Dance Classes

Konstantin “Kotse” Marinov

Konstantin “Kotse” Marinov is from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. From the age of 5 he performed with the Children’s and Youth Ensemble “Zagorche.” Kotse was born into a dancing family: he and his father, mother, and sister all have 100 percent dancing in their blood! His father is a choreographer, and is a long-time soloist of the Military Ensemble in Sofia; and his mother dances with the Zagore ensemble. In 1987, Konstantin entered the State Choreographic School, now the National School of Dance Arts in Sofia, graduating with a diploma as artist/ballet dancer and teacher of dance arts. After he graduated and completed his military service, he danced as a soloist with Zagore and the “Sunny Beach” Ensemble, and was assistant choreographer with the Zornitsa Ensemble, and he toured with both Sunny Beach and Zagore in Europe, Canada, and the US.

Susan Reagel is not only one of the best and consistent dancers of the Portland area. She’s single-handedly responsible for ensuring Balkanalia’s survival when the EEFC released it from its cadre of camps. She created Balkan Festivals Northwest, and recruited a group of volunteers who manage the camp to this day.

Susan has been learning and performing all the Balkan dances since the 1990s. She taught the Reed College folkdance class for many years and was a performer and choreographer in the late Portland dance ensemble Naslada, and is the dancer who consistently remembers how all the dances that Ahmet taught 20 years ago go.

Jana Rickel

Jana Rickel is one of the foremost folk dance teachers and leaders in the Seattle area. We are so happy to have her share her vast knowledge and expertise at Balkanalia for the first time!

Jana discovered folk dancing as a teenager, in a class taught by Israeli instructor Yossi Sasson. She joined the Tulsa International Folk Dancers, and became their teaching director a year later.

In college, Jana taught folkdances from Eastern and Western Europe and Mexico in elementary school classroom workshops. In 1981, Jana spent four months dancing her way through Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. The next year, living in Germany, she continued to attend workshops in Bulgaria, Germany, and Yugoslavia and taught in Germany.

After returning to the United States, Jana danced with a performing group in Salt Lake City. When their band needed help in the rhythm section, she started playing bass and tâpan. Later, as director of the group, she took up other instruments and now, in addition to the bass and tâpan, plays tambura and various chord instruments.