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We hope you will make the time to join us on the dance floor this weekend - it will be jam-packed with music, dance, and community!

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Start your weekend with Friday Night Folk Dancing in Arlington, with Marcie Van Cleave. A variety of delightful dances with convivial company will be the perfect way to start the weekend!

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The weekend continues with the FAC Dessert Social and Annual General Meeting for current FAC members on Saturday, "Life is short, eat dessert first" being our motto, the Social begins at 6:30, followed by the meeting at 7pm. It will be a great opportunity to meet your fellow members and learn about FAC's past fiscal year and the plans for the rest of this one, plus a glimpse at what might await us next year - FAC's 50th!!! The meeting is for members, so if you haven't renewed yet, now is your chance!

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After the meeting stick around for the Monthly Dance Party at 8pm, with live music by the Flying Squirrel Orchestra! This part of the evening is open to non-members as well, so make sure to join us!

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Finally finish off this lovely weekend at Mostly Waltz for Boston monthly dance on Sunday afternoon, with fabulous live music by Autumn Rose Lester & Eric Eid-Reiner. Tim Lamm and Diane Gonzales will teach cross-step waltz during the pre-dance lesson at 2pm.

We look forward to seeing you on the dance floor!

35th Annual Balkan Music Night - The Program

Come to Balkan Music Night and groove to the music of our fantastic Balkan bands. These musicians never fail to delight, whether playing on stage or right there on the dance floor, and you will surely enjoy being in a rhythmic community with your fellow dancers! Don’t miss brass bands Zlatne Uste, Kavala, and Boston’s own Conical Cacophony playing dance tunes from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Northern Greece and beyond; REVMA (with Sandy Theodorou!) playing an energetic set of Greek dances; and too many more to list!

We begin early with simple dance walkthroughs (no partner required), and continue non-stop until midnight, filling any breaks between band sets with EVEN MORE dances - performances by local dance troupes Grachanitsa and Mladost Folk Ensemble. We have done our best to create this year's best Balkan dance experience; we hope you enjoy it!

Balkan Music Night also offers a chance to sit and listen to beautiful Balkan vocals and instrumentals in the Kafana, a quieter venue next to the Dance Hall where you can also order and enjoy a special beverage or snack. So many amazing musicians will play and sing, including Sophia Bilides, Beth Bahia Cohen, Gogofski, and more. Be forewarned -- you may be so captivated that you might not make it back to the Dance Hall!

So plan your evening strategically to see as many of your favorite groups as you can. Please visit the Balkan Music Night website for details, and to buy your tickets at early bird prices!

Parking is available both on-street and in nearby lots.

We hope to see you there! 

-- Balkan Music Night Committee

From the Executive Director

It's Been Awhile

It's late in the day, and I've a poetic urge,

But will it be uplifting or emerge as a dirge?

I’m hoping the muse will treat me as favored

And inspire my quatrains that will be (mostly) savored!

Will "sublime" end up as the word of the day,

Or will “pithy” summarize the artful array

Of words on a screen, of feelings in the heart?

Will it be doggerel, or will it be art?

Can I finish three stanzas or stop just at two?

Ooops, too late now, so I know what to do!

Come up with a finale that’s funny and sassy,

How about “Happily Ever After” - it’s so terribly classy!

Special Events

Saturday, March 9: Victorian Ball with Spare Parts (Berlin, MA)

Saturday, March 16: Balkan Music Night (Somerville, MA)

March 22-24: Waltz Weekend with Susan de Guardiola (Concord, MA)

Dance & Music Series

Friday, February 23: Friday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Saturday, February 24: Monthly Dance Party with The Flying Squirrel Orchestra (Belmont, MA)

Sunday, February 25: Mostly Waltz with Eric Eid-Reiner and Autumn Rose Lester (Concord, MA)

Thursday, March 7: Thursday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Sunday, March 17: Cut a Rug (online)

Sunday, March 24: Melrose Community Dancing (Melrose, MA)

Camps and Tours

May 1 to 12: Czech Tour to South Bohemia

June 20 to 27: Pinewoods International Sessions (Plymouth, MA)

October 2024: Autumn in Bulgaria Cultural Tour with Iliana Bozhanova and Todor Yankov

This week's contributors:

Anna Alter: FAC Program Manager

The Balkan Music Night Committee

Nick Bishop: Tech troubleshooter, Updates proofreader

Diane Gonzales: Mostly Waltz Coordinator

Lynne Janbergs: GASP Committee member, Updates proofreader

Marcie Van Cleave: FAC Executive Director

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.