We would like to invite you to the upcoming series of events under the title Balkan Spring Festival 2023 Dance & Sing Workshops.
Co-sponsored this year by: Ensemble Balkanske Igre, Bulgarica, & Vivanov Dance Group.
The annual Chicago Spring Festival of Eastern European Dance and Music always strives to showcase the best dancers, singers, and musicians in concert and workshops during its weekend long festival that attracts participants from across the U.S., Canada, and even Europe.
Events will take place:
April 21, 2023 Friday @ 7pm – Mini workshop, dinner & party
$20/cover charge/person
Balkanika Restaurant – 1414 Oakton St, Des Plaines, IL
April 22, 2023 Saturday – Saturday Workshops: 11am-4pm
Bulgarian Center “Bulgarica”, 1120 S Elmhurst Rd, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
Program:
11am – 12:30pm: Dance Class with Valentin and Tanya Ivanov
1pm – 2:30:pm: Dance Class with John and Galya Quo
3pm – 4pm: Signing Class with Iliana Georgieva
Seminar Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSfQWJV0Flin81…/viewform
April 23, 2023 Sunday
– Workshops: 11pm-4pm
Bulgarian center “Bulgarica”
1120 S Elmhurst Rd, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
– Dinner at 6pm
Restaurant Mehanata
1141 Lee St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Friday to Sunday Workshops, Parties, Culture Sessions with Master Teachers & Artists Dance Workshops: Valentin & Tanya Ivanov (Bulgarian), Galia Miloucheva (Pirin), John Kuo (Balkan), Singing Workshops: Iliana Georgieva (Bulgarian).
SATURDAY MAIN EVENTS:
April 22, 2023
5pm – 7pm Concert
Visit Spring Festival 2023 – Concert event:
https://bulgarica.org/events/spring-festival-2023-concert
8pm – 2am, Dinner & Dance Party – Dance and Music from all regions of the Balkans and Eastern Europe/Mediterranean.
After Party Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/…/balkanske-igre-folk…
For more information and registration for the events, visit the Ensemble Balkanske Igre website: https://www.balkanskeigre.org/registration.html
Dance Teachers
Valentin & Tania Ivanov are directors of the most dynamic and exciting Vivanov Bulgarian performance dance group. They also teach weekly dance classes sponsored by the Bulgarica Cultural Center. Valentin and Tania are two of the most talented dancers and choreographers for Bulgarian folk dance today, in or out of Bulgaria. Their dance troupe had previously performed to great acclaim at the 2019 Spring Festival at the International House of the University of Chicago.
Galia Miloucheva Kuo and John Kuo, co-directors of the dance ensemble Balkanske Igre in Chicago, are long-time teachers and performers of Balkan folklore, specializing in Bulgarian and Macedonian dance as well as the old-time kolos of the Croatian and Serbian immigrant communities. Galia grew up immersed in the music and dance culture of her native Pirin-Macedonian region in Bulgaria. She studied folklore with Bratoy Bratoyev and, before emigrating to the US, danced with Ensemble “Pirintsi” at the Neofit Rilski Southwestern Bulgarian University.
Galia and John are among the most experienced teachers working not only with American and Canadian enthusiasts of Balkan dance, but with a dozen folklore groups in the ethnic Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian communities, and even teaching at Goran Alachki’s Macedonian Pearl Seminar in Berovo, Macedonia, as well as for workshops in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.
Music Teachers
Iliana Georgieva is a Bulgarian-born singer and a member of the generation of musicians that migrated to the “New World.” A graduate of the National School of Folk Arts in Shiroka Lâka, she continued her studies at the Academy of Musical and Dance Arts in Plovdiv, where she trained until her arrival in the USA. Iliana Georgieva has performed with several groups including Balkan Voices, Ivan Milev Balkan folk Band, The Voices of Little Bulgaria Chicago, and Trio Charodea.
Dimitâr Stankov, an accomplished player of the kaval, was born in the city of Stara Zagora in the Thracian region. From the third grade he began learning to play kaval, inspired by his grandfather, Nikola Stankov, a famous kaval master from the Yambol region. One could say that Dimitâr has had a lifelong passion for and immersion in the rich folk traditions of Bulgaria and, especially, his native Thracian region. Since his arrival in the US, Dimitâr has performed in concert and for dance parties at Ensemble Balkanske Igre’s annual Spring Festival in Chicago.
Guided by master dance teachers and inspired by virtuoso musicians you will want to dance, sing, and jam all weekend long! Be enthralled by splendid performances of music and dance at the Saturday evening concert, and then enjoy great dancing on a sprung oak floor to exhilarating live music. Our sizzling parties are renowned coast-to-coast and have proven equally popular among dancers, world music fans, and the Balkan and Eastern European communities. Bring your family and friends too!
Join us for an unforgettable weekend full of music, songs and dances from the Balkans.