Kids’ Activities
Fiore Grey
Fiore brings her priceless creativity back to teach a kids class at Balkanalia. In past years, she has helped Balkanalia kids build Kukeri (traditional Balkan masks) for a parade on the final day of camp, and choreographed songs and dances for the children to perform on Sunday night. In addition to sharing music and dance with the kids, her classes typically involve arts, crafts, theatre games, face painting, nature activities, storytelling, and imaginative play. Fiore strives to make her classes accessible to a range of ages, meeting kids wherever they’re at developmentally. She loves the multi-age aspect of the kids class, and takes particular delight in nourishing friendships and mentorships between the children during their time at Balkanalia—the kids class becomes a village within a village. Parents who enroll their children can expect to have childcare for the majority of each day at camp, meaning they’re freed up to attend workshops while the kids are busy having fun together!
Fiore is a mother of two wonderfully creative children, whom she homeschooled in the past. In addition to a background in vocal pedagogy, Fiore has training in child development and attachment theory, and has studied a range of approaches to education, including Montessori, Waldorf, unschooling, nature schooling, and project-based learning. She is also currently in training at Antioch University to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
A lifelong lover of performance studies, ethnomusicology, and folk art traditions, in 2014 Fiore began singing with Dunava, a Seattle-based women’s choir specializing in the folk harmonies of Eastern Europe. The group performs regularly, often collaborating with other music and dance ensembles, and has recorded three CDs. In 2024, Fiore founded Sindikat Sina Roza (The Blue Rose Syndicate), an 11-piece Balkan brass band bringing the joyful, infectious dance music of Balkan brass to the Pacific Northwest.
What about Kids Band?
We haven’t had enough children at Balkanalia lately to warrant a real kids band, so this year we’re trying something new: All beginner musicians of all ages are welcome to join the Beginner Ensemble, taught by Gora Gora band leader Tung Pham.