Balkan Dance with Steve Kotansky

Presented by the East European Folklife Center

The Class

Dancer and dance scholar Steve Kotansky will focus on “traditional” dances—dances as they are or were being done recently by various ethnic groups (rural and urban) from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Western Bulgaria (i.e. Shope and Pirin). We will explore  simple, basic dances as well as more complex forms with a variety of mixed rhythms and tempi. Music recordings will range from zurla ensembles to izvoren/bitov (village instruments)  to čalgija (Ottoman-influcenced urban) and modern. The dances will be chosen from a repertoire as performed by village collectives as well as dances featured at weddings and other celebrations with minimal “choreography” or “arrangement.” We will take time to explore variations within the structural context and kinetic content of given regions. Steve will also be open to requests from participants. Recordings and dance descriptions will be posted to the class repertoire page during the week after each class.

The class is targeted to all levels of dancers, and beginners are welcome. The dances presented will range from beginner to intermediate in difficulty.

This event has a suggested fee of $15 for a single class, or $50 for the 4-class series. Anything you can give will be more than welcome, but if you’re experiencing financial hardship and cannot afford to pay, we hope our events will give you respite from your worries and become a highlight in your week. Your presence is gift enough!

CLASS DATES:

Mondays, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16 and 11/23/2020
— 8:00 – 9:15 p.m. Eastern
— 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Pacific

Classes will be conducted via Zoom.
Register here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/EastEuropeanFolklifeCenter/BalkanDanceWithSteveKotansky
Dancers of all levels are welcome. Please register one time only, at least 2 hours before your first class.

Sponsored by the EEFC!