Line-up announcement ● Balkan Sessions festival 2019
First line-up announcement of the Balkan Sessions festival 2019 with images from the previous 2018 edition. Buy your ticket here before it's too late!

➀ FOOD, DOCU & STORIES
◔ 18:00 - 20:00 | FOOD | DOCU | ACOUSTIC CONCERTS
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The
festival starts with a combination of Bulgarian cuisine delicacies (served by
Sisi Food) and documentaries alternated with the live music of Trio Pletenitsa.
Charlotte Moyersoen, young millennial graduated at the Gent university in
Slavic studies with a natural born affection for and built-up knowledge about
the Balkan region, sheds a new light on long forgotten spots and events: the
Tyrant’s pyramid in Tirana, capital of Albania, a magnificent architectural
masterpiece of brutalism called the UFO in Bulgaria, and finally Tito’s ‘last
folly’, the 1981 megalomaniac Soviet ‘Monument to the uprising of the people of
Kordun and Banija’ (sic) in Croatia.

➁ TRIO PLETENITSA (concert)
♫ 18:45 - 20:00 | Trio Pletenitsa (BE/BUL)
⎯⎯
Three
young women. Just their voices, no instruments. Marvellous traditional
Bulgarian and Balkan folk songs. Fully a capella, magically polyphonic and
crystal clear, they wrap their vocals around contrarious, irregular rhythms typical
for eastern music. Even if we’re not sure they will show up on stage with
braids in their hair, we can already tell their voices will weave through each
other like real long Bulgarian pletenitsas.
For this occasion they prepare a premiere and bring two special guests. Enjoy
this unique concert with a typical Bulgarian meal. Listen to some Trio Pletenita music clips here!

➂ DANCE DEMO + WORKSHOP
웃 20:15 - 21:00 | Bulgarian Dance Demo + Initiation Contemporary Dance on Balkan party tunes
⎯⎯
The Balkan Sessions festival harmonizes tradition and innovation. The dance demo quite literally puts tradition against contemporary; at one side Bulgarian folk group Zdravets, at the other side contemporary dancer Tchi-ann Liu. Specialized in the relation between dance and music, she will hand you over some basics of contemporary dance techniques on new Balkan party tunes in an open workshop.
➃ KERMESZ À L’EST (concert)
♫♫ 21:00 - 22:15 | KermesZ à l'Est
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Above all KermesZ à L’Est is an adventurous bunch of artists avoiding all beaten paths. This eight-piece band connects Balkan brass, free jazz, polka and dislodged gypsy with the power and attitude of a rockband and the contagious animation and humour of a circus act. They mix electro, Balkan partybeats and a hilarious retro-futuristic stage performance with disarming anarchistic flair into an explosive, extremely danceable show full of post-apocalyptic energy. Fanfare-punk-muzette, bitolsko oro + dubstep, klezmer Orchestra on speed: this is a balkan band 2.0 with a healthy dose of nutty craziness. Listen to some KermesZ à l'Est music clips here!