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Balkan Music &
Dance Workshops

Every summer the EEFC presents two week-long workshops. Follow the links below to read all about them and to register!

June 28-July 5, 2025
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August 9-16, 2025
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Kids at Camp!

Our in-person workshops are a great experience for families. Get the scoop to ensure everyone has a blast!



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Get the FAQs

Find out almost everything you always wanted to know about the EEFC’s in-person Balkan camps.
FAQs


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EEFC Online Workshops

In keeping with the virtual demands of our modern times, EEFC is excited to sponsor a changing selection of live online class series, taught by our beloved workshop teachers, as well as one-off special events and movie screenings. All classes and events are held on Zoom and require one-time pre-registration. Zoom meeting information will be provided to registrants before each class (see FAQs below).

Unless otherwise noted, each 4-week course costs $60. We also offer a low-income tuition option as well as a Pay-It-Forward option in case you have the means to throw in a little extra to keep our online programs thriving. See each series’ registration form for details.

Not the right time to join a class? Consider a donation of any size to EEFC to help keep our programs running. Thank you!

 

March 2025

The Nuance of Unaccompanied Yiddish Song with Ethel Raim

The focus of this course will be on the repertoire of unaccompanied East European Yiddish lyrical love songs, ballads, and lullabies. Often embellished by vocal scoops and slides, cadences that trail off, and other vocal gestures, the form is largely characeterized by nuanced expressivity and a compelling intimacy rarely heard in other folk traditions. Ethel will teach songs from the repertoires of several noted traditional singers, including Lifshe Schaecter-Widman, Harry and Sylvia Ary, and Ita Taub.

Tuesdays, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, and 3/25/25- 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. Pacific, 5:00 p.m. Mountain, 6:00 p.m. Central, 7:00 p.m. Eastern

Register here at least 2 hours before class time. We offer a sliding-scale set of fees. See the registration form for full info.

 

A Bouquet of Southern Balkan Dances with Steve Kotansky

Steve will present a “variegated bouquet” of dances primarily from Bulgaria, Albania, and North Macedonia, with possible excursions into Greece. We will explore simple, basic dances as well as more complex forms with a variety of mixed rhythms and tempi. 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.

Mondays, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, and 3/31/25 – 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central, 8:00 p.m. Eastern

Register here at least 2 hours before class time. We offer a sliding-scale set of fees. See the registration form for full info.

 

Gadulka with Angel Dobrev

Angel is offering a rare opportunity targeted primarily to players with some experience to share in a thorough exploration of Bulgarian gadulka style and technique. Sheet music will be provided, and during the learning process the class will focus on sound, bowing technique, and ornamentation. Beginner gadulka players are welcome to attend and observe the class, as Angel will prepare material suitable for all levels of students.

Wednesdays, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, and 4/2/25 – 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central, 8:00 p.m. Eastern

Register here at least 2 hours before class time. We offer a sliding-scale set of fees. See the registration form for full info.

 

 

Past Online Classes & Events

Click here to see a list of completed virtual courses and events on our Facebook page!

 

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

When will I receive the Zoom link?
To maintain cybersecurity, a new Zoom meeting number and password will be sent each week at least two hours before each class starts. Please begin to sign into the meeting no earlier than 15 minutes before our start time. A moderator will be available to assist you. If there is a sound/lighting check with the teacher in progress, please wait until we’re finished to unmute and begin your greetings!

 

How long are the classes?
Generally each class runs 75 minutes. Other events, such as lectures or movie screenings, may have different durations.
 

Will music and video be provided?
Each teacher has the option to make source materials available on password-protected pages. Password access to class materials pages will be provided in your registration confirmation and in the emails sent out at least two hours before each class. Password-protected links to streaming videos of each completed class will be provided to students separately via email.
 

What if I have to miss a class, or can only attend offline because of my schedule or time zone?
No problem! Links to streaming videos will be provided to registered students the day after each live class. All video links will be active for three months after the last class in the series.
 

I signed up for a course and went to the first class, but it just isn’t what I expected, and I don’t wish to complete the course. Can I get a refund for the remaining classes?
We aim to please! Contact the EEFC office and we’ll work it out.
 

I registered, and class is about to start, and I still haven’t gotten my Zoom link! Help!
Alas, sometimes our information emails end up in spam or junk folders. Please check there first, and if you still can’t find the email, contact the office and we’ll get you sorted out!