and Zagreb of Victoria, B.C., Canada, and Ethnic Dance Theatre of Minneapolis. MN. Dances John has taught include Kabanica i Seksera, Grizlica, H’ajd Na Lievo, Mazulka, Okrani Se Moje Kolo Malo, Repa, Sad Moi Dragi u Šumi Kod Koza, Saljsko Kolo, Slavonsko Kukunješče, Sroteš, Sˇ’tiri Snehe, Tanac po Susasko, Veloluški Tanac, and Žena Ide Na Gosti.

Michael Ginsburg

Michael Ginsburg began teaching Balkan folk-dance in 1964 in New York City and now teaches a weekly dance class there. He plays tapan with Cherven Traktor, a band that plays Bulgarian folk music on traditional instruments. He also plays trumpet with Kavala Brass Band, a band specializing in the Brass music of Aegean Macedonia. Michael has been director and lead trumpet player of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band since 1983. He accompanied ZU to brass festivals in Guča, Serbia, three times between 1987 and 1990, as well as in 2003 and 2005, where he and ZU were able to play and party with local brass bands and experience the music in its natural setting. Michael and Zlatne Uste worked with Ekrem Sajdić and Zlatni Prsti brass band in 2003, and in 2005 with Vranjski Biseri, both in Vranjska Banja, Serbia. Michael performed in the summer of 2010 with Zlatne Uste at the first competition of international bands at the Sabor Trubača in Guča, Serbia, representing the United States.

Yannis Konstantinou

Yannis Konstantinou, is an internationally recognized teacher and researcher of Greek Macedonian Dances and culture. He has taught workshops extensively throughout Europe and the USA. Yannis is the current president of the highly respected dance association “Lygkistes” which has performed extensively throughout Europe. Yannis also served as the artistic director and instructor for Lykeion Ellinidion Florinas, teaching over 200 dancers of all ages on a weekly basis, as well as teaching at many Cultural Associations

Yannis’ 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. He is deeply committed to preserving and sharing the rich traditions, culture, music and dance of this region.

For details visit http://kolofestival.org

Registration

Online Viewing

Many have asked if California Kolo Festival 2024 will be on Zoom this year.

The simple answer: YES!! The parties on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon will show selected segments both from the Main Hall and the Kafana. If you want to get a taste of Kolo Festival, register and join online here:

View online segments

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