(**subject to change**)
Fusae Carroll | NORTHERN MACEDONIA
Fusae was born in Oita, Japan. She began folkdancing as a college student in Tokyo, engaging in a broad array of international
dances. In the mid-1970's, after her graduation, her interest focused on Balkan dancing. She began traveling abroad to learn
more about the dances and their cultures.
She has studied dance in Romania and Macedonia and has taken additional classes in Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
For the last thirty five years, fusae has regularly taken foreign dance teachers on tour in Japan where they have taught workshops
and weekend camps throughout the country. She moved to Sacramento in 1984, but returns to Japan three or four times
a year for the tours. She was invited to camps throughout Canada and United States to teach as an assistant to Atanas Kolarovski,
the now-legendary Macedonian dancer and choreographer.
TO CONTACT FUSAE CARROLL : fusaec@gmail.com
Fusae was born in Oita, Japan. She began folkdancing as a college student in Tokyo, engaging in a broad array of international
dances. In the mid-1970's, after her graduation, her interest focused on Balkan dancing. She began traveling abroad to learn
more about the dances and their cultures.
She has studied dance in Romania and Macedonia and has taken additional classes in Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
For the last thirty five years, fusae has regularly taken foreign dance teachers on tour in Japan where they have taught workshops
and weekend camps throughout the country. She moved to Sacramento in 1984, but returns to Japan three or four times
a year for the tours. She was invited to camps throughout Canada and United States to teach as an assistant to Atanas Kolarovski,
the now-legendary Macedonian dancer and choreographer.
TO CONTACT FUSAE CARROLL : fusaec@gmail.com
Michael Ginsburg | SERBIA
Michael has been director and lead trumpet player of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band since 1983.
He accompanied ZU to brass festivals in Guča, Serbia, three times between 1987 and 1990, as well as in 2003 and 2005,
where he and ZU were able to play and party with local brass bands and experience the music in its natural setting.
Michael and Zlatne Uste worked with Ekrem Sajdić and Zlatni Prsti brass band in 2003, and in 2005 with Vranjski Biseri,
both in Vranjska Banja, Serbia. Michael performed in the summer of 2010 with Zlatne Uste at the first competition of
international bands at the Sabor Trubača in Guča, Serbia, representing the United States.
For many years, Michael has been interested in Balkan music and dances, especially Macedonian and Serbian. He is an expert
in the complicated rhythms of Balkan music and has made several research trips to Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia,
and studied in Macedonia with Pece Atanasovski, with whom he made research tours of the country. Michael has been
on the teaching staff of the Macedonian Pearl seminar in Berovo, Macedonia. Michael lives in Yonkers, NY.
TO CONTACT MICAHEL GINSBURG : mginsburg@gmail.com
Michael has been director and lead trumpet player of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band since 1983.
He accompanied ZU to brass festivals in Guča, Serbia, three times between 1987 and 1990, as well as in 2003 and 2005,
where he and ZU were able to play and party with local brass bands and experience the music in its natural setting.
Michael and Zlatne Uste worked with Ekrem Sajdić and Zlatni Prsti brass band in 2003, and in 2005 with Vranjski Biseri,
both in Vranjska Banja, Serbia. Michael performed in the summer of 2010 with Zlatne Uste at the first competition of
international bands at the Sabor Trubača in Guča, Serbia, representing the United States.
For many years, Michael has been interested in Balkan music and dances, especially Macedonian and Serbian. He is an expert
in the complicated rhythms of Balkan music and has made several research trips to Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia,
and studied in Macedonia with Pece Atanasovski, with whom he made research tours of the country. Michael has been
on the teaching staff of the Macedonian Pearl seminar in Berovo, Macedonia. Michael lives in Yonkers, NY.
TO CONTACT MICAHEL GINSBURG : mginsburg@gmail.com
Joe Graziosi | GREECE
Joe was raised in the Greek American Community in Boston, Massachusetts. His roots derive, on his mother's side, from
Eastern Thrace. He received a B.A. (cum laude) Degree in Eastern History from Brandeis University. In 1975,
he conducted dance research in villages in Greece with the noted folklorist Ted Petrides.
Since that time he has done extensive independent research in folk music and dance in Greece, the former
Greek areas of theAnatolian Peninsula, and the Greek-American communities in New England and New York.
He has compiled an exhaustive library of scholarly research as well as a comprehensive video library and musical archive.
TO CONTACT JOE GRAZIOSI : horoswithjoe@yahoo.com
Joe was raised in the Greek American Community in Boston, Massachusetts. His roots derive, on his mother's side, from
Eastern Thrace. He received a B.A. (cum laude) Degree in Eastern History from Brandeis University. In 1975,
he conducted dance research in villages in Greece with the noted folklorist Ted Petrides.
Since that time he has done extensive independent research in folk music and dance in Greece, the former
Greek areas of theAnatolian Peninsula, and the Greek-American communities in New England and New York.
He has compiled an exhaustive library of scholarly research as well as a comprehensive video library and musical archive.
TO CONTACT JOE GRAZIOSI : horoswithjoe@yahoo.com
Eirini "Rena" Karyofyllidou | GREECE
Rena is a dance teacher and also a dancer of traditional Greek dances. She was born in 1968 in the village Kavallari,
near Thessaloniki city. Her family is originally from Greek Macedonia and Eastern Thrace. She has been teaching
Greek dances since 1985. She has participated in hundreds of dance events in Greece and abroad and she has
taught in more than 10 dance groups in Greece.
She learned dancing as a child from her family and the villagers. Later as a teenager She has been a member of the local
dance group and as a student she was active in many dance organizations in Thessaloniki. She finished her studies
on Physical Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1990 with a degree on traditional Greek dances.
For 21 years she was a member of the "G. K. Fotiadis" folk dance group as a dancer and dance teacher.
Now days she is dancing in C.S.T.D. "KYKLOS" and I also teach several dance groups in Thessaloniki area.
She has been invited to teach Greek traditional dances in numerous seminars all over Greece and also Germany, USA, Canada.
TO CONTACT RENA KARYOFYLLIDOU : rena-811@hotmail.com
Rena is a dance teacher and also a dancer of traditional Greek dances. She was born in 1968 in the village Kavallari,
near Thessaloniki city. Her family is originally from Greek Macedonia and Eastern Thrace. She has been teaching
Greek dances since 1985. She has participated in hundreds of dance events in Greece and abroad and she has
taught in more than 10 dance groups in Greece.
She learned dancing as a child from her family and the villagers. Later as a teenager She has been a member of the local
dance group and as a student she was active in many dance organizations in Thessaloniki. She finished her studies
on Physical Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1990 with a degree on traditional Greek dances.
For 21 years she was a member of the "G. K. Fotiadis" folk dance group as a dancer and dance teacher.
Now days she is dancing in C.S.T.D. "KYKLOS" and I also teach several dance groups in Thessaloniki area.
She has been invited to teach Greek traditional dances in numerous seminars all over Greece and also Germany, USA, Canada.
TO CONTACT RENA KARYOFYLLIDOU : rena-811@hotmail.com
Yannis Konstantinou | GREECE
Yannis Konstantinou is an internationally renowned instructor and ethnologist of Greek Macedonian dance and culture.
His passion for traditional music and dance began in his childhood, dancing with his family in his parents’villages
of Alona and Akrites in the Florina region of Greece.
Since 1990 he has conducted research on the impacts on Florina dances due to the migration of social groups and ethnic
minorities to northwest Greece, such as Vlachs, Sarakatsani, and refugees from Thrace and Asia Minor. He also
has participated in comparative research studies of Macedonian communities beyond the Greek borders. In 1994 Yannis
produced The Musical Tradition of Florina, a long-playing album, in collaboration with the Center of Greek Tradition.
Yannis is President and Artistic Director of the "Lygkistes" Cultural Association and a founding member of The Academy of
Traditional Folklore Dance and Music located in Athens, Greece. He is actively involved with the "Association for the Preservation and Disseminationof Traditional Dance and Music" whose members are dedicated to sharing with children and youth living in urban
areas anappreciation of traditional lifestyles of the outlying areas of Greece. Since 2001, he has been the Director of the student
dance association of the Balkan Studies department of the Aristotle University of Thessalonika.
TO CONTACT YANNIS KONSTANTINOU : yanniskonstantinou@gmail.com
Yannis Konstantinou is an internationally renowned instructor and ethnologist of Greek Macedonian dance and culture.
His passion for traditional music and dance began in his childhood, dancing with his family in his parents’villages
of Alona and Akrites in the Florina region of Greece.
Since 1990 he has conducted research on the impacts on Florina dances due to the migration of social groups and ethnic
minorities to northwest Greece, such as Vlachs, Sarakatsani, and refugees from Thrace and Asia Minor. He also
has participated in comparative research studies of Macedonian communities beyond the Greek borders. In 1994 Yannis
produced The Musical Tradition of Florina, a long-playing album, in collaboration with the Center of Greek Tradition.
Yannis is President and Artistic Director of the "Lygkistes" Cultural Association and a founding member of The Academy of
Traditional Folklore Dance and Music located in Athens, Greece. He is actively involved with the "Association for the Preservation and Disseminationof Traditional Dance and Music" whose members are dedicated to sharing with children and youth living in urban
areas anappreciation of traditional lifestyles of the outlying areas of Greece. Since 2001, he has been the Director of the student
dance association of the Balkan Studies department of the Aristotle University of Thessalonika.
TO CONTACT YANNIS KONSTANTINOU : yanniskonstantinou@gmail.com
Steve Kotansky | BALKAN
Steve Kotansky, known widely as a versatile dancer and teacher, has made many research trips to Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, Greece, and Albania. He has been a regular on our teaching staff for many years, has taught at major folk dance camps all over North America and Europe and has performed and choreographed for many performing ensembles throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Steve is active as a teacher and researcher of dance in North American Albanian and Macedonian Roma communities.
He also conducts world dance programs for grades K-12 in New York-area public and private schools.
Steve brings a lively, in-depth knowledge to his teaching, and an intense joy to his dancing. He lives in the New York City area.
TO CONTACT STEVE KOTANSKY : stephenkotansky@gmail.com
Steve Kotansky, known widely as a versatile dancer and teacher, has made many research trips to Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, Greece, and Albania. He has been a regular on our teaching staff for many years, has taught at major folk dance camps all over North America and Europe and has performed and choreographed for many performing ensembles throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Steve is active as a teacher and researcher of dance in North American Albanian and Macedonian Roma communities.
He also conducts world dance programs for grades K-12 in New York-area public and private schools.
Steve brings a lively, in-depth knowledge to his teaching, and an intense joy to his dancing. He lives in the New York City area.
TO CONTACT STEVE KOTANSKY : stephenkotansky@gmail.com
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Galia Miloucheva & John Kuo | BULGARIA & NORTHERN MACEDONIA
Galia Miloucheva Kuo and John Kuo each have had a life-long involvement with Balkan dance and music through the research, teaching, and presentation of Balkan folklore. A native of the Pirin-Macedonian region of southwestern Bulgaria, Galia Miloucheva Kuo has been imbued with a love for folklore since she was a toddler following and learning dances from the “babi” (grandmothers) at weddings, christenings, sobors (festive gatherings), and other celebrations throughout the Pirin region. She continued her studies with the most eminent teachers in the Pirin region, including Bratoy Bratoyev, preeminent master of dance in the Pirin region. Galia was a member of Ensemble "Pirintsi" at the Neofit Rilski Southwestern Bulgarian University. Upon coming to the US, Galia joined Ensemble Balkanske Igre and had the privilege to represent Bulgaria when the ensemble performed in the 1994 Soccer World Cup Opening Ceremonies for an audience of 63,000 fans in Soldier Field and over one billion live television audience worldwide.
Since the late 1970's, either or both of Galia and John have worked closely with the ethnic Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian communities of the Chicago metropolitan area, serving as instructors for the Belasica, Bulgarche, Chicago CFU, Goce Delchev, Indiana Harbor Tamburitzan and Kolo Group, Kitka, Melody Strings, Sacred Heart, and St George Serbian and St Basil of Ostrog Serbian folklore groups as well as teaching Balkan dance workshops at Balkanalia, the University of Toronto, Indiana University-Bloomington, Grinnell College, Carleton College, and at other institutions throughout the Midwest. In 1998 (and again in 2018 with Galia), John led the Kitka folklore group from the Sts Peter & Paul Macedonian Orthodox Church on a performing tour of Macedonia sponsored by Makedonska Matica, while Galia was in Chicago hosting Esma Redezepova and her band from Skopje. Since 2007, they have given annual guest lectures and workshops on Balkan music and dance for the Center for Eastern European and Russian/Eurasian Stugies (CEERES) and the Departments of Anthropology and Music at the University of Chicago. In 2010 Galia and John were invited to teach Macedonian dance workshops at Goran Alachki’s Macedonian Pearl Folklore Seminar in Berovo, Macedonia.
Galia and John have been directors of the University of Chicago International Folk Festival, the International House Festival of Nations, and the Spring Festival of Eastern European Dance and Music co-sponsored by the University of Chicago Center for Eastern European and Russian/Eurasian Studies (CEERES), the International House at the University of Chicago, WHPK, and the Ensemble Balkanske Igre, of which ensemble Galia and John are co-directors. They have been actively involved with the world music and dance scene, working closely with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs for the Chicago World Music Festival, SummerDance, and WinterDance programs, as well with other institutions such as the Field Museum and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Their partnership with such institutions has involved teaching dance workshops, logistical support, collaboration with and presentation of such artists as Esma Redzepova, Ivo Papazov, Boban Markovic, Goran Bregovic, Ivan Milev, Ivan Dyakov, KAL, Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, Bulgari, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Nikolae Feraru, and Tanec Macedonian National Folk Ensemble. John received a leadership award from the Folk Dance Council of Chicago, and in 2006 was presented the United Nations medal by the Bulgarian Consul General of Chicago, the Honorable Ivan Sotirov.
TO CONTACT GALIA KUO : galiakuo@yahoo.com | TO CONTACT JOHN KUO : balkanske_igre@yahoo.com
Ahmet Lüleci | TURKEY
A native of Turkey, Ahmet taught several excellent ensembles in Turkey. Since arriving in North America,
he has taught at the major camps throughout the U.S. as well as in Asia, Europe, Australia and South America.
He is the founder and artistic director of award winning Collage Dance Ensembe of Boston.
His college major was music. Ahmet's fascination with dance and music led him to conduct scholarly research
into the historical, social and cultural background of the costumes and spoon dances from Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
His efforts resulted in an exhaustive, 400 page study for which he was awarded First Place in the 1985 national competition
in research on the folkdances of Turkey by the Turkish ministry of Youth, Sports, and Education. In 1997 Ahmet completed
a second degree in Fine Arts. Ahmet organize cultural tour to Turkey and Japan every year, please contact him for more info.
TO CONTACT AHMET LULECI : www.luleci.com | ahmet.luleci@gmail.com | www.danstur.com
A native of Turkey, Ahmet taught several excellent ensembles in Turkey. Since arriving in North America,
he has taught at the major camps throughout the U.S. as well as in Asia, Europe, Australia and South America.
He is the founder and artistic director of award winning Collage Dance Ensembe of Boston.
His college major was music. Ahmet's fascination with dance and music led him to conduct scholarly research
into the historical, social and cultural background of the costumes and spoon dances from Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
His efforts resulted in an exhaustive, 400 page study for which he was awarded First Place in the 1985 national competition
in research on the folkdances of Turkey by the Turkish ministry of Youth, Sports, and Education. In 1997 Ahmet completed
a second degree in Fine Arts. Ahmet organize cultural tour to Turkey and Japan every year, please contact him for more info.
TO CONTACT AHMET LULECI : www.luleci.com | ahmet.luleci@gmail.com | www.danstur.com