The Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies invites you to join us for a special workshop celebrating the traditions of Bulgarian dance! This session invites participants of all levels to explore the dynamic movements and communal spirit of dances passed down through generations. Guided by Devon Rancourt (Ohio State U.) and Leslie Scott (Columbus Folk Dancers), you'll learn the Pravo horo, Shirto, and Elenino horo. Come ready to move, connect and celebrate the joy of dance.
This event is free and open to the public! Please note that any participants under the age of 18 are REQUIRED to have a parent/guardian with them at all times. We will not be able to have minors without a parent/guardian attend or participate in the event.
Meet Your Instructors
Devon Rancourt (Ohio State U.)
Devon Rancourt is a 2nd year Master's student at the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. Prior to attending Ohio State, Devon spent two academic years teaching English in Bulgaria and enjoyed going to Bulgarian folk dance classes at local theaters in her free time. She is currently writing her Master's thesis on textbooks for learners of Bulgarian.
Leslie Scott (Columbus Folk Dancers)
Leslie Scott has a long-standing interest in Bulgarian folk dance and folk music. After encountering Bulgarian and other Balkan dances as an international folk dancer in the 1970s, she took her first trip to Bulgaria in 1981 for a summer seminar on Bulgarian language and culture, and liked it so much she repeated it the next summer. In the 1990s she went on several folk dance and music tours to various parts of Bulgaria, where she attended folklore festivals, met with professional and amateur performing groups, learned dances, took music lessons, and even performed on stage with a Bulgarian group at the national folklore festival held every five years in the village of Koprivshtitsa.
Leslie has attended many Bulgarian dance workshops in the United States and usually spends a week in August at Balkan Camp in upstate New York, playing Bulgarian and North Macedonian music on kaval (a type of end-blown flute) and doing dances from all over the Balkans. She is the main teacher and dance leader for the Columbus Folk Dancers, a recreational international folk dance group that meets weekly in the Clintonville neighborhood, and also for a monthly Balkan dance night held in the same location.
Apart from folk dancing and music, Leslie is a retired Russian-to-English translator who formerly worked for The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press. She enjoys taking foreign language classes under Program 60; currently she’s working on Romanian.
