East European Folklife Center

East European Folklife Center Our Vision: We envision a global community of passionate amateurs and professionals, sharing what we know and love about Balkan music, dance, and folklore.

The East European Folklife Center (EEFC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, celebrate, and educate the public about traditional and traditionally based music, dance, and cultures of the Balkans. By inspiring and supporting research and study in these fields, we preserve both historical and living traditions for future generations.

05/29/2026

The registrations are comin on in for West Coast Camp…are you joining this party?

We can’t wait to see y’all in a few short weeks for our first camp of the summer! Be sure to register on eefc.org by June 20th, get your travel plans together, and get ready to fill the Redwoods with amazing Balkan music and dance together.

05/22/2026

More of this will be happening very soon…

There’s just under a month left to sign up for West Coast Balkan Camp! Visit our linktree or our website to register, and check out our list of classes, ensembles, and teachers on the West Coast Camp page.

We’ll see you in the circle!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Board & Staff Office Hour this past Saturday! We loved hearing your insights and appr...
05/22/2026

Thanks to everyone who came to our Board & Staff Office Hour this past Saturday! We loved hearing your insights and appreciate your time checking in with us before the camp season kicks off.

Couldn’t make the meeting? Visit our website or the link in our linktree to watch the recording and read the recap. And, as always, feel free to reach out with your own thoughts over social media, our listserv, or in-person when you see us around camp this year.

We have brand new dance instructors at Mendocino this year! Between Stoyan Getsov (Bulgarian Dance), Janetta Redžić (Bal...
05/14/2026

We have brand new dance instructors at Mendocino this year! Between Stoyan Getsov (Bulgarian Dance), Janetta Redžić (Balkan Dance), and Danny Staveris (Greek Dance), we’ll be moving and grooving with some fun, fresh faces at West Coast. Visit eefc.org to register for camp so you can meet them in person!

Want to learn more about this year’s new instructors and camp programs before you sign up? Be sure to come to our Board & Staff Office Hour this Saturday (May 16) at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. We’ll also be discussing the future of the EEFC, so check our latest newsletter for the link!

In a time of economic and political uncertainty, EEFC’s mission to share Balkan music and dance feels more important tha...
05/04/2026

In a time of economic and political uncertainty, EEFC’s mission to share Balkan music and dance feels more important than ever. To preserve this community together, we invite you to join our next Board & Staff Office Hour on Saturday, May 16 (via Zoom), where we’ll share key priorities for the coming year, highlight new developments for the 2026 camp season (including first-time faculty members!), and outline ways to get involved.

This gathering is an opportunity to connect, learn more about where we’re headed, and explore how you can take part in sustaining and growing EEFC’s work. We’ll also share a few guiding questions to spark reflection and conversation about how we can continue to support one another as a community.

Stay tuned for our email newsletters for the meeting link and discussion questions, which we’ll share in the week leading up to the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Don’t forget: we have one more online culture class for you before the summer camp season. Join Dr. Gail Holst-Warthaft ...
04/20/2026

Don’t forget: we have one more online culture class for you before the summer camp season. Join Dr. Gail Holst-Warthaft to learn about Greek urban music from the rebetika to the so-called “art songs” of Theodorakis and Hadzidakis. We will also explore the nisiotika, music from the Aegean islands that became broadly popular in the fifties and sixties.

As always, we offer a sliding scale of fees, and links to streaming videos will be provided to registered students the day after each live class, so you can join us even if you can’t make the scheduled time. Class starts tomorrow, so sign up today at [bit.ly/EEFCGreekPopularMusic]!

Surprise! Before our summer camp season begins we have one more online culture class for you this month with Dr. Gail Ho...
04/17/2026

Surprise! Before our summer camp season begins we have one more online culture class for you this month with Dr. Gail Holst-Warthaft. This course will focus on urban music from the rebetika to the so-called “art songs” of Theodorakis and Hadzidakis. We will also explore the nisiotika, music from the Aegean islands that became broadly popular in the fifties and sixties.

As always, we offer a sliding scale of fees, and links to streaming videos will be provided to registered students the day after each live class, so you can join us even if you can’t make the scheduled time. Sign up today at [bit.ly/EEFCGreekPopularMusic]!

🚨 Last call for East Coast scholarship applications due Sunday April 12!! Don’t miss out on a chance get support to come...
04/10/2026

🚨 Last call for East Coast scholarship applications due Sunday April 12!! Don’t miss out on a chance get support to come to Balkan Camp! 🚨

We encourage dancers, singers, and instrumentalists to apply whether they are new to Balkan music, song, and dance (and our workshops) or veterans, have Balkan roots or not, whether they are professionals or amateurs. If you’re excited to be a member of our wonderful community, you should submit an application.

Visit our website eefc.org for a chance to join this year’s cohort of scholarship recipients!

04/10/2026

Balkan Camp Kafana: It’s like Friday night every night.

While you’re enjoying this sweet snippet by Merita, Mensur, and Co., don’t forget to register for Balkan Camp! And especially don’t forget to submit your East Coast scholarship applications by THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 12! Visit eefc.org to learn more.

Last call for the season, folks! Our April online classes, the last ones till after Balkan Camp, are open for registrati...
04/04/2026

Last call for the season, folks! Our April online classes, the last ones till after Balkan Camp, are open for registration. Check out our two wonderful instrumental courses this month:

Introduction to Transylvanian Fiddle Music with Zoë Aqua
Mondays starting April 6,
8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
[bit.ly/EEFCTransylvanianFiddle]

Thracian Gaida with Varol Saatcıoğlu
Wednesdays starting April 8,
8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
[bit.ly/EEFCThracianGaida]

As a gentle reminder, all registrants get access to class recordings, so you can still partake of Zoë and Varol’s expert instruction even if you can’t make the classes.

Visit the links above or eefc.org to learn more and sign up today!

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Berkeley, CA
94712

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