Balkan Music &
Dance Workshops

Every summer the EEFC presents two week-long summer camps. Follow the links below to read all about and register for the 2024 workshops!

June 15-22, 2024
More info…

August 10-17, 2024
More info…


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Since the beginning the East European Folklife Center has depended on you—our big-hearted community!




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Stay in Touch

There’s more than one way to stay connected to the EEFC throughout the year. Subscribe to our email Newsletter for monthly updates. Join the Discussion List (an active email group with searchable archives since 1993). Send us a message.


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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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Kids at Camp!

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


Scholarships

We award full scholarships to our in-person workshops.
Find out more


Partners

The EEFC is proud to partner with sister organizations, including the Bulgarian Folk Music & Dance Seminar.

Jesse Kotansky

Violin

Violinist Jesse Alexander Kotansky, son of folk dance instructors Stephen and Susan Kotansky, grew up surrounded by Balkan music and dance. Having attended just about every EEFC Balkan Music & Dance Workshop since 1987, Jesse was immediately drawn to the violin and had his very first lesson with Beth Bahia Cohen. He has studied in Turkey with Hüsnü Tuzsuz and Nedim Nalbantoğlu, in Macedonia with Goran Alački and Bajsa Arifovska; studied the oud with Ara Dinkjian; and has developed a long-standing musical bond with Raif Hyseni and Merita Halili, performing and recording with their ensemble. Jesse has bridged many genres of music as a recording artist and performer with East of the River, Ivan Milev, Édessa, Ara Dinkjian, Brenna MacCrimmon, Eva Salina Primack, Adam Good, Seido Salifoski, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Billy Gibbons, Teddy Thompson, and J Mascis. Jesse is the founder of the New York-based Balkan project Which Way East, as well as the co-founder of the indie-rock band Walking Shapes, whose most recent album Taka Come On received excellent reviews.