Dance Party Video (September 9, 2023)

Iliana Bozhanova from Galabovo, in the Stara Zagora region of Bulgaria, grew up in a family of musicians and singers in South Thrace. She graduated from the National School for Art Instructors in Plovdiv. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in “Bulgarian Folk Dances and Choreography” at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the oldest folk arts academy in the Balkans and the most acclaimed in Bulgaria. She has since been active as a choreographer and teacher at workshops and camps throughout the world.

Todor Yankov (accordion) was born in 1962 in Plovdiv, but he grew up in the village of Dobralak in the Rhodopi Mountains in a large family. His father, Vasil Yankov, was a well-known gaida player in the area. Todor began to play gaida, like his father, and then when he was 10 year old, he took up kaval. Soon after that he became an orphan and had no one to send him to study at Shiroka Lûka Music High School, which had been his dream. When he was 16, he discovered the accordion and began to teach himself to play.He is also a wonderful singer. For many years he played with the Hisar folk orchestra at different holiday celebrations. He has been the accordionist for the following folk dance ensembles: Rûchenitsa, Hebar, Pûldin and now, Ensemble Voivodintsi.

Zdravets, Boston’s friendly neighborhood Balkan band, has been performing at concerts, dances, festivals, parties, etc. (including radio and television in Bulgaria) since 1989. Most of its repertoire of traditional dance music and unaccompanied singing is from Bulgaria, with occasional forays into neighboring countries. Zdravets has a monthly Saturday night dance party (usually 2nd Saturday) in Waltham at the First Parish UU Church at 50 Church St. You can find their schedule on their homepage.