The secret charm of Balkan dancing

A large contingent of Balkan dancers from west county practice this centuries-old circle dance tradition in Santa Rosa

Participants dance to the tunes of a Balkan folk ensemble at Monroe Hall at 1400 W. College Ave. in Santa Rosa. Sebastopol locals regularly carpool to Balkan dance classes and events held there by Marilyn Smith. (Photo courtesy of Marilyn Smith)

In an era of increasing high tech and decreasing social interaction, it may come as a surprise to Peacetown locals to find out that a vibrant social scene exists under their very noses. The “scene,” Balkan dancing, has existed locally for over 50 years and is still going strong.

During a recent interview with the Sebastopol Times, longtime folk dancer, musician and Sebastopol resident Rebecca Dwan described the Balkan dance community, saying, “It’s sort of a parallel universe of hundreds of people in the North Bay who do this dancing, and we musicians who play for them—but most people do not know it exists.”

Dwan began attending Balkan dance classes 40 years ago, in the late 1980s.

“There used to be a lot more of this dancing right in Sebastopol,” she said. “It’s still really hot, but we used to have a few venues right here in Sebastopol, and we used to have a JC class taught by Joan Marler down here at the Vets building, and that’s where I started. I’m hoping that we can have classes again someday in Sebastopol because I’m all about doing things locally and not driving anywhere.”

Dwan also belongs to a local Balkan music ensemble called Gradina, which formed around 2001 and meets in town. “We sing a cappella, and also some songs with instrumental accompaniment. We lean toward traditional songs and arrangements,” she said, adding that many who are drawn first to Balkan dancing later also take up the music that accompanies it.

Dwan’s longtime dance teacher, Marilyn Smith, is something of a legend within the North Bay Balkan dance community. While living in Barcelona as an exchange student in 1963, Smith found herself moved by the passion, intensity and joy of a circle of dancers holding hands as they engaged in a traditional Catalan dance called the Sardana. This event influenced her choice of career.

“I took folk dance classes at SRJC 1964-1966, and then took classes at UC Berkeley. In the 1970s, I traveled to Greece, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania, dancing and attending folk dance festivals,” Smith told the Times.

Numerous folk dance subcultures exist nationally and in the North Bay—most notably Morris, Contra and Balkan. And while there is some crossover between attendees, the dance types themselves tend to be more rigidly defined by region or country.

“When you get into the Balkan countries, especially like Serbia, Macedonia—now called North Macedonia—Bulgaria, there’s a lot of commonality in the dances,” Smith said. “And then as you go further out to Greece or Turkey, Albania, you’re going to see a lot more differences very specific to those countries.”

Smith began teaching folk dance classes in 1970 in Santa Rosa, and taught for 46 years at Santa Rosa Junior College, including a class in Healdsburg for 13 years. She continues to teach beginner- and intermediate-level Balkan dance classes at Monroe Hall on West College Avenue in Santa Rosa during her retirement.

During seasonal breaks between classes, drop-in parties take place at the Hall. While the classes cost money and involve instruction, the parties last longer and are open to drop-ins.

Dwan attends dance class three times a week, on average, including Zoom classes. Regarding carpooling from Sebastopol to Monroe Hall, she said, “Right now it’s word of mouth. People who are going on Tuesday nights, we just tell each other who’s going.”

She highlighted the physical and therapeutic benefits of Balkan dance, saying, “This dancing in a supported line helped me gain muscle and balance after a lifetime of poor muscle tone and falling due to a club foot, and it has helped many others in similar ways.”

Both women emphasized the positive aspects of Balkan dance.

“It’s all one to me. It’s the music, the people and the community to me, I guess. I’m passionate about it because I think that having something like that to do fosters peace in the world, so that kind of makes it all glue together for me,” said Dwan.

“The thing about folk dance in particular that creates community is that you are literally joined together holding hands in a circle,” Smith said. “Everyone is dancing the same steps to the same music. Because you are in a circle, you are facing each other and can see the joy on people’s faces.

“Many people in my classes have danced together for decades. We’ve watched their children and grandchildren grow. It is one big family,” she added.

The current round of classes started this week at Monroe Hall, at 1400 W. College Ave. in Santa Rosa. Find out more at marilynsmithrazzmatazz.blogspot.com.