Concerts & Events

Paul Collins from Ethnic Dance Chicago will teach dance styles from the various regions of Bulgaria backed by the Bulgarian dance ensemble Orkestar Verea.

Bulgarian dance ensemble Orkestar Verea consists of Konstantin Marinov on tupan (big drum), Dimitar Stankov on kaval (flute) and accordion, Nikola Gaidarov on kaval (flute), Angel Dobrev on gadulka (bowed stringed instrument), and Petur Aleksiev on gaida (bagpipe). Orkestar Verea is part of the Bulgarian cultural organization “BGFOLK CLUB VEREA” which sponsors the spreading of Bulgarian Culture behind Bulgaria's borders.

Paul Collins has danced since the age of eight and has been an ethnic folk dance leader & square/contra dance caller since high school. Paul has called contra dances from the North Country to the Deep South and has even called squares and taught ethnic folk dancing for the hearing impaired at Gallaudet University in Washington. DC. While in college, Paul led the University of Chicago Folk Dance Club and directed the University's "International Folk Festival" for many years. Paul later joined Gerhard Bernhard in producing the Door County Folk Festival which is still going strong. Paul and Bill Sasso started the Mid-North Folk Dance Club that evolved into Ethnic Dance Chicago. Paul has developed dance programs for schools, tutoring programs and scouting organizations and has created multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary dance weeks for middle schools such as the Spring Hill School in Wisconsin Dells, WI and the Chaney Monge School in Crest Hill, IL. Paul is one of the featured instructors in the Chicago SummerDance program.

Ethnic Dance Chicago (EDC) is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational community of people who enjoy the dances and music of many countries from around the world - The group's byline is: "Dancing As A Second Language". Through its weekly dance programs at Chicago's Latvian Center and at the S.P.A.C.E. Center, EDC promotes the enjoyment and preservation of the dance and music heritage of America's many ethnic groups, as well as America's own traditional dance and music. EDC also performs at ethnic dance festivals and at public, private and corporate events.

http://www.ethnicdance.net/