Kef Times

Location: Los Angeles, Calif.

Occupation: Mushroom cultivator and tincturist; cooperative founder, Permaculture Design

Connection to Balkan music/dance: UCLA Bulgarian choir. World Music singing class. MJT events committee. Kypseli Greek dancing.

Number of times at Balkan camp: 2006, 2012-15

Studied at camp: Remedial santouri 😉

Memorable moment at camp: This was my first year offering something for the auction (I know, for shame!) and it was a really great experience. I decided to offer a tasting of my tinctures and although it was kind of touch-and-go, it gave me a chance to talk with a cross section of camp that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Bringing something to offer that is the result of my personal health struggles gave me a window into the lives and passions of other Balkanophiles and ways that they are active agents of healing and change for themselves, their friends and families, as well as animals and the environment. Although perhaps 90% of us still got the post-camp virus (after all, you can’t bottle sleep), it felt good to know that I brought as much as I could to help everyone get an advantage over it, and in sharing my own story, gained access to others’ stories and strengths.

One other thing that may or may not be what you want to hear from a scholar but was, to me, lovely proof of true community: Many folks know that last fall I had a terrible case of poison oak that basically overtook my entire face and body for the most of a month. It was pure hell, and there was a good week when I could barely sleep. Needless to say I was also losing my mind. Since then, I have been vigilant any time when going into nature, so coming to camp felt somewhat more fraught, as I heard each exposure can be exponentially worse. Toward the middle of the week my paranoia started to overtake me, as friends definitely were exposed to poison oak and had rashes and I was myself battling an inexplicable rash despite obsessive showers at any hour of day or night and strategic organization of clothing and bedding. Finally I decided to take the advice of several wise campers and talk to our medic, Sommer [Halligan]. Although she did give me something for the rash and advice on managing it, the compassion and empathy that she and Dr. Norm [Rosen] showed me really helped me to completely reset and reconnect with the camp experience I so love and needed.

Knowing that they and others were there and looking out for my well-being, offering resources, not only physically but as a person, even though we may travel in different circles at camp, was remarkable to me. After that point, I could come to them with elation and relief to say, “I think I have a parasite!” and feel understanding and acceptance. It turned out my cabin mate was also experiencing some itching and the rash resolved easily post-camp. Phew!

Location: Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

Occupation: I am a research analyst who specializes in the study of counterterrorism. I am currently working for a think tank in Tbilisi, but will be returning to the United States (Washington, D.C.) to continue working in a similar capacity.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: When I am back in my hometown, Boston, I enjoy attending the various Balkan dance events held by the Folk Arts Center of New England and other groups. Whenever I’m in a different town, I always try to find the Balkan recreational dance group. When I’m out of the country, I enjoy listening to Balkan and other types of folk music. In Tbilisi, I’ve loved going to Georgian folk music and singing concerts and hearing traditional music in its natural settings (usually at feasts, accompanied by copious amounts of Georgian wine).

Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time at camp, but hopefully not the last!

Studied at camp: I came to play çifteli in Raif [Hyseni] and Merita [Halili]’s Albanian ensemble and learn some tunes on the Macedonian tambura.

Memorable moment at camp: My parents are avid Balkan folk dancers in the Boston area and I was basically taken to events since I was in a stroller, but had never attended Balkan camp before. On behalf of a generous scholarship from the EEFC, I was finally able to attend last summer. People in Boston and D.C. who had attended for years told me that 1) I would never hear more awesome Balkan music in a one-week period than I would at Balkan camp; 2) the (in?)famous kafana parties are a marathon, not a sprint; and that 3) I would absolutely love it.

After attending camp for the first time, I can confirm that all of those reviews were 100% true. Every night, multiple all-star performers of Balkan music would play incredible sets for dancing in the main hall and the kafana. My favorites were the Pontic Greek sets, the zurla sets with Milo [Destanovski] and Jessica [Ruiz], and getting to hear younger musicians rock it out with Čoček Nation. Despite spending basically all night in the kafana every night, I was motivated to wake up to attend daytime classes taught by awesome musicians like Raif Hyseni, Milo and Jessica, and an amazing series of classes taught by one of the masters of Greek dance, Yvonne Hunt. In short, I loved every moment of Balkan camp and am itching to go back!

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Occupation: I work in restaurants and do music every now and then.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: I was born in Skopje, Macedonia, so it is part of life. Everyone is around it and aware of it. I got more seriously into it, trying to learn the music and folklore, in college in my early 20s.

Number of times at Balkan camp: Three or four.

Studied at camp: I am interested in Macedonian music and playing traditional instruments: zurla, gajda, kaval. I actually got the scholarship for Mendocino and I was supposed to go there as a student, but then they asked me to teach. [Ed. note: Staff member Mark Levy had to cancel and Vedran was hired at the last minute to teach Macedonian village ensemble and Macedonian gajda.] I did take the Čalgija ensemble class. Then I attended the camp at Iroquois Springs on the scholarship.

Memorable moment at camp: In general, it’s a great time. This year at Iroquois Springs was a little better because the weather was phenomenal and I spent more time in the pool. California was also really amazing. Learning a bunch of new things, hanging with different musicians, playing a bunch of music, the food was phenomenal on both coasts. I come there with a purpose; there are really great master musicians that play great Macedonian music or Macedonian style of music, and that’s most of what I go there for. There are a lot of really amazing people. At the East Coast camp by now, I’m familiar with everyone; the West Coast camp was also very unique in its great people.

Location: Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Occupation: I currently attend school in Tampa, studying microbiology at the University of South Florida.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: I am part of the Saint Nicholas dance ministry, Levendia, dancing, performing and instructing Greek folk dance in and outside of the group. Outside of the group, I have taught dance to other dance groups as well as in conjunction with the city of Tarpon Springs.

Number of times at Balkan camp: This past summer was my first time attending Balkan camp, and it was a beyond expectations, fantastic experience.

Studied at camp: At camp, I wanted to make the most of the experience, not focusing on one thing, but attending both dance and music workshops of various cultures. If there was one thing I focused on it was the violin, which is my biggest passion.

Memorable moment at camp: The whole experience of Balkan camp is one that I will never forget. The most lasting impression is just the feeling of joy throughout the period of camp due to the constant music and dance. Also, the people and instructors I met blew my mind, probably the most enthusiastic and passionate people I have ever met, definitely my kind of people, just exuding with kefi. I cannot pinpoint one experience to call my favorite, but the scene with all the ensembles playing was a highlight of the week, especially for someone who has not had much experience playing with other musicians. The camp was an experience that I must repeat again very soon.

Location: I’m currently living in Sunchang, a small town in the Jeollabuk province of South Korea.

Occupation: I’m an English teacher.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: I’ve had the opportunity to teach my students about world music (including that of the Balkan region), and I’ve been fortunate enough to perform some world music in my school concert—I’ve done Shona mbira (a Zimbabwean lamellophone, sometimes called thumb piano), Samul nori (Korean percussion ensemble), and some Bulgarian choir with students and teachers. There is a relatively large community of musicians and artists of different nationalities in my area with whom I’ve tossed around the idea of doing a recurring get-together, but nothing has yet come to fruition.

Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time attending the West Coast camp, but I’d attended the East Coast camp the previous year.

Studied at camp: My main focuses at camp were the brass band and music theory classes.

Memorable moment at camp: While writing this, I’ve had a pretty hard time coming up with only one impressionable moment from the camp; every day I probably experienced at least twenty! From eating breakfast huddled around the campfire, to fighting off the hordes of mosquitoes whilst attempting to comprehend maqam theory, to having my mind blown by the amazing musicians every evening, and the numerous late-night kafana conversations enjoyed over a gin and tonic (you know, for the mosquitoes). Every day seemed to be a constant stream of memorable experiences. That said, perhaps my favorite night was the lamb roast; one scene that particularly sticks out in my memory is Alex [Marković]’s cross-dressing čoček dance following his lecture. His willingness to perform in a way so contrary to our Western conceptions of normative gender roles struck me as particularly brave, and the genuine enthusiasm and participation he was met with are hard to put into words. It was a heartwarming experience, and encouraging for those also pursuing niche ethnomusicological goals (like me).

Location: Oakland, Calif.

Occupation: I work a full-time day job as a marketing coordinator for one of the oldest architecture firms in the Bay Area (HKIT Architects). I also teach belly dance at ODC in San Francisco weekly on Wednesday nights from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. and I have biweekly gigs at various hookah lounges and restaurants in San Francisco (Marrakech, Fog City Hookah). In addition, I am working as a co-director and choreographer for a San Francisco-based belly dance theater company founded by Jill Parker, (Little Egypt).

Connection to Balkan music/dance: I try to interject Balkan music and dance into my life on a daily basis. First of all, since camp, I have been listening to Balkan music almost every day. I continue to study the dances and incorporate them into my choreographies when they make sense to do so. I refer back to notes or videos from camp to help me with this and I can’t wait to go back again in the upcoming years to learn more. It’s also wonderful to live in the Bay Area and have so much going on here in terms of Balkan music and folk dancing—Ashkenaz, Balkan Sundays at Café Revolution—I try to attend shows and support the community as much as I can.

I also enjoy being on the EEFC mailing list and I am so inspired by the knowledge this community shares collectively. There should be a worldwide email list for (almost) everything—it’s really an incredible community that is out there—I have used the list to get lyrics translations or find out more about specific dances, and I am so grateful for all of you who are sharing your knowledge through the email list and keeping these dances, music and knowledge of culture alive.

Lastly, I’m hoping to travel to the Balkans in the next year or two in order to immerse myself and have a deeper understanding of various cultures, music, dances and the roots of something I’ve become so passionate about here in California. I hope to line up some teachers for various dances, and perhaps attend a festival—and definitely surround myself with music as much as possible.

Number of times at Balkan camp: This was my first time at camp. I attended three music/dance camps this year that were all wonderful, but Balkan camp may have taken the cake!

Studied at camp: I attended camp planning to exclusively take dance classes. As a dancer, this is clearly where my comfort zone lies. However, I brought a darbuka/doumbek just in case and when I got to camp, I ended up sticking around on the first day for Vlado [Pupinoski]’s ensemble class and was able to play percussion with them and perform with them at the end of the week (thanks to moral support from Michele Simon and from everybody in the group being so wonderful and welcoming). I also attended Joe [Graziosi]’s Greek dancing classes, Alex [Marković]’s dance classes, and thoroughly enjoyed studying Turkish Roman dance with Jessaiah [Zuré], who is an incredible dance teacher—and who really pushed me hard in her classes and inspired me to work harder as a dancer in this style.

Memorable moment at camp: There are too many things that touched me to just name one! I loved that camp is so open and welcoming to everybody. I didn’t expect to play in an ensemble but by the end of the week I was jamming with Vlado and his group and learning new rhythms on the darbuka that I now recognize when I hear them in Balkan tunes. I’m grateful for that opportunity because it pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me something new.

I also love how the kafana is so open and inviting to everybody. It was a space where we could all share our creativity and music with one another—even if it was outside of the Balkan genre. It was amazing and incredibly inspiring to see the talent that came out of that space and how we transformed that little room into a special place for the week, giving it an entirely new atmosphere and energy that will always be unique to it for that one week in time—we each added to this in our own way and I’ll always have a special memory of what that space became for the week.

There are so many other things to say here, but I want to give a special shout-out to the incredible teachers that this camp brings us. You are all world-class, top-notch, incredible musicians, teachers, dancers, scholars and just awesome people. I was inspired by each and every one of you and thank you so much for taking the time to come to camp and making it such a wonderful place.

Location: Santa Cruz, Calif.

Occupation: I’ve been managing to survive on odd jobs, from gardening to babysitting, for the majority of the last year. My main gig is performing and recording original music under the pseudonym Chicken Mama.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: I enjoy the many opportunities to experience live Balkan music in the Bay Area. I’ve taken some workshops with Kitka and have a special interest in Turkish and Georgian music, especially from the Black Sea. I incorporate some elements of Balkan music in my compositions, and am envisioning a podcast that will allow me to keep learning about traditional music from around the world while supporting that education for others.

Number of times at Balkan camp: This was the first.

Studied at camp: I was focused on taking Pontic kemençe lessons from Bob Beer, as well as Turkish and Greek singing.

Memorable moment at camp: Two of my favorite experiences at camp were induced by dance. Learning Pontic dances in the main hall on the first night was a rambunctious delight. I’d spent some time on the Black Sea the previous summer and had the luck of attending several weddings. There is one common dance that I memorized and brought home with me . . . so it was very enriching to explore more of these dances with the community at camp. An impromptu old-time flat-footing lesson in the kafana was another unexpected highlight. I’m also grateful for the precious time spent with musical peers geeking out on what we were learning and finessing Georgian harmonies for a kafana performance.

Location: Santa Fe, N.M.

Occupation: Full-time student at Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

Connection to Balkan music/dance: Growing up, I didn’t understand my roots with the music for a long time, until I met Polly [Tapia Ferber] and was in the Balkan ensemble [at the university], but my mom used to belly dance, and I realized she exposed me to a lot of Balkan, Turkish, Armenian and other music.

Number of times at Balkan camp: This was the first, and it was amazing.

Studied at camp: I primarily studied trumpet and Bulgarian singing. I was in the brass band ensemble.

Memorable moment at camp: One night I was standing around in the dance hall and this woman just grabbed me and pulled me into a fast circle dance. It was insane, she was teaching me on the spot and we were running around in circles, doing the dance. At the beginning of the week, I was watching my feet all the time. But then there came a point when I learned not to look at my feet while I was dancing; when I looked up and saw everyone’s faces, I saw expressions of peace and joy on them. It struck me that this was really the purpose of dance—unifying people. It honestly felt kind of meditative.

Also, watching the teachers and musicians play, I was honestly overwhelmed every night. I couldn’t go to bed until everyone had finished playing; I didn’t want to miss any of it because I was in such awe at the musicians and their abilities. They seemed so effortless and natural; of course, they’d all been through a long process of learning. After I would hear my teachers play, I felt like “How do I even talk to you anymore? You’re so incredible!”

During the day when you’re running around, going to all the classes, you’re losing your mind, trying to learn all this music and theory. In the evening, you would see the music in context, you were immersed in it. I have never had such an amazing learning experience. I absorbed so much, and it has really changed the way I learn and play music.