If you thought a Gypsy Festival in Switzerland was unlikely, how about a Balkan Camp in the United States?
The East European Folklife Centre organises two eight-day Balkan Music and Dance Camps each summer (one on each coast), one with a general Balkan theme and the other with a special focus on a particular region. The East Coast camp I went to this summer in Maryland had Greece as its focus, but there was an amazing variety of other stuff on offer during the five scheduled class slots each day.
Instrument-wise, people could choose from master classes in gajda, tambura, zurna, kaval, violin, gudulka, clarinet, santouri, tapan, tamburica, Pontic lyra, and doumbek, at beginning, intermediate, and / or advanced levels, as well as Brass, Greek, Bitov, Izvorno, and Trans-Carpathian ensemble classes. Instruments were loaned to those who didn't have or couldn't transport the instrument of their choice. I borrowed a doumbek, on account of coming from so far away, and also a kaval.
The teachers are all extremely talented, acknowledged experts in their fields: I won't name them all here, but they included Alicia Svigals, violinist and founder member of The Klezmatics; Yuri Yunakov, Bulgarian wedding clarinettist who used to play with Ivo Papasov before seeking political asylum in the US; Yiannis Roussos, a santouri player from the Greek communities of the U.S. East Coast; Danilo Yanich, Vlad Popovich and Ray Ranic of the US Serbian and Croatian communities; Michael Ginsburg and other members of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band, and on and on.
Singing classes included Bulgarian with Donka Koleva, Rhodope with Roumen Rodopski, Greek Thracian or Smyrnaic / Rebetika with Carol Freeman, General Balkan with Lauren Brody, or Advanced Rom (Gypsy) with Carol Silverman. Many of the classes performed live in the student concert at the end of the week.
There were also folklore sessions given by the Bulgarians, consisting mainly of folk tales, stories, and jokes ranging from the cryptic to the obscene (sometimes both), often involving vegetables. Cabbages and cucumbers seemed most popular and provided much fodder for jokes during the week, especially at the EEFC benefit auction hosted by Hercules and Xena, where I laughed more than I had all summer.
The classes didn't all conflict with each other, but for me there were some excruciating choices to make. To my own surprise I ended up going more for music and sacrificing some of the dance classes, although there too the temptations were great: Iliana Bozhanova taught Bulgarian with exquisite styling and exhausting variations, Michael Ginsburg taught general Balkan ranging from Macedonian to Serbian to Gypsy, and Steve Kotansky taught impeccably researched Greek dances in his own inimitable style. Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi was also meant to be teaching dance, but an injury prevented him from joining us, so Steve included many dances from Joe's repertoire in an impressive last-minute menu switch.
Of course, it wasn't too terrible missing the dance classes, because I did get to dance to my heart's content at the evening parties, which featured superb live music of many varieties, often playing dances that had been taught in the day's classes so people could experience them live. One of the things I love about the camp scene is the generally high level of skill among the dancers, who can hear what the band starts to play, recognise the rhythm (rather than just the tune) and automatically know what to dance. The dances tend to be simple enough for everybody, exactly as in the Balkans, and to go on for a good long time, with musicians and dancers feeding each other's energy. If you're leading a line and the musicians are on the floor with you then of course there is the opportunity to interact with the soloists, which is about my favourite thing to do or to witness someone else do - especially if it's Gypsy music and we're dancing chocheks!
The teachers and other virtuosi perform live in a variety of constellations, either at the evening parties, or at the kafana which gets going after midnight with still more outrageously excellent musicians and dancers, plus grilled veggie & non-veggie Balkan snacks, raki, beer etc. I especially enjoyed being in a more intimate space with a smaller group of dedicated enthusiasts, and I stayed up later and later at the kafana each night. On my last night, I never got to bed at all, but refreshed myself in the swimming pool in the morning (it was hot!) and recovered just enough to make it to my plane.
The main thing to emphasise is the atmosphere of fun, relaxation, and enjoyment, which is indescribable: you just have to be there. I'm reminded of what I've heard people say about Dance Camp Wales, although I can't compare the two myself because I have never been and (due to a permanent annual scheduling conflict) will probably never be able to go. However, Balkan Camp does compare very favourably with my experiences of dancing in the Balkans, where as much as I've loved being there I've felt like an outsider to the culture, or at best a guest; or the fun I've had has been tempered by an awareness of the political / economical situation that was far from being any fun. For me, a big attraction of Balkan Camp is that I am in my culture, speaking my language, dancing among my friends. For the British visitor, the culture may be alien, but the language will be, if not exactly your own, then at least more accessible than most East European ones - and then of course there is the universal language of music and dance!
If it helps, most Americans are Anglophiles at heart and as soon as you open your mouth you will be surrounded with friendly people intrigued by your accent. Some of you have heard the story of how, on Andy's first visit to Georgia, his British accent saved me from jail - but I digress.
I am well aware that the Balkan Camp scene might not appeal to all Europeans. One English dance teacher whom I once urged to go replied: 'How could you possibly imagine that dancing with 300 Americans would be anything other than the worst torture for me?!' You may share his opinion. But if you don't, or if you choose not to even form one before experiencing a camp for yourself, then I encourage you to check it out. See you there!
Practical details: The camps cost around $525 (£350). It's cheaper for kids (there is a well-organised kids' programme) and if you stay part of the time. Accommodation is in shared cabins with hot showers; food is delicious & abundant; recordings, books & other Balkan-related items are for sale during the week. For more information or to get on the mailing list for next year, contact the East European Folklife Centre, PO Box 3969, Eugene, OR, 97403. USA. email: office@eefc.org.
Shorter camps are run in Maryland each year on Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend (the last weekend in May and the first weekend in September respectively) by Old World Music & Dance, 10206 Day Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 USA. I highly recommend these too!