26 April 2023

Katy Bishop, Editor

Four Days of Folk Dancing!

FAC Dance Series

This week, we have a fun and energetic schedule of International folk dance!

The Thursday Night Dance (April 27) will feature a review of Tinka and Jondane Johane with Paula Rosenstock as programmer.

On Friday (April 28), we welcome back Marcie Van Cleave from her Central European tour, as she once again leads the all-experience levels-welcome Friday Night Dance. Perhaps she'll share a few stories of her travels along the way!

Finally, on Sunday (April 30), you're invited to dance along with Marcie on Zoom as part of a fun-filled Cut a Rug.

Monthly Dance Party

with Orkestar Banitsa

We are excited to welcome our talented friends, Orkestar Banitsa, back to the Monthly Dance Party for a night of Balkan music and dance on Saturday, April 29.

Hailing from Greenfield, MA, this band, featuring Becky Ashenden, Barbara Blumenthal, Joe Blumenthal, Addie Rose Holland, and Gawain Thomas, always draws an enthusiastic crowd and then keeps them on their feet dancing the whole evening! Music samples can be found on YouTube.

--Janet Yercaris

and Henry Goldberg

Cross-step Waltz Workshops and Dance

Mostly Waltz Special Event

Join us for a special afternoon of cross-step waltz on May 7 (11am - 5pm) with Susan de Guardiola, dance teacher and historian from New Haven, CT.

Cross-step waltz is perfect for slower tunes, and it borrows liberally from swing, tango, WCS, and salsa, making it easy to learn and endlessly innovative.

The schedule will have three workshops: Cross-step Waltz Basics, Tango Inspired Variations, and New Cross-step Waltz Variations. The afternoon will end with open dancing DJ'ed by Susan.

Visit the event page to read more and register.

--Diane Gonzales

New in the Little Shop of Horas

Our Little Shop of Horas has been bustling, and our selection continues to expand. We have been busy adding new titles from a wide range of musical styles and cultures to our Gently Loved CD selection.Thank you to our generous friends who have donated their CD collections to us!

The bookshelves have also been restocked with old and new favorites, including: the Barnes Books of English Country Dance, The Pinewoods International Collection, Bill Matthiessen's Waltz Books, and Square Dance Calling by Tony Parkes.

You can find these books--and so many other titles--in the FAC Music Shop.

From the Executive Director

This week, we offer an ode to our Executive Director written by Lynne Janbergs:

Our Marcie

Our Marcie is quite energetic.

Her lifestyle is often frenetic!

Searching out the phonetic

To make thoughts poetic;

(Without going off the rails,

this sometimes entails

A neater meter-cheater repeater)

Her musing requires choosing the proper aesthetic!

-- Lynne Janbergs

Calendar

April 27: Thursday Night Dance (Arlington, MA)

April 28: Friday Night Dance (Arlington, MA)

April 29: Monthly Dance Party with Orkestar Banitsa (hybrid)

April 30: Cut a Rug (online)

May 4 & 18: Thursday Night Dance (Arlington, MA)

May 5 & 12: Friday Night Dance (Arlington, MA)

May 7: Mostly Waltz Special Event with Susan de Guardiola (Concord, MA)

May 7 & 21: Cut a Rug (online)

May 20: Monthly Dance Party (hybrid)

May 21: Mostly Waltz with Rachel Bell, Susan Kevra & Jacqueline Schwab (Concord, MA)

Camps

June 22-29: Pinewoods International Sessions (Plymouth, MA)

September 1-5: Labor Day Weekend at Pinewoods (Plymouth, MA)

The Folk Arts Center of New England is a nonprofit organization promoting participation in the traditional dance and music of many cultures. FAC sponsors community dances, annual camps, workshops, and other programs in the greater Boston area, elsewhere in New England, and online.

The Folk Arts Center thanks

the Massachusetts Cultural Council

for its generous support.