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A Fond Farewell

Dear greater Folk Arts Center of New England community,

After an impactful and dance-filled year and a half, I am leaving my position as FAC’s Program Manager this Friday, June 14. But this is not a goodbye. This is a giant THANK YOU!! You have all contributed to my experience and while I will no longer be an FAC employee, I’m not going anywhere!

When I started in this role, I felt like I was moving more in parallel with many of the commonly celebrated traditions of this community. I grew up dancing multiple participatory dance traditions, but my first hint of International Folk Dancing and the FAC community was when I was volunteering at Pinewoods in 2022. And now I feel like I’m actually a part of this community. You all have made that possible. 

Many of you grabbed my hand and pulled me in, quite literally, even when I might have been trying to look very busy hiding, I mean, totally accidentally attempting to blend into the background…I’d say “Wow, this is a very nice wall!” and you’d say “C’mon! This one is easy, I swear. Wait, maybe it’s actually complicated, but it’ll be fine!” And almost always, it was fine. And fun. You shared your history as a dance community, you helped feed my curiosity about all things IFD, and you introduced me to your friends and families along the way! Thank you all for being so welcoming, encouraging, thoughtful, and generous.

Here are a few things I have learned during my time working for the Folk Arts Center:

• Sometimes the most meaningful way to connect is to just show up and try the unfamiliar thing. Folks love sharing what they’re passionate about and simply being open to new things tends to go a long way (wow, who knew)!
• The final dance at an International Folk Dance is called a lesnoto (IYKYK or ask me what I thought it was called when you see me next).
• Every single person who volunteers is actually already a super-volunteer who offers an incredible amount of time, energy, and general support to FAC. And FAC wouldn’t be possible without them.

Finally, thank you to Marcie, Katy, and the FAC Board of Directors for bringing me aboard! Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and expertise with me, and supporting my professional growth. I have loved co-facilitating participatory dance and music opportunities within greater Boston, New England, and virtually across the world, and I hope to do more of this work in the future. 

Please stay in touch and I’ll see you on the dance floor! 

Anna Alter

FAC Fundraising Auction - Thank you!

With this auction we raised $4,564 to add to FAC’s income this fiscal year!

The online auction, which ended May 19, was a great success! We received donations from 25 FAC members and sold just about everything to 62 bidders, 80% of them from outside our community. 

So thank you to all who donated or bid on items – we couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks also to Marcie and Katy, who let us commandeer the office for almost 2 weeks! And most importantly, thank you to the Gala committee members for the many, many hours of work it took to accomplish this.

The committee members are Diana Arezzo, Janet Nelson, Ira Gessel, Regina Laskowski, Jane Pollack, Leah Blachman and Jessica Gillis—please feel free to thank them the next time you see them! We also owe unending gratitude for volunteer Gail Steketee, who single-handedly grouped, wrote descriptions for, and photographed the vintage clothing and all of the 100+ pieces of jewelry we received!

--Janet Nelson

Special Events

Saturday, June 29: Film Showing: "My Borrowed Heritage" and Dance Party (Belmont, MA and online) with Efie Derksen, Hans Derksen, and the Flying Squirrel Orchestra

Dance & Music Series

Friday, June 14: Friday Night Folk Dancing with Cambridge Folk Orchestra (Arlington, MA)

Tuesday, July 9: Dancing on the Greenway: English Ceilidh with Alex Cumming & Friends (Boston, MA)

Thursday, July 11: Thursday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Tuesday, July 16: Dancing on the Greenway: Contra with Sue Rosen (Boston, MA)

Tuesday, July 23: Dancing on the Greenway: International with Taylor Yeracaris and Janet Yeracaris (Boston, MA)

Thursday, July 25: Thursday Night Folk Dancing (Arlington, MA)

Camps and Tours

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

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

(Camp is full and a waiting list is being maintained. Contact the office to add your name to the list.)

October 12 - 14: Oktoberfest Weekend at Potash Hill (Marlboro, VT)

October 17 - 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

Janet Nelson: FAC Gala Committee

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.