
Special Balfolk Concert and Dance Party
Click for more details
DANCE THE WEEKEND
AWAY WITH Catherine Rudin
September 25 - 27 , 2026
Learn, dance, socialize, and relax in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Mountain Playshop is a regional dance weekend that, for over 30 years, has provided both a forum for dancers to learn new dances, songs and culture from regional and professional teachers while also offering a beautiful destination for dancers to get together with other dancers for a fun filled weekend – dancing, partying, sharing delicious meals, reviewing dances, playing music and just relaxing in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Attracting dancers from all over the region, sometimes from afar, Mountain Playshop has always offered a unique venue, and this year is no different. This year the workshop has moved to a new location, the Montreat Conference Center, a short distance from our old venue at the Blue Ridge Assembly (BRA). (http://montreat.org)
The Montreat Conference Center expands dancer’s choice of accommodations in Assembly Hall and Glen Rock Inn, all of which are air conditioned and a short walk on a level road to the Barn, the dance venue. The Barn, a large dance hall with three bathrooms (M/W/F), water fountain and a great wood dance floor, while not air conditioned, has a large number of windows for ventilation. An adjacent Gazebo offers a great venue for musicians. Glen Rock also incorporates a well equipped kitchen and a dining area where our catered meals will be served.
OUR TEACHERS
Erik Bendix of Asheville NC will teach international folk dance at this weekend workshop.
Erik Bendix, who grew up in the bay area of San Francisco, began folk dancing at the age of ten. He has taught folk dance in Europe and the United States since 1972. Although he specializes in dances of Europe, especially from the Balkans, Near East, and the Klezmer culture, his dance research extends as far east as Mongolia and Thailand.
Erik has studied and taught Albanian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Macedonian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Yiddish folk dances, as well as traditional Mevlevi dervish whirling dances and Appalachian clogging.
Erik co-founded the Mountain Playhop summer folkdance weekend in Asheville, North Carolina in 1984, and has been a regular teacher ever since.
STAY UPDATED
Send an Email to mtnplayshop@gmail.com if you want to be added to the Mountain Playshop listserve.