✦ES-BAL✦TRAD✦ embraces the challenge of uniting Bulgarian folk music with the richness of balfolk culture, creating an exhilarating atmosphere of friendship, smiles, music, and dance. Balfolkaria, supported by the Cervantes Cultural Institute in Sofia, invites you to immerse yourself in an unforgettable experience.
PART 1: DANCE WORKSHOPS with Dimo Slavchev from Divlya and Juanfe Carrasco
11:00 Coffee and introduction

11:30 Introduction to uneven Bulgarian rhythms

12:00 Bulgarian folk dances - kopanitsa, shirto, ginka, paidushko horo, and many others.

14:00 Lunch

15:00 Afternoon coffee and warm-up

15:30 Balfolk dances with Juanfe Carrasco - mazurka, scottish-foho, and others.

18:00 Dinner
PART 2: DANCE BALL with Bal do Mero and Div Plet
20:00 Doors open

20:30 Bal do Mero, Spain

22:00 Div Plet, Bulgaria

23:00 Jam Session

Food and drinks during the event are welcomed with conscious consumption. Everyone can bring their own or/and to share with others. We will have prepared some traditional banitsa and home made rakia and wine to try.
*The program may undergo minor changes; we will keep you informed!!!
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Dimo Slavchev has been the leader of the Divlya folk dance club since 2006; he is also the choreographer of the representative group of Bulgarian folk dances "Divlya" at the Science and Nature Cultural Center since 2010.
Juanfe Carrasco, passionate about guitar, singing, and rhythms since adolescence, explored dance styles such as flamenco and contemporary dance. Until he discovered balfolk and the tremendous possibilities this dance family offers, both for delving into European musical traditions and hybridizing them with other dance styles. He has attended balfolk concerts, workshops, and festivals since 2010 and has been conducting national and international workshops for over ten years.
"Div Plet" includes Lou Carrig on accordion, Isabel Sokol-Oxman on gadulka and violin, Damian Diaz Merlis on guitar, and Stiu Ivanov on percussion and kaval. The members come from different parts of the world, including Ireland, the USA, Argentina, and Bulgaria, but they all share a passion for traditional Bulgarian music.
"Bal do Mero" is a trio of violin, clarinet, and accordion born from the restlessness and love of three musicians for folk music and dance. Sara Caballero, Rodrigo Nosequé, and Silvia von Nadie decide to shape this underwater folk fable for which they compose songs with various rhythms, always inspired by the weightlessness of the seabed. A diverse repertoire of waltzes, mazurkas, pasodobles, jotas, and muñeiras.