Folk Dance Federation of California

Hungarian Christmas Fair
2025-12-20 17:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hungarian Cultural Center, 35660 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA, 94560, United States
For the first time, Eszterlánc — in collaboration with the Hungarian Cultural Center — is bringing the magical atmosphere of Budapest’s and Europe’s Christmas markets to the San Francisco Bay Area!
Join us on Saturday, December 20th at 5:00 PM at the Hungarian Cultural Center in Newark for a warm and festive holiday afternoon.
Dress warmly!
Program includes:

artisan market and creative workshops
homemade holiday treats
mulled wine
hot chocolate
Christmas cultural program
community caroling
traditional Hungarian dance house

Celebrate with us and soak in the holiday spirit — mark your calendar so you don’t miss it!
Admission is free.

NFO Conference 2026
2026-03-05 - 2026-03-08 | Old Murphey School, Shared Visions Retreat Center, 3717 Murphy School Road, Durham, NC, 27705, United States
Annual NFO Meeting and Conference 2026
March 5 – 8, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina
Save the date!
Arrive in time for the Welcoming Reception on Thursday evening. Friday starts out with the NFO Annual Membership. The rest of the weekend will be full of presentations, workshops, performances, and parties, and the Awards Banquet on Saturday evening. Plan to stay through Monday morning for the post-conference debrief.
We hope you will join us in Durham for three+ days of cultural activities, events, and friends, including:

Presentations
Dance instruction
Music workshops
Evening dance parties
Workshops
Performances
Live music
Singing
Networking opportunities
Awards banquet
Annual business meeting

Presenters
Many more presenters and performers will be announced, but here’s a preview of our exciting program.

Phil Jamison – Appalachian Dance Traditions
Erik Bendix – International Dancing
Sheila Kay Adams – Storytelling
Ben Owen – Pottery
Triangle Shape Note Singers – Singing
Apple Chill Cloggers – Dancing
Debby Szajnberg – NFO Grant Report: Global Rhythm Games

Registration opens November 28, 2025. More info will be posted to the website as updates are available.
For ongoing updates in programming, schedule, and registration visit the NFO 2026 Conference Web Page.

Bay Area Dance Week 2026
2026-04-24 - 2026-05-03 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States
Save the date! Bay Area Dance Week is 10 days of free dance events celebrating our dynamic and diverse Bay Area dance community. Watch inspiring artists, practice your own style, or discover a new groove. Participating each year is easy and everything is free.
Event hosts around the Bay Area can submit free events to take place during Dance Week, ranging from classes, performances, open studios, workshops, and more.
Participants can explore the Bay Area Dance Week Hub to sign up for free events and customize their own Dance Week experience. Become a free community member to receive updates on Bay Area Dance Week and stay in the know about dance jobs, auditions, performances, discounts, and more.
Whether hip hop, hula, salsa, aerial, folk, modern, Bollywood, ballet, West African, or many more – Join together in dance, regardless of cultural background, race, faith, size, shape, sexuality, gender, or ability or age.

Mosaic Festival
2026-06-06 11:00 - 18:00 | History Park, Phelan Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95112, United States
Experience the diverse cultures from our very own neighborhoods: food, arts, crafts, healing practices, vendors, music, dance, and more! Presented by Mosaic America, in partnership with History San José.
Celebrate the American mosaic of cultures at the Mosaic Festival in Silicon Valley at San José’s very own History Park through multicultural music, martial arts, dance, vendors, visual art, and activities. This destination event is a journey that welcomes each of us to honor our unique history while also co-creating a vision of our shared future of belonging, healing, and harmony.
Mosaic America and its partners encourage you to come as you are. This free event is for ALL, no prerequisites: We are committed to intentionally creating a space for empathy and compassion where everyone is welcome.
For more details and schedule visit http://mosaicfestival.org
Register

Statewide 2026
2026-06-12 - 2026-06-14 | First Christian Church, Chico, 295 E Washington Avenue, Chico, 95926, United States
The 2026 Statewide Folk Dance Festival, the highly-anticipated annual weekend festival of folk dance and parties, returns June 12-14, 2026 in Chico California. This year’s Statewide theme is “Village Dance-What is it anyway?”
Statewide 2026 features

Ahmet Luleci (Turkish dance)
“Kotse” Marinov (Bulgarian dance)
Petar Aleksiev (Bulgarian music)
Evening parties dancing to live music by Da! Mozhem
And more…

Instructors and Band
Ahmet Luleci
Ahmet Luleci – Turkish Dance
A native of Turkey, Ahmet is an accomplished choreographer, dance teacher and performer as well as a researcher of Anatolian culture. He is currently the artistic director of the Boston based Collage Dance Ensemble, which allows him to further his goal of making folk dance and music accessible to a wider audience.
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…
Konstantine “Kotse” Marinov – Bulgarian Dance
Konstantine “Kose” Marinov
Konstantin “Kotse” Marinov is from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. From the age of five he performed with Ensemble Zagorche. Kotse was born into a dancing family; he and his father, mother, and sister all have dancing in their blood! His father is a choreographer, and is a long-time soloist of the Military Ensemble in Sofia. His mother dances with the Ensemble Zagore.
In 1987, Kotse entered the State Choreographic School (now the National School of Dance Arts) in Sofia, graduating with a diploma as artist/ballet dancer and teacher of dance arts. He has danced as a soloist with Ensemble Zagore and the Ensemble Slănčev Brjag, was assistant choreographer with the Ensemble Zornitsa, and he toured with both Slănčev Brjag and Zagore in Europe, Canada, and the United States.
In 2000 Kotse emigrated to the United States and settled in the Chicago area, where he established several Bulgarian folklore clubs that preserve and nurture Bulgarian folk dance and folklore in a dynamic way.
Kotse organizes annual festivals in Chicago that feature multiple Bulgarian folk ensembles and cultural groups under the umbrella and name of his Vereya dance ensemble. Kotse has produced other concerts and festivals in North America and Europe. Read more…
Petar Aleksiev – Bulgarian Music
Petar Aleksiev
Petar “Usmivkata” (The Smile) Aleksiev was born in Varna, Bulgaria. He graduated from “Philip Kutev” Music School in Kotel, then from Plovdiv’s Academy for Music and Dance Arts. He was part of the representative folk orchestra of the Plovdiv Academy. There he received his master’s degree in Music Arts with honors, specializing in bagpipe.
While he was at school Petar accompanied the world-known Grammy-winning women’s choir Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares. He has participated in many groups in numerous projects, and has played with the most famous musicians and bands in Bulgaria. Petar has made recordings with the Bulgarian National Radio, and Bulgarian National Television. He has participated in many international projects, folklore events, and festivals in Greece, Italy, Malta, Israel, Netherlands, Belgium, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, and elsewhere. Petar frequently composes for dance groups and bands, and is a member of the UNESCO International Organization for Folk Art.
Since 2008 Petar has been living in Chicago, where he performs with Kolorit Orchestra, Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society, and plays Bulgarian, Greek, and Macedonian music at various events and camps. Read more…
Da! Mozhem
Da! Mozhem at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival
Da! Mozhem plays and sings high-energy pan-Balkan music for the joy of dancing. D!M is a group of friends who have been playing together for well over a decade. The group has veterans from many excellent folklore bands such as the People’s International Silver String Macedonian Band, Born to Drone, Westwind, Sviraci, and the Slavonian Traveling Band. The band plays with emphasis on Bulgarian, Macedonian, and ex-Yugoslav traditions. Several members frequently travel to the Balkans to learn more about the folkloric music of the region. The group plays on traditional instruments unique to the region as well as modern instruments.

Schedule

Venues

Fri-Sat: First Christian Church, 295 E Washington Avenue, Chico, CA
Sun: Chico Women’s Club, Third & Pine Streets, Chico, CA

Hotel
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chico
Our host hotel is Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chico, 2074 E 20th St, Chico, CA 95928. Conveniently located off Highway 99 and a short drive from Chico State University, the hotel offers easy access to stunning landscapes and charming local attractions, including Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Silver Dollar Speedway, and Bidwell Park. This three-star hotel features a free breakfast, fitness center, pool, wi-fi, laundry, business center, on-site parking, outdoor patio with cozy fire pit, and quality coffee anytime. The hotel is about a 10min drive from either of our dance venues.
Reservations: 1 888 465 4329. Ask for the “Statewide 2026” rate of $139. More details…

Registration
Lodging should be purchased separately. Recommended group pricing available. As of January, unless changed, the Saturday catered meal option is Greek/Mediterranean cuisine.
Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the 2026 Statewide “Early Bird” full package deadlines: $180 until March 8th, then $200 afterward until April 30th, and $240 thereafter.

Online Registration
Register online today!

Mail-In Registration
2026 Statewide Registration Form
Do NOT mail after June 6th, instead pay at door. Make checks payable to FOLK DANCE FEDERATION. Send completed registration form with your check postmarked by the deadline to:
Statewide Registrar
153 Race Street
San Jose, CA 95126
Please write one check for registration and additional offerings.
Short of funds? For work scholarships contact Memo Keswick.
The Federation also has a Scholarship Program that helps pay for tuition. More details…
Masks optional and proof of vaccination requirements will follow CDC, State, and County COVID regulations at the time of the event.

NFO Conference 2027
2027-04-07 - 2027-04-11 | Old Murphey School, Shared Visions Retreat Center, 3717 Murphy School Road, Durham, NC, 27705, United States
Annual NFO Meeting and Conference 2027
April 7 – 11, 2027 in Twin Cities, Minnisota
Save the date!
The NFO Conference in Twin Cities, MN will be presented in conjunction with IFest-MN – International Festival of Minnesota
For ongoing updates in programming, schedule, and registration visit the NFO 2027 Conference Web Page.
