36th Folk Ball Festival
Live and in person
January 23-25, 2026
Memorial Union
800 Langdon St 53715
Featuring Lee Otterholt
Folk Ball 2027 will be January 22-24, 2027
36th Folk Ball Festival
Live and in person
January 23-25, 2026
Memorial Union
800 Langdon St 53715
Featuring Lee Otterholt
Folk Ball 2027 will be January 22-24, 2027
7:30 - Midnight: DANCE PARTY (Zoom link)
7:30 Yid Vicious Klezmer
9:05 Sloboda
9:50 Teacher Cameos
10:20 Sloboda
10:00 Great Hall: Lee Otterholt (dances of 'Balkans & Beyond')
12:00 Brownbag: Paul Kantor (Folk Dance Style: Personal? Regional? Generational?)
01:00
Great Hall: English Country (caller: Mady Newfield music: Rare Privilege (Maria Terres & Amy McFarland))
Old Madison: Singing (Natalie Nowytski; songs of Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Bosnia)
Festival: Tanchaz (teachers: Matt LaCourse & Mita Pelecis music: Szaszka)
03:00
Great Hall: Lee Otterholt (dances of 'Balkans & Beyond')
Old Madison: FolkBall 101 (Michael Kuharski)
Festival: BalFolk (Bob Walser)
5:00 - 7:00: Buffet Dinner
7:00 - Midnight: DANCE PARTY (Zoom link)
7:00 Izvor
8:30 Szaszka
9:35 Bulgarika
10:10 Orkestar Bez Ime
11:25 Bulgarika
10:30 - noon in Festival Room
Review of dances from Lee Otterholt's Saturday workshops
Also connect with us on Facebook.
Send inquires to info@madfolkball.org or call (608) 571-4389.
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 $ 150.00
Evening parties $ 30.00 each
Workshops $ 20.00 each
Review $ 20.00
Brown Bag $0
Virtual attendance $ 15.00 per party (Zoom link)
Donations can be made online here. In addition, The Information Table in Great Hall will accept accept cash, checks, or credit cards. Checks should be made out to Narodno International Dancers Incorporated. If you are interested in paying ahead of time, but offline, please e-mail info@madfolkdance.org. Thank you!
Advanced dinner reservations are no longer available online, but a limited number of dinner tickets will be available for purchase at the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Please stop by the information desk when you arrive for details.
Narodno International Dancers Incorporated is a 501(c)3 and donations to it are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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