TICKETS
Purchase Prices
Adults - $30 advance, $35 at the door
Students over 12 / Seniors Who Need A Break - $25 advance, $30 at the door
Children 6-12 - $12 advance, $15 at the door
Children under 6 - Free
ABOUT
The Boulder Balkan Bash is an epic, all-evening event at the Avalon Ballroom that combines live folk music from five local bands specializing in Balkan styes, with wonderful dancing, food and a fabulous feeling of community. Dozens of musicians will perform throughout the evening, singing and playing music in genres ranging from village-style Bulgarian folk band to scintillating Serbian and Roma brass music, from Greek taverna-style tunes to belly dance grooves.
Many of the dances are easy enough to learn on the spot. Not a dancer? Not a problem; the Avalon ballroom has plenty of room to sit, watch and listen. Grab a table with friends and enjoy the evening!
FOOD
In Eastern Europe, live music and dancing are always accompanied by food . . . and with five and a half hours of dancing, we will need refueling! So roll up your sleeves, make a great dish to contribute to the heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert potluck and come celebrate! All guests are kindly asked to bring a dish to share. Don’t know what to bring or don’t like to cook? Contact Mary Ann at maesaussotte@comcast.net for ideas.
PROGRAM
The dance music program will feature tunes from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and Roma (Gypsy) traditions. While the majority of dances will be danced holding hands in a line or solo-style, a few waltzes and other couple dances are included.
The bands are: The Bitovniks, Barbelfish Balkan Band, Gora Gora Orkestar, Planina - Songs of Eastern Europe and Sherefe. A detailed schedule will be posted here as soon as it is available.
Live music begins at 5:30 p.m. Around 10:45, following the last band's performance, all the musicians will return to play a few numbers together for final dances, and everyone is welcome to sing along, with lyrics provided.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
If you’d like to exchange a couple of hours of work for free admission, we have a limited number of volunteer work-exchange positions, such as shifts doing setup, tear-down, box office, kitchen (keeping the potluck snack tables orderly), and more. Please contact Mary Ann Saussotte, 720-936-5055 or maesaussotte@comcast.net, to volunteer.
JOIN US!
Join us in celebrating Eastern European traditions of live music, dancing, and food.
Planina and friends have produced eight Boulder Balkan Bashes since the early 1990s – the most recent one being in 2019. After that, as you may recall, there was a big disruption preventing all kinds of parties. Now it’s time to do it again!
This is one of Boulder’s most exciting music and dance events and, for Balkan music and dance aficionados, THE event of the year (or several years). Your buying tickets in advance really helps us plan and there is a discount for advance purchase.
Hope to see you there!
QUICK REFERENCE
Avalon Ballroom (6185 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder, 80303)
More info: maesaussotte@comcast.net or 720-936-5055
Please buy tickets in advance if you possibly can to help us estimate the food/beverage needs.
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ABOUT THE ENSEMBLES
Barbelfish Balkan Band
Barbelfish (named after a freshwater fish likened to a pretty girl in some Macedonian songs) plays soul-stirring music for dancing from Eastern Europe and beyond, especially from Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece. Village and urban music from the Balkans offers some of the most exquisite melodies, soaring harmonies and driving rhythms on the planet and Barbelfish expertly delivers them. Jesse Manno (percussion, vocals), Steve Mullins (tambura, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Amy Self (clarinet, kaval, vocals), James Hoskins (gudulka, cello, zurna, vocals), Julie Lancaster (accordion, tambura, vocals), Loren Uecker (vocals). https://www.facebook.com/BarbelfishBand/
The Bitōvniks
Although all the members of the Bitōvniks are experienced multi-instrumentalists in a variety of traditions, this band features traditional Bulgarian village instruments only (no modern instruments). The repertoire consists of exciting dance tunes, often in uneven rhythms, such as 5/8, 7/8, 9/8 and others. Brett Bowen (tapan / bass drum), James Hoskins (gudulka / folk fiddle), Steve Mullins (tambura / long-necked lute), Varol Saatcioglu (gajda / bagpipe), and Amy Self (kaval / wooden flute).
Gora Gora Orkestar
This brass band powerhouse Gora Gora Orkestar has been bringing the sounds of the Balkans to the Rockies with high-energy performances, infectious rhythms, and feel-good music since 2009. Think of Dixieland Brass Band with eastern modes, and you have an idea: it's hot and smoky party music for line dancing or your global groove. Tung Pham, Alice Hansen (trumpets); Jon Hegel, Michael Windham (saxes); Jon Kenney, Bryan Powell, Caroline Siegel (trombones); Scott Johnson, Jesse Factor (sousaphones); and Kevin Dykstra, Vic Stauffenberg (percussion). http://goragora.org
Planina - Songs of Eastern Europe
Planina (the word means “mountain” in several South Slavic languages) is a mixed chorus of 16 members. The group has been performing in Colorado since 1988, presenting a cappella and accompanied music from many parts of Eastern Europe, including the Balkans, the Baltics, the Caucasus, Poland and Russia. Members are: Valerie Brown, Kell Coulter, Laima Haley, Alexis Halkovic, Sharon Kermiet, Dina Kriakva, Julie Lancaster, Laura Osterman, Maitreyi Prajna, Thorn Roby, Leslie Root, Galina Siergiejczyk, Sallie Smith, Olga Spiridonova, and Janelle Treibitz. The group will be joined by guest instrumentalists Paul Brown (bass) and Varol Saatcioglu (gaida/Bulgarian bagpipe). https://www.planina.org/
Sherefe
Sherefe, named after the Turkish drinking toast, "to your honor," is a group of mostly Boulder-based musicians dedicated to performing traditional music from the Balkans and the Middle East. At the Bash they will play dance tunes from Greece, Turkey and elsewhere in the Balkans. Brett Bowen (doumbek, tupan), Paul Brown (bass), James Hoskins (cello, gudulka, bouzouki, guitar, vocals), Jesse Manno (baglama, bouzouki, saz, oud, flutes, vocals), and Julie Lancaster (accordion, vocals). http://sherefe.org