Cherven Traktor at Bloomsburg University with a potluck and dance party afterwards at the Milk Palrour Ballroom, Saturday September 10th, 6pm on

The Susquehanna International Folk Dancers and Bloomsburg University's International Student Association are super excited to invite to an evening filled with South Slavic music and dance lead by
Cherven Tractor (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherven-Traktor/103259283107958), a New York based ensemble specializing in music from Bulgaria, Macedonia, and southern Serbia. The event will kick start an international folk dance prog...ram taking place every Sunday from 4-6 pm at the Centennial Hall dance studio beginning September 18th. All our welcome!

We will start the evening off with an outdoor concert and dancing at Bloomsburg University's Scranton Commons (cafeteria) amphitheater from 6 till 7 pm. Come by, stay for a bit or for the whole show, listen to some excellent tunes you might have never heard before and join the dance line if you wish!

We will follow the festivities with an evening dance party beginning at 8 pm at the Milk Parlour Ballroom located on rt 42, 6 miles outside of Bloom. See the side panel for directions to the Ballroom. Bring a dish/drink, come to dance and/or socialize. Donations at the door. Contact me if you would like to carpool.

Cherven Tractor ("red tractor") was formed in 2009 by two preeminent Balkan families in New York: Nikolai Kolev & Donka Koleva, masters of village music of Bulgaria, and Michael Ginsburg & Belle Birchfield, noted musicians from the Serbian brass band Zlatne Uste. The four are also highly regarded teachers at and strong supporters of the Eastern European Folklife Center (EEFC). In forming the band, they wished to both preserve the authentic traditional music of the South Slavic region and also to create a new, pan-Slavic music appropriate for listening and dancing.

Michael Ginsburg, the ensemble member and a renowned dance master will also lead a beginning Balkan dance workshop the following day, Sunday, Sept. 11th from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Centennial Hall dance studio at Bloomsburg University.

It is such a treat for Bloomsburg to have this talented group of musicians and dancers stop by on their tour! With three events to choose from you have no excuse not to attend:) Come to one or (better) all of them! You will not regret!

Saturday:

6-7pm Concert and dancing at Bloomsburg University's Scranton Commons (cafeteria) amphitheater

8pm - ? Dance party at the Milk Palrour Ballroom on rt. 42

Sunday:

10am-12 noon Basic Balkan dance workshop with dance master Michael Ginsburg at the Centennial Hall dance studio at Bloomsburg University.


Looking forward to dancing with you!!!

Kabile Traditional Wedding Band in Bloomsburg,PA Sunday, August 15th, 2010 4:00 pm - ?

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

4:00 pm

Followed by a potluck dinner around 6:30pm

(bring a dish to share) and after dinner dancing.

1996 Millville Rd. (Rt. 42)

Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815

(see directions on the side panel)

Donations: $10

Students and seniors $5
children –FREE

“Kabile Traditional Wedding Band” was formed in 1978 and became one of the most popular bands in Thrace. Based in the city of Yambol, the group took its name from the village of Kabile, where they performed one of their earliest gigs. The group specialized in performing native music on traditional village instruments, resulting in an acoustic experience quite different from that played on Western instruments influenced by American jazz. This form of Bulgarian wedding music has attracted worldwide attention and scholarship for its incredible virtuosity and musicianship. During its heyday, the band played almost every weekend at weddings, baptisms and cultural festivals in Thrace.

The band plays all the instruments of a traditional Bulgarian village band. The gaida is a bagpipe made of goat skin and pipes. The tapan is a large wooden drum covered with sheep or goat skin and played with two specially designed drumming sticks: the kukuda is a pipe-shaped stick of walnut and the pračka is a thin switch, usually made of dogwood or willow. The kaval is a flute-like instrument open at both ends, played by blowing on the smaller, sharpened end. The gadulka is a pear-shaped string instrument, played vertically in front of the musician. These four instruments have a centuries-old history in Bulgarian folk music; as a “modern” addition, the band also includes the accordion (ca. 1832).

The band’s six members each serve as an outstanding representative of his or her musical specialty.Individually, each member of the band has an exceptional history of scholarship and performance.Collectively they form one of the most respected ensembles in Bulgarian Thrace.

For more info on the band go to http://www.balkandance.net/kabile/

Ahmet Luleci's Collage Dance Ensemble at Bucknell University, February 12, 2010.

Ahmet Luleci's Collage Dance Ensemble, based in Boston and San Francisco, will be making its first appearance in Pennsylvania at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA about 60 miles north of Harrisburg, 50 miles east of State College, and 3 hours from Philly. Great live music TBA. Please join us if you can!!

You can also see Paula's costume design work for the company!

For more information on the performance go to:
http://www.bucknell.edu/x53614.xml

For more information on the Ensemble go to:
http://www.collageusa.org/

Hope to see you there!!!

Party with Vlado a blast!!

Lots of folks came out for Bulgarian dancing to the wonderful music played by Vlado Mollov.

Check out the video courtesy of Mel!!

DANCE PARTY WITH LIVE MUSIC!

Greetings!!


Susquehanna International Folk Dancers invite you to a dance party with extraordinary young talent, accordionist Vlado Mollov.

Day: March 15

Time: 3:00-6:00

Location: Milk Parlor Ballroom, 1996 Millville Rd. Bloomsburg, PA

Contact: Paula Davis @ 570-713-5832 or Oliver Larmi @ 570-784-9339


About Vlado Mollov

Born in 1983 to a family of wedding musicians, Vladimir was inspired by the sounds of the accordion from early childhood. Even at age 18 months he "played" his little accordion alongside his father at a wedding.
At age seven he began accordion lessons with the nationally recognized pedagogue Nadejda Nicheva in Kazanluk, Bulgaria. Later he studied with other nationally- and internationally-acclaimed accordion artists. As a young teen he was taking home top prizes from world-class accordion competitions, and earning praise for his virtuosic performances.
At 13 he participated in an accordion competition in Vladivostok, Russia, and placed fourth. At 15 he placed first in the International Competition for Accordion and Guitar in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria; received fourth place in the World Accordion Competition in Castelfidardo, Italy; and placed second in the national accordion competition in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where he received a special award for virtuosic performance of folk music. During his senior year in high school he received a first award in the national competition for variety music and jazz on accordion in Novi Pazar, Bulgaria.
From 2002 to 2004 he was a member of the Duquesne University Tamburitzans and he performed over 350 shows with the ensemble. He also arranged music for several of the dances and as instrumental numbers on the shows, fulfilled the position of a combo leader and performed a solo piece in every show.
Vladimir is currently working on composing, arranging and recording a solo accordion album featuring folklore, jazz and some new experimental fusion styles. Visit Vlado's MySpace page to learn more and hear music samples.

http://www.myspace.com/vladimirmollov

TreeFest Performance and Practice Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008

Performance
Sat. Nov 29,2008 at 1:30 pm. at the Caldwell Consistory opposite the fountain on Market Street, Bloomsburg.

Rehearsal and costumes
Saturday at 11 am and the Milk Parlour Ballroom. Bring a snack to share. Rosemarie & Oli will make a pot of soup for lunch.

Kabile Bitov Wedding Band U.S. tour stops for night at Bloomsburg's Milk Parlour Ballroom Wed. Sept 3rd, 2008

The Kabile musicians lounged on Rosemarie's hammock strung between the pear tree and flowering crab apple, while Gary, Jackie, and I set up our big sound system, the tables, and the chairs for our pot luck. They said they enjoyed very much many of the tracks played at random on our C.D. jukebox, while we finished preparations. Yet, after a couple dozen guests had arrived and the Kabile musicians began to play, I felt like throwing all my C.D.s away, they sounded so good.

My ears were drawn, in particular, to the tapan player named Angel Krastev, who added wondrous ornaments on both sides of his drum to the rhythms of each piece.

Soon half the crowd began dancing a long pravo and then a lesnoto, at the end of which, Nikolay, the kaval player, called out for requests. Knowing he was from Thrace, I shouted, "Trakijska Rachenitsa." When the music began, filling the valley, Gary and Jackie joined me in dancing this rachenitsa to a great, but unfamiliar tune.

Paula's Bulgarian student, Mariya, arrived with two friends. She led a number of dances and added improvisations, especially from at the end of the line. Not to be outdone Rumen and Anna, our older Bulgarian friends, also stepped out to lead. At one point the whole crowd danced around Kabile, accompanying Donka Koleva's fine vocals.

As the evening sunlight faded into darkness, the stars came out. I lit candles under globes, one of which I set in front of the band, which continued to play well into the night while we danced around them. It reminded me about dancing around many campfires in Koprivshchitza. Jeremy, ever the sound technician, safely tucked away the speaker cables so no one tripped.

During the after party that continued in the house, I asked, "Why do Bulgarian musicians play so well in the dark?" " Because they play with their hearts, not their eyes," I answered.

15th Sedeljka Report

Our 15th Sedeljka began as a garden party under the willow by the pond as the children happily tumbled in and out of Rosemarie's hammock strung between the flowering pear trees. Bonnie in Bulgarian dress greeted the many guests with bread and chubritsa spiced salt while Zima played Balkan and Russian numbers. Jeannie Masich and Bodo Band II also later played and Greenwood Friends School students danced on the grass. Matt Smith played MAKDONSKO DEVOJCHE on his tuba accompanied by John Matulis on his accordion while Melinda Hunt and Dottie Yacek sang. Balkan delicacies and good drink were consumed late into the night in the Milk Parlour to music for listening and dancing. Many new friends were made and $2300 were raised to benefit victims of war and ethnic cleansing on 4 continents.