Dance

Bergen Alimova

nstrumental music, song

Nizo Alimov

Bergen Alimova was born in Štip, North Macedonia, in 1990 and grew up in a Roma neighborhood surrounded by musicians and dancers. Bergen began dancing at the age of nine in family settings, watching her uncle and brothers. She has a large repertoire, including line dances from the Maleševo region of Eastern Macedonia, pan-Macedonian line dances, and Roma line dances performed by community members at weddings and other large celebrations. She is also a graceful solo čoček dancer.

Bergen and her husband Nizo have taught EEFC workshops in the USA, and hosted the YAMMS (Young American Musicians to Macedonia and Serbia) band for a residency in North Macedonia. Bergen taught the group several dances and choreographed a procession and performance in the center of the city of Štip.

Born in Štip, Northern Macedonia, into a musical Rom family, Nijazi "Nizo" was taught baritone horn by his uncle when he was 16 years old. Nizo began performing in Šutka, the Roma community on the outskirts of Skopje, as a member of the famous brass band led by Kočo Agušev,
He joined the celebrated Kočani Orkestar in 2003 as a baritone player, and toured the world with this ensemble for over a decade, performing with such luminaries as Taraf de Haïdouks, Ferus Mustafov, and Esma Redžepova.
Since 2017, Nizo plays trumpet as leader of his own band, Nizo’s Wedding Band. He also plays clarinet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, and kaval.
A lover of Serbian, Greek, Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, and Roma music, he enjoys sharing his rich musical background as a teacher, and has conducted popular workshops at East European Folklife Center (EEFC) camps in the USA.

Combining his love of Arabic music with that of the great guitarists, Dan Armeanca became a pioneer of the musical genre known as manele, a very rhythmic style of Roma music which spread from Romania throughout Europe in the 80’s and 90’s, His compositions have become standards. He interprets his songs as only a master lautari can. After a successful recording career in Romania, Dan now lives in Canada.

Domaći Trubači is Montréal’s only authentic trubači (Balkan brass band), bringing the ecstatic fury and bliss hidden in the hills of Southern Serbia and North Macedonia to the streets and venues of our city. Formed in 2019 by lead trumpeter, Eli Camilo, Domaći Trubači is dedicated to filling your ears with the signature soulful and joyous trumpet sound and a rhythm section with a special kind of groove, which is sure to keep everyone dancing. 

Now led by Lydia Dyda, the Marunczak Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, based in Montreal, has been entertaining since it was founded in 1945 by the renowned choreographer, the late Peter Marunczak Sr.

In 1966, fascinated by Balkan folklore, 17-year-old Yves Moreau first went to Bulgaria. He traveled around the country, recording dancers, singers, and instrumentalists on film and tape, and learned to speak Bulgarian. He returned to Bulgaria almost annually between 1966 and 1986 to research dance and to record music. 

Now recognized as one of North America's foremost exponents of Bulgarian dance and folklore, he has, for more than 50 years, been lecturing and conducting workshops on Bulgarian, Balkan, and Québecois dance throughout North America as well as in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Murmurosi (Мурмуроси)/murmurosi is a duo comprised of Natalia Telentso and Eli Camilo who sing Ukrainian polyphonic folk songs. Raw, dense harmonies combine with simplicity, perfectly conveying the hardships and prosperities of Ukrainian village life.

The main act.

For this Montreal version of his celebrated Macedonian ensemble, Nizo has recruited not only his son Nazir, a sax virtuoso, but an all-star gathering of our best Balkan musicians, including members of Domaći Trubači.

With his students from the afternoon workshops, Nizo will get the dancing started.

Sergiu Popa, originally from Moldova, has become an important part of Montreal's world-music scene since his arrival in 2002. A conservatory-trained virtuoso accordionist from a Roma family dynasty of musicians, he is a specialist in the traditional music of southeast Europe. As well, he has absorbed a wide variety of influences from the worlds of jazz, Latin, and Middle-Eastern music. A sought-after teacher of accordion, he has offered workshops at CAMMAC, KlezKanada, Django in June, and the EEFC’s Balkan Camp.

Led by Moldavian-born, Montreal-based accordion master Sergiu Popa, this amazing new ensemble explores the rich pan-national musical traditions of the Roma people through a Canadian lens. Also featuring Noemy Braun (cello), Andi Pema (percussion), and Mohamed Raki (darbouka),

The core members of the Montreal-based band Soleil Tzigane are the brothers Vassil Markov (kaval and voice), Nikola Markov (tambura, saxophone), and Petar Markov (accordion).

The brothers grew up in Bratsigovo, Thrace, Bulgaria. For many years, they were members of the Zdravets Folk Ensemble in the city of Peshtera, and toured with that ensemble in many countries. As well as traditonal Bulgrarian music, their repertoire includes music of the Hungarian and Russian Roma.

Since 1975, when Jocelyne Vaillancourt first fell in love with folkdance, it has been the focus of her spare time and trips. She has been teaching international folkdancing at the Université de Montréal for several decades, and regularly organizes dance workshops in Montreal for visiting folk-dance specialists.