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Mainewoods Featured Guests for 2025


Anna Angelova, Penny Brichta, Efie and Hans Derksen, Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu, Joe Graziosi, Ralph Iverson, Željko Jergan, Lobster Quadrille, Barbara Pixton, Tom Pixton


Dance Leaders


Anna Angelova Anna Angelova (Bulgarian) grew up in Cherven Briag, a small town in Northern Bulgaria whose lively local festivities (sabors) and traditional ceremonies kindled her interest in folklore at an early age. Anna’s dance adventures started when she joined the town’s folk dance ensemble where she learned from esteemed choreographers and performed along with experienced dancers throughout her youth years.
Upon coming to Boston to obtain a Master’s in Special Education, Anna got introduced to the internationally acclaimed Ahmet Luleci’s Collage Dance Ensemble. The 8 years Anna spent performing with Collage on local and national stages were instrumental for her growth as a dancer, unlocking passion and appreciation for the greater Balkan magic and beyond.
In 2022, Anna was honored to teach Bulgarian Dance at Ahmet Luleci’s annual World Camp in Rock Hill, New York. The highlight of 2023 was her proud participation at Kolo Festival, San Francisco. Anna has shared the magic of Bulgarian folklore at Stockton Winter Weekend and at Festival Danzas Circulares, Mexico. In 2024, Anna made her debut at Mainewoods Dance Camp. Currently, Anna is actively involved in the local Bulgarian community and performing with Ludo Mlado, a Bulgarian folk dance ensemble.


Penny Brichta Penny Brichta (Israeli) has been an avid Israeli dancer since college, spending her junior year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem dancing far more than studying. She has attended dance workshops in the US and abroad, learning from the top choreographers in Israeli dance. She performed with Nitzanim, Chicago's premier Israeli Folk Dance Troupe for many years.
Penny has been teaching the beginner's session at the popular Chicago Israeli Dance group for 30 years. She is a regular teacher at the Door County Folk Dance Festival and has taught Israeli dance at Madison Folk Ball, June Camp, KDI, Enon Valley, Ontario Folk Dance Camp, and Mainewoods Dance Camp.
Since her recent retirement from the corporate world, Penny has obtained certifications in Group Fitness instruction thru ACE, Silver Sneakers, Barre Connect, Stretch and Flexibility, and Jazzercise and teaches multiple fitness classes each week, including an online dance fitness class geared to folk dancers.


Efie Derksen Efie Derksen (Bosnian), from an early age, has been surrounded by music and dance from the Balkans: her father made the music, and her mother danced! Her main occupation is as a nurse at Buurtzorg. But she is also a folk dance teacher with a speciality in Bosnian dances. Through her many travels to Bosnia and Serbia, Efie fell in love with the folklore of these countries. In 2017, Efie had the opportunity to dance for three months with the ensemble “Veselin Maslesa” in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There she collected new dance material and also found a second home.

Hans Derksen (accordion), as a young boy, had a friend in primary school who had a little Hohner accordion. He loved it and over time got bigger instruments. He went to folk dance camps to play along with teachers from abroad such as Theodor Vasilescu (Romania) and Paja Milic (Serbia). There he started a band called 'Gospodar' with a friend and started accompaning folk dance classes which continued for 15 years. He has had several other bands in the meantime. He prefers to learn by ear, and is always listening to Balkan music.


Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu (Romanian) are known for their vibrant energy, warmth and exciting choice of dances and music.
Cristian Florescu was born in Bucharest, Romania. He started dancing in 1982 with different Romanian folk ensembles and studied with various specialists, including Theodor Vasilescu. Cristian was principal dancer with the National Ensemble Cununa Carpatilor. In 1990-91, he received his certificate as a recognized solo dancer and choreographer in the field of folklore from the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the ACAFR. In 1993, he joined Les Sortilčges, a professional folk dance company based in Montreal Canada, where he has danced, taught and choreographed.
Sonia Dion was born in Quebec and has been a professional dancer for over 20 years. She was lead dancer, choreographer and artistic director, among other roles for Les Sortileges dance company; Canada's oldest professional folk dance ensemble, with whom she developed several new productions.
It was at Les Sortilčges that the two met and formed a professional and personal partnership. They have taught at l’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, and have been part of the Artists in the Schools program sponsored by the Quebec Ministry of Education.
In recent years, Cristian and Sonia have developed a specific interest in working with recreational folk dance groups. They’ve been teaching in Brazil, Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia to share their love of Romanian folk traditions. They have choreographed Romanian suites for performing groups, including the world-renowned BYU Folk Dance Ensemble in Utah.


Joe Graziosi Joe Graziosi (Greek), of Greek and Italian ancestry, grew up in the Boston area and graduated with a degree in History from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. With a mania for Greek music and dance from an early age, Joe has done extensive research on regional dance in Greece and among Greek communities in the U.S. He has taught throughout the world for community groups and at major folk dance camps, including the Balkan Music and Dance Workshops since 1982. That same year Joe served as co-director of the Greek Music Tour, an NEA and Ethnic Folk Arts Center sponsored tour of well known Greek regional folk musicians and served as co-editor and co-author of an accompanying booklet. He was a co-founder of New York's Greek American Folklore Society (GAFS) along with its director, Paul Ginis, where he taught throughout the decade of the 80s.
Joe has taught and introduced people to Greek dance in Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and England and has taught regularly in Japan since 1990. Joe has also given talks on traditional Greek music and dance for the ethnomusicology departments at UCLA and UCSB. He has served as judge and advisor for the west coast Greek Orthodox (San Francisco Metropolis) Folk Dance Festival (FDF) since 1984, and as judge and advisor for the Atlanta Metropolis’ Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF). He is, along with Ahmet Luleci, co-founder of the annual World Music & Dance Camp, now in Iroquois Springs. He is also author of one chapter, “Turkish Music in the Greek American Experience,” in the recently published book “Greek Music in America,” U of Mississippi Press. Joe produces compilations of hard to find regional folk dance music.


Željko Jergan Željko Jergan (Croatian) has catapulted through the folklore and dance community as a driving force since his twelve year career as a leading performer with the Croatian National Folk Ensemble, LADO. He has restored details and authenticity to traditional dances and developed new choreographies from regions of Croatia that had hardly been touched. He has over 500 original choreographies to his credit.
His popularity in the recreational folk dance community has extended to many countries, including the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan. His attention to style and detail keeps him in high demand.
In Canada, he has made a significant contribution to the Croatian folklore community and serves as Artistic Director for several ensembles throughout the country. And in the States, he has worked with numerous folk ensembles, and has developed children’s groups whose members have gone on to the TAMBURITZANS of Duquesne University, KUMOVI of Pittsburgh and Folklore Ensemble LJELJO, also of Pittsburgh.
Željko has been recognized many times for his on-going work, including being bestowed the prestigious honor to serve as the Guest Conductor for the 2009 CFU Junior Tamburitza Festival in Chicago, Illinois. He continually strives to elevate the level of authenticity and presentation for all the ensembles with which he is affiliated, while continually showcasing the Croatian and other cultures at its highest possible level. In June 2024, he received the honor of being recognized for 50 years of professional work in promoting Croatian culture across the world by the Croatian Fraternal Union.



Musicians


Ralph Iverson Ralph Iverson (Pixton-Iverson Band) started playing for international folk dancing in 1985. He has been a member of many folk dance groups including Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble, Cambridge Folk Orchestra, Pinewoods Band, Pajdashi, Rakija, Zdravets, and Zornitsa. Ralph plays violin and viola with several Boston-area community orchestras.  


Lobster Quadrille Lobster Quadrille:  
Julia Poirier (guitar, tambura, vocals), David Skidmore (percussion, clarinet, kaval, whistle), Ralph Iverson (fiddle, gadulka, tambura, brac), and Katie DeWolf (bass, cello) have been playing folk dance music in Boston for the past three decades. Their collective expertise includes dance music from Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, and Romania. They are delighted to come together at Mainewoods for the first time as Lobster Quadrille. Will you, won’t you join the dance?


Barbara Pixton Barbara Pixton (Pixton-Iverson Band) began playing her mother's button accordion at the age of eight. She moved on to the piano, obtaining a degree in piano performance from Boston University. A folk dancer for many years, in the early 1990's she and her husband Tom Pixton began playing for dances. Since then they have put together several bands, played at music festivals and dance camps all over the US, published a music book, and made several recordings. Barbara currently plays bass for the Pixton-Poirier Trio, the Pinewoods Band, and the Waltham Philharmonic, accordion for the All-Girl Band, and piano for English Country dances around the Boston area.


Tom Pixton Tom Pixton (Pixton-Iverson Band) is active as an International, Balkan, and Scottish folk dance musician. He has worked with many of today's most accomplished dance teachers and musicians as accordionist, pianist, band leader, music arranger, and CD producer. He has provided dance music and music leadership for June Camp (Illinois), Stockton Folkdance Camp (California), August Camp (New Mexico), San Antonio Folk Dance Festival (Texas), Mainewoods (Maine), the Folk Arts Center of New England, and Royal Scottish Country Dance Society branches in Boston, New Haven, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. Tom publishes the Pinewoods International Collection, a 400-page book of folk dance tunes and songs from around the world. The book has become widely known as a major source of dance music and as a reference volume.