The 2016 festival will be on the weekend of April 29 - May 1, 2016, featuring
Roberto Bagnoli teaching mainly Balkan dances,
George & Irina Arabagi teaching dances from Moldova and Ukraine, and Orkestar RTW again leading the party on Saturday evening.
Lyrids Folk Dance Festival 2016
We are excited to invite Roberto Bagnoli, George and Irina Arabagi to our 3rd annual Lyrids Folk Dance Festival in 2016. These three have such wonderful personalities I know the festival is going to be amazing. It seems impossible that we could top 2014 and 2015 but this may be the line-up that does it!
Roberto Bagnoli will teach mainly Balkan dances and George and Irina Arabagi will be introducing us to Ukrainian and Moldovan folk dances. Although most of the dances taught will be circle or line dances, a few couple dances may be thrown into the mix for variety.
Orkestar RTW will be back by popular demand! Wonderful musicians and great people - we are delighted they have agreed to return in 2016.
The festival will be held on the weekend of April 29, 30, and May 1. As many of you heard, the enormous Gizeh hall cannot be reserved for 2016 as it is being sold and may not exist next year – it is truly a shame as the hall is a gem. We are currently looking for a new hall and will announce our new location as soon as it is finalized.
I hope you will all make plans to be here next year. Registration will open in January 2016. The website will be updated soon with all the new information.
Happy Dancing!
Dale Adamson
Chair of the Lyrids Folk Dance Festival Committee,
Burnaby International Folk Dancers.
Please forward this email to all your folk dance friends!
Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Roberto Bagnoli is a master teacher of international folk dance including dances from throughout Europe and Israeli dances. He grew up in Rome where he was introduced to folk music and dance at an early age. Roberto studied various forms of folk dance throughout Europe, Israel and North America, including at the National Dance Academy in the Netherlands. From 1995 to 2003, Roberto was involved in Terra di Danza Company folkloric productions as a choreographer and dancer. He founded the Folk Atelier Reggio Emilia, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting folk dance and other folk arts. His engaging personality combined with his ability to communicate in Italian, English and French has made him a favourite at many of the major folk dance camps and workshops. He has been on the teaching staff at the Stockton Folk Dance Camp dance for five years and conducts dance workshops and seminars throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. He is the director of two highly successful camps in Italy each year: Balkanot, the first ever Israeli and Balkan dance camp, every January, and Camp Yofi, for Israeli dance, in July. The two other teachers at Balkanot 2015 were Yves Moreau and Steve Kotanksy. At the 2011 Salt Spring Island Festival, Roberto presented dances from Italy.
Irina & George Arabagi came to the United States in 2000 after winning a Lottery Green Card. They settled in Sacramento, California, where they teach dance and have organized several Ukrainian folk ensembles. They shared the teaching spotlight with Steve Kotansky at the 44th Annual Festival of Laguna Folk Dancers in Newport Beach, California in February 2014.
Irina Arabagi was born in Ukraine and studied ballet and folk dance from the age of six. She was accepted into the Kiev State College of Performing Arts and, after graduation, worked at the Moldovan National Academic State Dance Company (JOC), becoming a soloist and principal dancer.
George Arabagi began dancing as a teenager in Moldova and eventually joined a local folk dance ensemble as their youngest dancer. After high school, George studied at the Moldavian Choreographic College and became a principal dancer. During their 20+ years dancing in JOC, they had the opportunity to tour and work with acclaimed choreographers throughout Eastern Europe. In addition, George was awarded the title of "People's Artist" and Irina "Merited Artist of Moldova."
Both George and Irina are pleased to have a role in preserving the rich folk dance traditions of Ukraine and Moldova. They teach at major folk dance festivals and camps in California, including Stockton, and recently in Japan.
