Guest Teacher 2011
DANIELA IVANOVA

Daniela Ivanova is an accomplished, professional folk dance teacher and performer. She is also a very gifted choreographer and a researcher of the South Slavic folk culture. She began dancing at age 4, learning traditional dances from her grandmother, a native from Shop region. At age 12 Daniela began touring Europe as a member of Rosna Kitka Children’s Folk Dance Ensemble (Sofia). She was a full-time teacher in choreography, ethnography and philosophy, co-founder of the Medena Pitka school ensemble, artistic director of the Tropanka folk dance group (New Bulgarian University), and assistant choreographer of the Zornitsa University Student Folk Ensemble. She worked as assistant professor in cultural anthropology at St. “Kliment Ohridski” Sofia University, as a lecturer in dance folklore at New Bulgarian University and other institutions. As a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, field researcher and scholar she has traveled repeatedly to France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, former Yugoslavia, Malta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Mongolia.

Since 2003 Daniela has made regular teaching tours to the U.S. and has taught in over 25 states. She has taught at major dance camps like Stockton, California (2005, 2008), Mainewoods Folk Dance Camp (2008), Florida Folk Dance Camp (2007), San Antonio Folk Dance Camp (2007), Chicago Spring Festival, (2006, 2007), Balkanalia Music and Dance Camp, Oregon (2009), Buffalo on the Danube: Labor Day International Music and Dance Weekend (2009), and more.

Daniela has recently completed her Ph.D. at the Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, specializing in ethnochoreology and dance anthropology. Since 2002 she has been an active member of the International Council for Traditional Music /ICTM/, UNESCO, Study Group on Ethnochoreology. Her scientific publications focus on folk dance activities in the Balkans and the US.

Please contact us for more info.