Monthly Balkan Café at 118 Elliot St: international music, traditional dance, and food. Come to join in the dancing, listen to the music or just hang out and have a good time! Easy, beginner-friendly dances will be scattered throughout the afternoon with light teaching. Live music by MerakKef Express. All levels welcome! Suggested donation $12. More information 802-257-9513 or Facebook.com/BrattleboroFolkDance

MerakKef Express is a recently formed group of singers and instrumentalists who play folk-dance music from around the world, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe. Our music is mostly dance tunes from Bulgaria, Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republics (Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia), Romania, Hungary, Albania, Israel, Turkey, Armenia and a few others. Songs are sung in the language of the country of origin in authentic vocal style. Band members attend workshops and music camps to learn the tunes, songs and musical styles of the Balkan region.
Band members have many decades combined experience playing Balkan, International, Klezmer, and early music as well as classical music.
Joe Blumenthal string bass, percussion
Kitty Kagay vocals, percussion
Karen Klevanosky saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet, kaval, percussion, vocals
Barbara MacLean clarinet, tambura (Bulgarian and Macedonian mandolins), vocals, percussion
Bob Schulz laouto (large Greek mandolin), guitar, tambura (Bulgarian and Macedonian mandolins), vocals
Debby Szajnberg violin, vocals, percussion