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Thursday Night Folk Dancing

May 2 • Arlington, MA • 8pm

Now that you have recovered from the glory of NEFFA... it's time to come to Thursday Folk Night Dancing!

Carl Lazarus will be our programmer and he will review Kothbiro, from Kenya. Jeanne Clifford will review Valse d'adieu, a charming couple dance that our local musicians play beautifully... and hopefully they will feel moved to play it for us when we have LIVE MUSIC on May 16. Additionally, there will be some walk-throughs of dances that we learned last weekend at NEFFA. Come and request your favorites!

Speaking of favorites--at our next Thursday Dance, on May 16, we will be privileged to enjoy live music with a new favorite (yet oddly familiar) local band. We look forward to introducing you to the Goats of May in two weeks!

--Sue Rose

Camp Sessions Updates

Oktoberfest

October 12 - 14 • Potash Hill • Marlboro, VT

With the richest of mixed emotions, I am announcing two major changes in our beloved and long-standing Oktoberfest dance and music weekend, traditionally held over Indigenous People’s Day/Columbus Day weekend in October.

First, we are relocating the camp to Potash Hill in Marlboro, Vermont, the site of the former Marlboro Cottage. It is located on the very scenic byway known as the Molly Stark Trail, between Brattleboro and Bennington in southern Vermont (about 90 miles from Boston, 160 miles from New York City, and 115 miles from Burlington, Vermont).

The Potash Hill campus is situated near Hogback Mountain and, thus, affords beautiful, hilly views whichever way one turns. Its facilities are first-class, with improved housing options and a spacious Dining Hall. The relationship between Potash Hill and Folk Arts Center is one of mutual admiration and understanding, and both organizations feel this is a match that will please everyone for years to come.

Second, due to the concurrence of the holiday weekend with Yom Kippur this year, we are planning a shortened camp of two nights and two days, beginning with dinner on Saturday, October 12 and ending later in the afternoon on Monday, October 14. Details to follow!

As we bid farewell to the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont, we fondly remember the magnificent staff there, who made our annual autumn camp our home away from home for 26 years, and look forward to the new experiences, autumn colors, and community camaraderie that awaits us in Marlboro, Vermont this October!

June Pinewoods Sessions

June 20 - 27 • Pinewoods Camp • Plymouth, MA

Closer to home in the calendar department is next month's

International Dance and Music Sessions at Pinewoods Camp, featuring american Dance with Richard Powers and Emily Saletan, Bosnian Dance with Efie Derksen, and music by Hans Derksen, as well as The Flying Squirrel Orchestra!

The update is that, while the Weekend is still full, this is the time when there tends to be movement on the waitlist. So if you were wishing you could come to the Weekend session, you should definitely register and cross your fingers!

On the other hand (the one you are NOT crossing your fingers on) ... there is still room during the FolkDays - we have a enthusiastic group of about 120 campers, including a great passel of kids age 8-13!

Labor Day Weekend at Pinewoods

August 30 - September 3 • Pinewoods Camp • Plymouth, MA

I know - it's ridiculous to be thinking about the end of summer when it doesn't even feel like we've really had a spring yet!

Be that as it may, registration has opened for Labor Day Weekend, and camp is already 2/3 full! In September the pond waters are at their warmest, the English, American, and international dancing is cool, the live music is hot, and the experience is nothing short of piquant!

--Marcie

Special Events

May 8 - 16: FAC Benefit Auction bidding starts May 8 (online)

Dance & Music Series

Thursday, May 2: Thursday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Friday, May 10: Friday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Thursday, May 16: Thursday Night Folk Dancing with the Goats of May (Arlington, MA)

Saturday, May 18: Monthly Dance Party with Shining Moon (Belmont, MA and online)

Saturday, May 19: Cut a Rug with Marcie Van Cleave (online)

Thursday May 23: Inspirational Women: the Researchers Who Worked with Cecil Sharp with Alex Cumming (online SOFA Series)

Thursday, May 30: The 1914 Lowell Tango Trial with Ruth Evans (online SOFA Series)

Sunday, June 2: Mostly Waltz with Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy (Concord, MA)

Saturday, June 29: Documentary by Efie Derksen: My Borrowed Heritage (North American premiere) followed by a Dance Party (Belmont, MA and online)

Camps and Tours

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

August 30 to September 3: Labor Day Weekend at Pinewoods (Plymouth, MA)

October 17 to 31: Autumn in Bulgaria Cultural Tour with Iliana Bozhanova and Todor Yankov

This week's contributors:

Anna Alter: FAC Program Manager

Nick Bishop: Tech troubleshooter, Updates proofreader

Lynne Janbergs: GASP Committee member, Updates proofreader

Sue Rose: Thursday Night coordinator

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.