60th Spring Festival, U of Chicago John Kuo & Balkanske Igre

60th Spring Festival - Celebrating the life of John Kuo & 60th anniversary of Chicago's dance Ensemble Balkanske Igre @ Univ of Chicago, May 24th & 25th, 2025.

A Tribute to John Kuo's Lifelong Dedication to peace & dance.

Thank you everyone for always being there for us!! We hope that you will join us and/or support The 60th Spring Festival!

John passed away on May 8, 2023. He was hoping that we'll celebrate the 60th anniversary and was planning with his wife & daughter to continue tradittions of presenting the folklore and traditions of all people from Eastern Europe and Mediterranean together in peace.

Galia, Maria and amazing team of organizations and people are going to do exactly that,

www.balkanskeigre.org

So, please, join us for a special weekend of music, dance, and community at the 60th Anniversary Ensemble Balkanske Igre / Balkanski Igri & The Spring Festival!

May 23-25, 2025

Ida Noyes Hall,

University of Chicago

(1212 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637) &

Restaurant Mehanata (1141 Lee St, Des Plaines, IL 60016)

For 60 years, this festival has been a cherished tradition of the Balkan, Eastern European, and Mediterranean folk community. John and I, Galia Miloucheva Kuo, have dedicated our lives to preserving these traditions for many years, and this year, Maria Kuo Ignjatov and I are proud to continue hosting the festival in his loving memory.

Festival Overview

• Friday 5/23: Dinner & party @ Restaurant Mehanata

• Saturday 5/24: Dance & music workshops + concert, dinner, & party @ Ida Noyes Hall, University of Chicago

• Sunday, May 25: Dance & music workshops @ Ida Noyes Hall, University of Chicago followed by dinner & party @ Restaurant Mehanata

Weekend & day passes available

Co-Sponsored by the Folklore Society

This festival is more than just an event - it is a celebration of heritage, culture, and community, bringing together dancers, musicians, and folk enthusiasts from around the world. We need your support to keep this tradition alive! Please spread the word, invite your friends, and join us for an unforgettable weekend.

More info: www.balkanskeigre.org

Online registration form: https://forms.gle/A96XAHgtGx2EhnV8A

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Thank you for all of your support over the last 59 years of our existance!

Thank you:

Ida Noyes Hall, University of Chicago, Lena Birkholz & Angelina Ilieva, Maria Kuo Ignjatov,

Zoya & Ventzi Sotirov,

Kitka Folklore Group - Sts. Peter&Paul MOC, Balkanski Igri, Balkanske Igre, Kathy Molga, Kosta & Yannis Economou, Orpheus,

Sophia & Izaki Metropoulos, Verea Konstantin Marinov, Horo Irina Gotcheva, Kids group Bulgarica Yana Kopcheva ,

Chris Bajmakovich, Paul Collins, John Parrish, Mady Newfield, Michael Kuharski, Ulyana Nataliya Malgivski, VivAnov dance group Chicago, Tania Ivanova, Valentin Ivanov, Peter Geo - Bulgarica, Nedyalko Ketev & Iliana Georgieva, Biseri Krajiski, Tatyana Zheleva & Kiril Zhelev, Angelina Genova, Vera Zjalic, Polish Highlanders, Milos, Viktoria FireBird, Margarita Slabada, CCEA - Mona Ng, Marvin Moehle, Barbara Bleisch, Gajdi, Mima Kerezova, Zagora, Galia Miloucheva Kuo and more coming up

Thank you to all media!