Turkish dancing at
Afendi's Restaurant in Petaluma!

I'm just back from Balkan Camp where I took fabulous classes with Michael Ginsburg and Yuliyan Yordanuv! I learned many wonderful new dances that I hope to teach in the fall including Dolgoto Oro, Chanugulovo, Turkish Ramo, Shopska Ruchenitsa, and Padez Cacak.

Summer Dancing continues in Petaluma at Herman Sons Hall, 860 Western Avenue on Mondays 7-9:15 p.m. through August 9. Come drop-in on a Monday night any time; bring your requests. And if you want to learn to Salsa Dance, I'll be teaching a 3-week session at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes from July 7-21.

Summer dancing continues at Herman Sons Hall, 860 Western Avenue, Petaluma, on Mondays 7-9:15 p.m. through August 7. Come with your requests! Beginners through advanced dancers always welcome to drop-in any time.

You can also come join a new 3-week Salsa class session at the Dance Palace, 503 B Street, Point Reyes, on Wednesdays 7:15-8:15 p.m., from July 7-21. Great rhythms and music! Learn some basic moves, how to lead and/or follow, and how to just feeling comfortable dancing to the music with your partner.

In Point Reyes, we are learning three wonderful, classic folk dances: Vulpita (Rumania), Jove Male Momaj (Bulgaria), and Ravno Oro (Macedonia). Videos of these dances, as well as other dances taught in 2010, are posted in the "Dance Videos" section of this blog. The Point Reyes class continues through Wednesday, June 12.

Summer dancing starts in Petaluma on June 7 and continues on Mondays 7-9:15 p.m. through August 9. Come with your requests! Beginners to advanced dancers are all welcome; this is a great opportunity to just drop-in and see how much fun international folk dancing can be.

You can also join me when I teach a Balkan dance class at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival at 450 30th Avenue (near Geary), San Francisco, on Saturday, June 12, at 3 p.m. The event features a wonderful variety of dance and music, including an evening folk dance party from 6-8 p.m. with live music by Vecernica.

The spring session of Monday night folk dancing in Petaluma continues through May 3. During the next two weeks, I will be reviewing all the dances I've taught this session:

• Valle Pogonishte, Moj Maro Moj Marine -- Albania
• Papuri - Armenia
• Sandansko Horo, Bucimis, Trite Pati, Dzangurica - Bulgaria
• Lo Brisa Pe - France
• Sfarlis - Greece
• Erev Shel Shoshanim, Klezmer, Hashoshana Parochat, Bat Teiman - Israel
• Cimpoi, Rustemul, Hora Fetelor, Hora Lautarilor - Rumania
• Djurdevka, Pljeskavac Kolo- Serbia
• Ordu, Oropa - Turkey

The last Petaluma class on May 3 will be our traditional end-of-session party. I will teach a 5-week session in Point Reyes on Wednesdays 7:15-8:30 p.m. from May 19-June 12. Summer Dancing in Petaluma will start on June 7 and continue through August 9.

New three-week class sessions will be starting up in Point Reyes on Wednesday, April 7-21. From 6-7 p.m., I'll be teaching Salsa - basic rhythms, simple moves, leading and following techniques. From 7:15-8:30 p.m., the focus will be dances from Bulgaria, Rumania, and Serbia (including both a Thracian and Shope racenica, U Cest, and Rustemul). Beginners and newcomers are always welcome; no need to come with a partner.

Monday night classes continue in Petaluma through May 3. In the next few weeks, I'll be teaching Bat Teiman (Israel) and Dzangurica (Bulgaria), and reviewing all the dances we've learned this session. Drop-ins are always welcome.

And I hope to see you all at our annual Petaluma Folk Dance Party on Saturday, April 10, 8-11 p.m. at Herman Sons Hall, 860 Western Avenue, Petaluma. The first hour will be dancing to old and new recorded favorites; after that, there will be wonderful live Balkan music with Verna Druzhina.

We're learning Valle Pogonishte in both Point Reyes and Petaluma. This is a dance to Albanian music, choreographed by Yves Moreau (a wonderful folk dance teacher who primarily focuses on Bulgarian dance). The dance is based on the traditional Albanian pogonishte step - very much like a Greek sta dyo, in SQQ rhythm, but with a lighter and bouncier style.

There has been much discussion recently in Let's Dance magazine about the value of dancing choreographed dances versus traditional classic dances (though the distinction between one and the other is often subjective). My focus in teaching is find dances that I love, done to wonderful music, whether they be absolutely traditional or not. This dance is indeed choreographed, to great music, and it's wonderfully fun to do.