ŽELJKO JERGAN ................................... Croatian

ŽELJKO is a world-renowned Croatian dance instructor, researcher, performer and choreographer. Currently based in Pennsylvania, Željko teaches at workshops, camps and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.  A native of Varaždin, Croatia, Željko was inspired at the age of 7 to begin dancing after attending a theater performance of Croatia's state ensemble "LADO" with his father. The costumes and singing had an immediate effect on him from the moment the curtain opened and he knew he wanted to join the group. At the age of 18 that dream became a reality when he became a member of the prestigious ensemble LADO. He now shares his knowledge of Croatian music, dancing, costumes and traditions with people of all ages through teaching.  Since moving to the United States in 1986, Željko has created over 350 original choreographies for 70 different amateur, semi-professional and professional ensembles, including Les Sortileges, Brigham Young University, Radost Folk Ensemble and the Duquesne University Tamburitzans. We are honored to have Zeljko teaching for our 50th Anniversary Celebrations!

ZIVA EMTIYAZ..............................      ....... Middle Eastern

ZIVA is a Middle Eastern dance artist, dedicated instructor (currently at Berkeley's cutting-edge studio Hipline ), and intriguing performer from the San Francisco Bay Area.  Ziva danced two years for the award winning Ya Habibi Dance Company, and was the featured guest artist in the instructional DVD:  Rhythm and Movement for Egyptian Raqs Al-Sharqi Vol. III.  She was also selected as a competition winner for Jillina's Bellydance Evolution, and performed as part of the cast in Immortal Desire's 2010 Los Angeles production.  Currently Ziva focuses her energy on developing her Egyptian Raqs al Sharqi style of bellydance, and it’s connection of expressing the dynamic qualities of Middle Eastern music.  She trained with master percussionist and 2008 grammy nominee Souhail Kaspar, and currently accompanies him as a dance coach on his extremely popular “Rhythm and Movement” workshops throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina, Kansas, Florida, Washington D.C.  In 2011, Ziva also returned to Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp to teach the R&M workshop for the third year in a row!  All in all, Ziva's infectious positive energy and deep understanding of Belly Dance make her a fun, popular instructor.  And we are very pleased to welcome her for the first time to Mendocino Folklore Camp.

KYRIAKOS MOISIDIS (Direct from Greece)).......ubaGreek

KYRIAKOS is from Thessaloniki, Greece, has studied village traditions and dances for over twenty-five years and is one of the world’s leading authorities on Greek folk dance, particularly in the regions of Pontos, Cappadokia, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Thrace. Currently Kyriakos teaches dance at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. He also teaches four dance groups in Thessaloniki, and has led several folklore ensembles there and in Sparta and Nicosia. He has given dance workshops in Australia, Europe, and North America.  In 1991 Kyriakos served in the military in Sparta and Nicosia (Cyprus) and even organized a dance team in his battalion while he served. This group participated in events and feasts and was on public television in Cyprus. Kyriakos tries to increase his knowledge by attending many seminars taking courses. His big passion, of course, remains the primary research in which he possesses an important file of music, videos, and books that are related to traditional dance. Kyriakos teaches many seminars both in Greece and abroad. He resides in Thessaloniki, and speaks both English and German.

BILLY BURKE .................Dances of Madelynne Greene,
                            ......Gordy Engler and C. Stewart Smith

BILLY at age 19 toured the United States and Canada with the Don Cossack Choir (now the Bolshoi Don Cossacks) as a professional dancer. In 1970, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and became a principal dancer for the AMAN Folk Ensemble.  In 1971 he traveled to Badija, Yugoslavia (on AMAN’s first scholarship), where he learned dances from Rezija, a remote isolated valley just across the Slovenian border into Italy.  He was also a regular teacher at the AMAN Institutes through the years and was the founding director of AMAN’s “small group” (a chamber ensemble that did in-service workshops for kids). Currently Billy teaches traditional dance (International Folk Dance) to middle school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).  And has a performing group made up of his students called TANZA.  He is also a regular on the Teachers California Arts Project (T-CAP), where he instructs teachers how to introduce traditional and recreational dance into their class curriculums.   And he teaches a weekly adult class for the Croatian Community at St. Anthony’s Croatian Church, and has directed their youth performing group.  Billy has taught at many camps and festivals around the United States; including the Arcata Festival, AMAN Institutes, Balkan Camp (early years), Buffalo Gap Camp, Laguna Festival, Mendocino Folklore Camp, San Francisco’s Kolo Festival and numerous Sate Wide Festivals.

DAVE & EMMA CHARLEBOIS ........Dances of Nancy Linscott

DAVE & EMMA's bio will be posted soon!

RUSSELL LINSCOTT ......................Dances of Dean Linscott

RUSSELL's bio will be posted soon!

CHRIS & LYNNANNE (Hanson) MILLER ....................................................Hungarian & American

CHRIS is widely recognized for his skills and knowledge of the Argentine Tango, American Vintage and Hungarian dance forms. He has also studied Irish Step and Tap dance. He was a performer as well as a costumer with Khadra in the 1980s, and with AMAN, first in the 1970s and again in the 1990s. Chris is also a craftsman and designer of jewelry, sculpture and other ‘objets d’art.’

LYNNANNE has dedicated 25 years to the instruction, preservation, research and performance of multi-cultural dance and heritage. Although well versed in the dance forms of several cultures, among her favorites are Vintage Dances; from Ragtime and Swing and country dance as well as Polynesian dances. Lynnanne was a performer and choreographer for Westwind in the 1980s, AMAN in the 1990s and is currently a Teaching Artist in schools throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Her youth and family dance classes at a studio in Altadena, California are in their fifth year.

Chris and Lynnanne have performed, choreographed and instructed dance together since 1992. They have been attending Folklore Camp with their daughter since 2006. This year they will be sharing advanced steps in the Balboa, a popular Swing dance from the 1930s, as well as the beautiful Invertita couple dance from Kalotaszeg, Hungary. Chris will also be teaching Legenyes, traditionally a men’s solo dance.

CHRISTOS GOVETAS & RUTH HUNTER             Greek Ensemble

CHRISTOS was born in the village of Proti, Serres in the province of Serres in Greek Macedonia. After emigrating to Boston in 1978 he joined the Greek rebetiko band Taximi as a bouzouki player and their main vocalist. Since then he has played classical Turkish music with The Eurasia Ensemble, Greek, Turkish and Arabic music with Karavani and regional Balkan music with Tito's Revenge and Akshambelah in the Boston area. He has performed extensively in the U.S., Canada and Greece and has for the last ten years taught and performed Greek regional music in the E.E.F.C. Camps on both coasts of the United States. Currently he is a member of the nationally known bands Ziyia and PANGEO.

RUTH has taught and performed at music and dance throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Before moving to Seattle she played and sang with Medna Usta, The Bay Area Balkan Ensemble, The Balkan Noyz Boyz and The Balkan Appliances in the San Francisco Bay area and with Karavani, Akshambela and Tito’s Revenge in the Boston area. She now lives in Seattle and plays and sings with the Balkan-European quartet Cerise as well as PANGEO.

ERIK HOFFMAN ................            xxAmerican Contra Band

ERIK is an accomplished musician who plays fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bodhran, and just about anything else he gets his hands on. He loves the spirit and joy that is passed along with traditional music and dance and loves to share his enthusiasm. Erik spends his time calling Old-Time Country Dancing, playing music and tutoring math. He’s become well known from Arcata to San Diego, and from Carson City, Nevada, to the Bay Area where he calls contra dances and currently helps organize the Wednesday contra dance series in Berkeley. And has been on staff at numerous festivals and camps including Lark Camp, the Bay Area Country Dance Society's American Week, Family Week, and Spring Weekend; CD*NY's Hudson Guild; Sacramento's Echo Summit; California Traditional Music Society 's Solstice and New Year's festivals and Seattle's Slugs at Sunrise Music and Dance Camp.. to just name a few. Bring your fiddle, instruments and plan on having lots of fun playing Contra music with Erik.

LILLA SERLEGI ..              xxx xxxxxxTamburitza Orchestra

LILLA was raised in the Croatian community of Horvatzsidany in western Hungary. This area and the neighboring Burgenland in Austria are exceptionally rich in Croatian culture. Though Lilla grew up in Hungary, Croatian was her primary language. From early childhood Lilla was recognized as gifted in music. As a young child, she took up the tamburitza, and trained with Drazen Soic, one of the best tamburitza teachers in Croatia. She performed with traditional Croatian tamburitza bands in neighboring villages in western Hungary including Zidanski Becari, Veseli Gradiscanci, Kojnofski Tamburasi, and Bizonjski Tamburasi. She also performed with the Peruska Marija Choir, which played a prominent role in the cultural life in her predominantly Croatian village in Hungary.
Consequently, Lilla mastered the traditional cultural rituals associated with tamburitza music in both the Croatian and Hungarian cultures. She is highly experienced and comfortable performing and teaching the traditional songs and dances associated with the yearly cycle of festivals. Currently, Lilla plays prim, brac and sings with the Slavonian Traveling Band and Novi Stari Tamburasi. She recently presented her own concert, Lilla Serlegi: Music from the Alps to the Adriatic,in the Culture at the Crossroads concert series at the Croatian American Cultural Center in San Francisco.

BILL COPE          beg/int - Bulgarian & Macedonian Tambura

BILL is a multi-instrumentalist who began playing Balkan music in 1975 and teaching at the Balkan Music & Dance Workshops in 1982. He's made many trips to the Balkans and studied with many great players, including Lyubomir Vladimirov, first chair in the Philip Kutev Ensemble. He has also performed with Vassil Bebelekov, Donka and Nikolay Kolevi, Yuri Yunakov, Mile Kolarov and Pece Atanasovski. Current musical endeavors are the Cope Family Band, Zabava! with Dan Auvil, Rich Schultz and Brian Fox; Trio Zulum, with Vassil Bebelekov, Dan Auvil and singers Maria Bebelekoa and Kimberly, Lacey and Joelle Cope; The Mehanatones with Pat MacSwyney, Dan Auvil and Brian Fox; Zlatno Selo (on the right coast) with Alan and Miriam Zemel, Jeff Fine, Jerry Kisslinger, Marjorie Selden and Kristina Vaskys; and Music Director for the San Francisco Kolo Festival.

Bill's workshop will welcome everyone at whatever level they are at. The workshop will focus on 1) playing melody, 2) playing melody with a drone, 3) accompaniment in an izvorno ensemble and 4) accompanying singers. There will be charts (including tablature) for those who learn best by that method, but you are also welcome to learn by ear. Material will be posted on the web prior to camp, and if we cover more things at camp than were originally posted (always likely with Bill), he promises the additional material will be posted after camp.

MICHELE SIMON              xxxxxxxxx............beg/int - Tupan

MICHELE has been involved with Balkan music for almost 40 years as a singer, drummer and dancer. She has played Tupan and Doumbek for years with numerous Balkan bands and around the San Francisco Bay Area, including Anoush, Zabava!, Brass Menazeri and The Helladelics. As a teacher, Michele is pricise, clear, patient, and encourging. Be you a bigging drummer or an advanced player, you are sure to enjoy her classes.

SOUHAIL KASPAR               xxxxbeg/int - Arabic Drumming

SOUHAIL was born in Lebanon and trained at Nadi al-Fonun al-Arabia (Conservatory of Traditional Arabic Music) in Aleppo, Syria, he excelled in both classical and ethnic rhythmic patterns and techniques; there he received his Degree in Classical Arabic Performance.  Mr. Kaspar has worked with legendary Egyptian composers Farid al-Atrash, Sayyad Makowi and Hanni Mehanna. He has traveled extensively during his career and has performed with artists John Bilezikjian, Kenny Burrell, Omar Faruk, Shujaat Khan, Kronos Quartet, Cheb Mami, Dr. Scott Marcus, Roberto Miranda, Tito Puente, The Sacramento Symphony Orchestra, Kathem al-Saher, Simon Shaheen, Sting, Strunz & Farah, Wadi al-Safi and many others. He has also performed for dignitaries such as Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and the Dalai Lama.
Souhail, recipient of the Durfee Music Fellowship given to master musicians and teachers, has worked with Dr. Ali Jihad Racy (renowned UCLA Ethnomusicologist) at a wide variety of cultural events. Together they have performed in major concert halls and taught master classes and workshops throughout the United States.
His impressive body of recorded work includes soundtrack credits for the movies The Prince of Egypt, Sinbad and Scooby Doo in Egypt and for the documentaries The Region of the Nile, Darfur Now and The Great Bazaars. He has been featured on many CDs including guest percussionist on Caravan with the cutting edge Kronos Quartet, When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq for the Smithsonian Institute (nominated for the 2008 Grammy Traditional World Music Category), The Congo Square Project to provide relief funds for New Orleans musicians, Khaliji and Magic.
Recordings for educational purposes include his CD Awzan: Arabic Rhythmic Modes and his DVD Foundations of Arabic Rhythm with Souhail Kaspar, Master Class at Home for Egyptian Tablah & Riqq. He has recently completed filming two new instructional DVD’s and performs/records internationally.  Currently he lives in Los Angeles, and teaches percussion and dance theory as well as coaches professional musicians and dancers in the traditions of Arabic performance.

CHRISTOS GOVETAS                  ...................... ...RegioGreek

CHRISTOS was born in the Greek village of Proti and immigrated to the United States in 1978. Now living in Puyallup, Washington, Govetas carries on his cultural traditions as a Greek musician playing the bouzouki, laouto, oud, clarinet, and zourna, as well as performing vocals. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, and Greece, and regularly appears in the Seattle area with a group called Pangeo. In addition to performing, Govetas teaches traditional songs and dances and gives lessons on traditional instruments in hopes that the folk music of Greece will carry on to younger generations.

In 1999 Christos was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contributions to preserving Greek cultural traditions in music.

RUTH HUNTER xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBalkan/Greek Choral

RUTH has been singing and playing music of the Balkans since the early ‘80s.  She has taught and performed music and dance throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.  Before moving to Seattle, she played and sang with Medna Usta, The Bay Area Balkan Ensemble, The Balkan Noyz Boyz and The Balkan Appliances in the San Francisco Bay area with Karaviani, Akshambela and Tito’s Revenge in the Boston area.  She now lives in Seattle and plays and sings with the Balkan-European quartet Cerise as well as Sultana. Ruth is also deeply involved in the Greek community in her adopted home-town of Seattle. She directs a folk chorus at Saint Demetrios Greek Church and teaches singing and performs at music festivals throughout the country and in Greece. She sings and plays accordion, kanoun, guitar and tambura.

MICHELE SIMON    xxx..........Macedonian / Vocal Technique

MICHELE has been involved with Balkan music for almost 40 years as a singer, drummer and dancer. She has been a featured performer in many groups, including Kitka, Anoush, Zabava! Izvorno and Orkestar Sali. She currently sings and drums - sometimes at the same time, with Brass Menazeri Balkan Brass Band and the Greek roots band The Helladelics. Michele has many years of teaching experience, working with private students as well as in workshops throughout the West, including numerous classes at the San Francisco Kolo Festival.

Michele will be exploring the Balkan singers "vocal owner's manual" in her classes; focusing on placement, ornaments, droning and all things technical with a multitude of fun exercises developed especially for American singers. The songs she will be teaching this year will focus mainly on Macedonian and Georgian material.

ALAN KEITH              xxxxxxxxx......Traditonial French Band ........................................................ ..(a preview 2013 class)

ALAN has made a number of trips to Europe since the late 1980's to study and perform traditional music and dance. In 1995 he toured France where he attended several folk music and dance festivals and performed bagpipe and hurdy gurdy at the festival of Saint Chartier in Berry, as a member of Le Grande Orchestre de Vielles et Cornemuses. Then as the "cornemuseux" with Tour de France, Alan participated in the 'Talent From Towns Under Two Thousand Contest' on A Prairie Home Companion NPR radio show as one of six finalists nationwide! Alan has also been a featured artist and workshop leader at the Sebastopol Celtic Festival. And helped organize the early (1999 - 2001) French & Breton Music and Dance Camp, and was also a featured workshop leader and teacher. Alan is featured on Le Soleil's recordings Le Soleil and Bal Folk en Californie, on French Creek's Fait en Californie, and on Tour de France's Music of the French Provences. He presently plays both solo and with the French bands Tour de France and Les Campagnards, and with the Celtic and British Isles group 'Rosin the Bow'.

MIAMON MILLER   xxx.............. .......... .............Hungarian Band

MIAMON has been a fixture in folk music for 40 years. In the 70s and early 80s he was a musician with and later directed the Aman Folk Ensemble. During that period and subsequently, he's played with many other groups including Pitu Guli, Bucovina Klezmer, Fuge Imaginea, Trei Arcusi and many more. Whether playing with mariachi or klezmer bands, Middle Eastern music, or jazz, he approaches all styles with near-equal enthusiasm. Academically, he has an M.A. in ethnomusicology (UCLA) and studied Transylvanian folk music for a year in Romania on a Fulbright grant. Miamon has also participated in mainstream music having recorded with Neil Sedaka and Neil Diamond as well as other well-known artists. His compositions and arrangements have made it to Hollywood in projects as diverse as "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" to "Arabs in Detroit" and "Keeping Up With the Steins."