35th Folk Ball Festival
Live and in person
January 24-26, 2025
Memorial Union
800 Langdon St 53715
Folk Ball 2026 will be January 23-25, 2026
Pre-Registration is closed. Please Register at the info table.
Online dinner reservations are now closed, but a limited number of dinners are still available. If you'd like to purchase a meal ticket at Folk Ball, please visit the information table upon arrival. Meals will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. If meals sell out, you’ll also have the opportunity to put your name on a waitlist.
Also connect with us on Facebook.
Send inquires to info@madfolkball.org or call (608) 571-4389.
Featured Teacher Creature is Balkan dance instructor and musician Michael Ginsburg.
Michael was featured teacher at the 2020 Folk Ball.
FRIDAY DANCE PARTY: 7:30-Midnight in Great Hall
DB Polka Express, Orkestar Sloboda, Yid Vicious Klezmer Ensemble
WORKSHOPS – Saturday, January 25
10:00am-12:00n BALKAN DANCE WORKSHOP, Great Hall
Michael Ginsburg
12:00n-1:00pm BROWN BAG TALK, Old Madison Room
John Uhlemann, Intrepid Music Adventurer (interview & sound samples)
1:00-3:00pm BALKAN AND CARPATHIAN DANCE, Great Hall
Music by Szaszka, teach/lead Dan Talmo & Paula White
1:00-3:00pm RUEDA DANCE WORKSHOP, Festival Room
Cuban called-figure genre.
1:15-3:00pm BULGARIAN SINGING, Old Madison Room
Donka Koleva - vocalist of Bulgarika, Cherven Traktor
3:00-5:00pm BALKAN DANCE WORKSHOP, Great Hall
Michael Ginsburg
3:00-5:00pm TANCHAZ, Festival Room
Music by Szaszka, teach/lead Dan Talmo & Paula White
3:00-5:00pm DANCE WORKSHOP "Folk Ball 101", Old Madison Room
Quickstart intro to line dances with Michael Kuharski
FOLK BALL DINNER – 5:00-7:00 Saturday, January 25 in Tripp Commons
Online dinner reservations are now closed, but a limited number of dinners are still available. If you'd like to purchase a meal ticket at Folk Ball, please visit the information table upon arrival. Meals will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. If meals sell out, you’ll also have the opportunity to put your name on a waitlist.
$15 per person.
Grilled chicken breast, wooded mushroom sauce, roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables.
Cheese ravioli, tomato vodka sauce, seasonal vegetables.
Advance reservation required via Festival pre-registation
Atmospheric Bulgarian na trapeza music by Nikolay Kolev at the end.
THE LEGENDARY FOLK BALL DANCE PARTY: 7:00-Midnight in Great Hall
Orkestar Bez Ime, Cherven Traktor, Black Bear Combo, Izvor Orchestra
BALKAN DANCE REVIEW:
10:30-noon SUNDAY in Festival Room - Michael Ginsburg
Folk Ball is funded entirely by your generous donations. Come and go freely, but please give as you can. Help keep this an open celebration for everyone! Make one full-weekend donation or give at each event you attend. We suggest the following levels:
Full weekend $ 125.00
Evening parties $ 30.00 each
Workshops $ 20.00 each
Brown Bag talk $ 10.00
The Information Table in Great Hall will accept accept cash, checks, or credit cards. Checks can be made out to the Madison Folk Dance Club, or for a tax deduction, the Wisconsin Folk Arts Association. Thank you!
Audio Engineering by Lonya Nenashev of Red Square Audio
SPONSORSHIP & SUPPORT
Organization: Wisconsin Folk Arts Association
Madison Folk Dance Club
Academic: UW Center for Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
Financial: Nancy Yugo Memorial Fund
Promotion: WORT 89.9 Community-Sponsored Radio