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Vecernica star logo Vecernica International Folkdance Band

Večernica has been delighting international folkdancers in the Bay Area for over 20 years. With our experienced musicians and broad repertoire, we provide music from a variety of cultures—or we can focus on a smaller set to suit your needs.

Our repertoire includes folk-dance music from many countries and cultures, including the British Isles, France, Austria, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans (including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia), Turkey, and Israel, along with tunes from Canada, Mexico, South America, and the U.S.

We play regularly for several folk-dance clubs and classes in the San Francisco peninsula area, and are also available for dance parties, weddings, Bar Mitzvas and other occasions.

Who we are

  • Dave Bogdanoff (leader; bass, guitar, percussion, vocals),
  • Sue Ellen Porter (flute),
  • Meryl-Lee Corcoran (clarinet),
  • Pete Showman (fiddle, mandolin, vocals),
  • Ned Gault (autoharp, Austrian harmonika (button accordion), vocals, percussion),
  • Bruce Davis (fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, vocals),
  • Gary Breitbard (accordion, fiddle, vocals),
  • Jena Rauti (vocals, accordion, percussion),
  • Chiara Bos (accordion, nyckelharpa),
  • Dave Barton (fiddle).

Where to Hear Us

Partial Schedule for Spring 2010:
  • Friday March 19, 2010, 8 pm: Chang's International Folk Dancers
    at their new location: Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, 417 31st Ave, San Francisco (north of Golden Gate Park, between Clement and Geary; map and directions from 19th Ave.)
    Schedule: First four Fridays every month, 8 pm until (at least) 10:30
  • (date TBD) Marcel Vinokur's Menlo Park Folk Dancers Saturday night dance party
  • (tentative) Saturday June 12, 2010: San Francisco Free Folk Festival (SFFFF)
    Location: Presidio Middle School, 450 30th Ave (at Geary), San Francisco
    Schedule: Festival is Saturday and Sunday June 12-13, noon to approx. 10 pm both days.

Folkdance Groups We've Played For in Recent Years:

  • Berkeley Folk Dancers, Berkeley
  • Chang's International Folk Dancers, San Francisco
  • City College of San Francisco: Gail Barton's Folk and Ballroom Dance Concert
  • Heritage Festival Folk Dance Party, San Carlos
  • Marcel Vinokur's Saturday night folkdance party, Menlo Park
  • San Francisco Free Folk Festival (at SF City College; evening folk dance).
  • Saratoga International Folk Dancers (Loui Tucker)
  • Stanford International Dancers, Mountain View
  • Statewide Gold Country Festival (California Folk Dance Federation)
  • Triton Museum, Santa Clara (special events)
  • Various private parties, anniversaries, weddings in the Bay Area

Contact Information

To learn more, or arrange a performance, call Dave Bogdanoff, 650.604.6138 or Pete Showman, 408.255.0297, or email us: image: info at folkdanceband dot com

* Večernica?
What's that?

Večernica means "Evening Star" in Serbo-Croation. It's pronounced something like "veh-CHAIR-neet-sah." (In Serbo-Croation, the character č (c-hachek or c-caron, which should look like this in your browser: ) is pronounced like English "ch" or "tch", while a plain "c" is pronounced like English "ts" or "tz".)



This page is maintained by Pete Showman, image: pete at folkdanceband dot com.
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