Discover the rich history of folk dance festivals in the greater Vancouver, BC area through Kathy Sandstrom's article, "VBC: A Wealth of Folk Dance Festivals." From the Lyrids Folk Dance Festival to the Bulgarian and Balkan Festivals, this piece takes you on a journey through decades of cultural celebration, music, dance, and community. [...]
Zakuska is a Seattle-based ensemble formed in 2010 that has become a beloved fixture of the Pacific Northwest Balkan folk scene. The band’s name—meaning "snack" or a shared spread of small dishes in several Slavic languages—reflects their welcoming approach to music meant for both dancing and listening. Specializing in multipart vocal harmonies, their extensive repertory [...]
For over a decade, the Lyrids Folk Dance Festival has brought the joy of international dance to British Columbia each spring. From its beginnings in 2014 to its finale in 2026, Lyrids has grown into a vibrant gathering of dancers, teachers, and friends from across North America. This retrospective, compiled by Bev Neilson with [...]
Rosemarie Keough, founder of the Salt Spring Island Folk Dance Festival, reflects on how the event began in 2004, flourished for a decade, and was eventually passed on to the Burnaby International Folk Dancers (BIFD). Since then, BIFD has carried the tradition forward through the Lyrids Festival, which Dale Adamson and a dedicated committee have [...]
Kathy Sandstrom submitted the article below to the NFO News, May 2025 Excerpt:We are bringing back a music class (drumming), decorating Croatian hearts, learning a little Croatian beading, and having a very special session celebrating many things Greek, called Treasures from Greece. Please join us at our fragrance-free festival!
Lori Larsen and Kathy Sandstrom submitted the article below to the NFO News, May 2025 Excerpt: We are very excited to welcome Dimitrios Kontogiannis, a Greek specialist from Vancouver to teach at Lyrids 2025! Dimitrios (aka Dimitris, Dimitri) Kontogiannis was born and raised in Greece and began learning traditional Greek dance at the age of [...]
Bev Neilson submitted the article below to the Northwest Folk Dancer, April 2025 Excerpt: My experience of festivals started with the Salt Spring Island Folk Dance Festival, run by Rosemarie Keough. It was exciting to take the ferry from Vancouver to Salt Spring Island, drive through forests and farmlands, and eventually arrive at Fulford Community [...]
Kathy Sandstrom submitted the article below to the Northwest Folk Dancer, March 2025 Excerpt: Numerous special classes will be offered at the 2025 Lyrids Folk Dance Festival in Pitt Meadows, BC (east of Vancouver, BC) May 9–11. This is in addition to teaching by our featured teachers Željko Jergan, who is presenting Croatian dances, and [...]
Kathy Sandstrom submitted the article below to the Northwest Folk Dancer, February 2025 Excerpt: We are thrilled to have Željko Jergan once again to teach Croatian folk dances in this part of the world, May 9–11, 2025. Željko taught at the Salt Spring Island Festival held in 2012. The Lyrids Folk Dance Festival is the [...]
Kathy Sandstrom submitted the article below to the Northwest Folk Dancer, January 2025 Excerpt: The meat of the the following article is by Joe, with edits by EEFC. I note in the article that it is reprinted with permission by Joe and EEFC. May 9-11, 2025 is the Lyrids Folk Dance Festival just east of [...]