Events generally in Northern California
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Kolo Festival 2026
2026 will be the 75th 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, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Norway, Romany communities, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.
Schedule
Dance Instructors
Ahmet Lüleci
Dances of Turkey
Ahmet Luleci
Since arriving in North America in 1985, he has taught many workshops and camps throughout the United States as well as Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Holland, England, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Norway, Italy, Spain and Australia. He has set innumerable suites of dances for the stage working with dance organizations around the world. Read more…
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…
Tanya Dimitrov
Bulgarian, Romani and Turkish Dance
Tanya Dimitrov’s journey into the world of dance began at the age of six in the small village of Petarch, Bulgaria, where traditional music and dance were a vibrant part of daily life. Inspired by her father, who instilled in her a profound love for Bulgarian culture, Tanya knew from an early age that dance was her true calling — the only path she ever wished to follow. She pursued this passion with unwavering dedication, training at the prestigious National School of Dance Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a specialization in Bulgarian folk dances. Tanya continued her education, earning an MFA in Dance from the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts in Bulgaria, an MFA in Dance from Arizona State University, an MA in Creative Enterprise and Cultural Leadership from ASU, and a Masters degree in Business Economics from the University of Plovdiv. Now based in Phoenix, Arizona, Tanya is the Artistic Director of the Balkanik Dance Group and a leading organizer of the Bulgarian Folklore Festival “Tupan Bie.” Her work bridges generations and geographies, celebrating the richness of not only Bulgarian traditions but also the diverse tapestry of Balkan dances. For Tanya, dance is more than performance; it is storytelling, memory, and community made visible. With over two decades of experience, she is dedicated to ensuring that these living traditions are passed on, honoring the past while inspiring new generations to keep the spirit of Bulgarian and Balkan folk dance alive. Read more…
Maria Bebelekova
Bulgarian Singing
Maria Bebelekova from the Bulgarian Rhodope town of Shiroka Luka, learned singing from her mother and grandmother. She studied at the Shiroka Luka Folk Music School and the Plovdiv Conservatory, then returned to her hometown, where she taught at the music school for 15 years. She sang with the Bulgarian women’s choir Angelite for three seasons, and has performed and recorded regularly with other ensembles. Maria teaches kindergarten and singing for adults and children at the Khan Asparuh Bulgarian School in Sunnyvale, CA, and gives private singing lessons in the San Jose, CA area.Read more…
Musicians (aka Performers)
Registration
Registration
Federation members can add or update their upcoming dance events to the calendar by sending event details to events@folkdance.com