* MIT Folk Dance Club *

The MIT Folk Dance Club sponsors three nights of dancing every week:
Sunday: International Folk * Two or three Tuesdays per month: Contra Dance * Wednesday: Israeli

Updated May 8, 2008

** Upcoming Dances

Physical Education Credit available for MIT students who attend 5 contra, Israeli, or international folk dance classes from 4/6/08 through 5/13/08.
[complete schedule]
Check back for PE class schedules for future semesters.

** Quick Index

Click to jump to a category.

* About The Club
* IAP Special Events
*Club Email Lists
*Special Events
*Vinovana, Our Performing Group
yellow ballHow to Find a Room We're Scheduled in
yellow ballOrganizational meetings of the Club
*Links to related dance sites

** About The Club

The MIT Folk Dance Club sponsors three nights of dancing each week throughout the year, all of which are open to the MIT community and the general public.

Sunday night International Folk Dancing meets every week from 8:00 to 11:00 pm, almost always on the 2nd floor of the Student Center:

Sunday Dates (8-11 pm)Building/FloorRoomNotes
April 27, 2008NO DANCING. See you at NEFFA!
May 4 & 11, 2008Student Center 2nd FloorLobdell Dining Hall
May 18 & 25, 2008Student Center 2nd FloorSala de Puerto RicoLive music May 18th with the Cambridge Folk Orchestra
June 1, 2008Student Center 2nd FloorLobdell Dining Hall
June 8, 2008Location to be announced.
June 15 - 29, 2008Student Center 2nd FloorSala de Puerto Rico

To see what dances we've done from 2002-2007, see the playlist archive.


Wednesday night Israeli Dancing usually meets on the 4th or 2nd floor of the Student Center, from 8:00 to 11:00 pm.

December 5, 2007 - May 21, 2008: Student Center 4th Floor every week (either room 407 or 491):

April 16 & 23, 2008: Student Center 407 (4th Floor).
April 30, 2008: NO DANCING.
May 7 - 21, 2008: Student Center 407 (4th Floor).

May 28, 2008: Location to be announced.
June 4, 2008: Lobdell Dining Hall (Student Center 2nd Floor).
June 11 - 25, 2008: Student Center 491 (4th Floor).

Check the Israeli email announcement archive for updated information about each week's location and teaching schedule, and special events. Light kosher snacks and drinks will be provided each week.
For more information about Israeli dancing, email   mitisraeli [at] gmail.com .

In addition to our contra-international-Israeli folk dance PE class, there is also a separate all-Israeli folk dance class which meets on Monday and Wednesday evenings. This semester (April-May '08) it is sponsored by MIT Hillel. For more information, contact David Karger: karger [at] csail.mit.edu , or see http://people.csail.mit.edu/karger/ifd/ .


International Folk and Israeli Dancing each start with Early Teaching at 8:00 pm, followed by teaching and requests until 11:00 pm. Beginners are always welcome. Admission is free for MIT and Wellesley students; a $1 donation is suggested from others.


On two or three Tuesdays per month, the Contra Dance for All meets in various locations from 8:00 to 10:30 pm (check the schedule for dates and locations). Live music every time! Beginners are always welcome and are encouraged to come early.

Congratulations to our officers for 2008-09!
PresidentIra Winderjiw [at] mit [dot] edu, fdc-president [at] mit [dot] edu
TreasurerShaunalynn Duffyinfinite [at] mit [dot] edu, fdc-treasurer [at] mit [dot] edu

MIT students interested in running for Vice President or Secretary should email fdc-request [at] mit.edu



Physical Education Credit is available for MIT students who attend 5 contra, international folk, or Israeli folk dance classes, April 6 - May 13, 2008.

Everyone is welcome at these beginner sessions, whether taking the class or not.

Schedule:
Classes are from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. Optional dancing continues to 10:30 or 11.
Sunday4/6International Folk DanceSala de Puerto Rico
Tuesday4/8Contra DanceLobdell Dining Hall
Wednesday4/9Israeli DanceStudent Center 491
Tuesday4/15Contra DanceStudent Center 407
Tuesday4/22Make-up Contra DanceStudent Center 407
Tuesday4/29Contra DanceStudent Center 407
Sunday5/4International Folk DanceLobdell Dining Hall
Tuesday5/13Contra DanceStudent Center 407

MIT students who want PE credit can register at the first or second class.


The Club also sponsors Vinovana, our very own performing group, which is always interested in getting new members and performing opportunities.

All Club Meetings are open to the general public. We're especially interested in hearing from MIT students!

We're considered to be one of the best places for International Folk Dance in the entire country. Come and check us out!

** IAP Special Events

The MITFDC gives classes and workshops as part of IAP each January.
See our IAP offerings for January, 2008.

** Club Email Lists

We maintain electronic mailing lists used to announce dances and other events of interest. These lists are for announcements only and have very low volume, so please sign up for the dance venues in which you are interested.

To be added to a list, please send an email to the appropriate address: If you have any questions, please contact the Folk Dance Club officers at fdc-request[at]mit[dot]edu.

** Special Events

* Transylvanian folk concert/dance with MetróFolk
Saturday June 14, 2008
Workshop 3-5 PM, concert 8 PM, dancing 9-11 PM
In Lobdell Dining Hall (Student Center 2nd Floor).



MetróFolk is a hot new band playing traditional Transylvanian folk music. For this event, MetróFolk will be joined by virtuoso Romani musicians Alexandru Ciurcui (violin) and Iuli Gheti (bass & accordion) from the village of Soporul de Cimpie, playing Romanian village Gypsy, Hungarian, and Transylvanian music.
Suggested donations:
$10 for workshop, $15-$20 for concert/dance, $25 for all 3. Free for MIT and Wellesley students.
For more information, contact Clare Stanley: 617-253-7708 (9am - 5pm), clares [at] mit.edu .


* Annual Israeli Dance Marathon
The Christmas Eve Israeli Dance Marathon takes place every year on or about Christmas Eve.

We start at 6 pm and dance until 6 am. It is usually held in Walker Gym on the MIT Campus. (Check back for the location and exact date of the December, 2008 marathon.) People come from all over the continent (and even from Amsterdam!) to dance at MIT! We'll start with simpler dances and move progressively to harder dances as the night goes on, so be sure to come earlier rather than later...even beginners will have fun if you show up at six!

* Beginner's Nights Beginner's nights are for people who haven't done much dancing before and want to learn some and for more experienced dancers who want to practice the basics. In other words, they are for everyone. You need no prior experience and you don't need a partner. Beginner's Nights for all 3 nights of dancing occur in September and January each year.

* The Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston takes place each year in March, in Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus. This year's festival was on March 9, 2008. The next festival will be on Sunday March 22, 2009. The show includes performances by dance ensembles from all over the United States and Canada. Call MIT Hillel at (617) 253-2982 or visit http://www.bostonfestival.org for more information and to order tickets.

** Vinovana

Vinovana is our performing group. It is currently on hiatus.

If you are interested in performing in an international folk dancing, singing, or instrumental group, please contact the club officers at fdc-request[at]mit[dot]edu .

** Where We Meet

These are the locations where we usually meet. Click on a location to see it on a campus map.

1. The Stratton Student Center (Building W20). It is located at 84 Mass. Ave., directly across the street from the main entrance to MIT. La Sala de Puerto Rico and Lobdell Dining Hall are located on the second floor. Rooms W20-407, W20-491, and our club office W20-437 are located on the fourth floor.
2. Lobby 13. Can be accessed from either Vassar St. or the Infinite Corridor (go in the main MIT entrance at 77 Mass Ave and turn north at Lobby 10).
3. Kresge Auditorium. Kresge is the triangular dome with a turquoise roof, set back on a plaza at 48 Massachusetts Avenue (across the street from the main MIT entrance). Rehearsal Rooms A and B are located in the basement.
See a Google map and get driving directions

See a schedule for the #1 bus which runs along Mass Ave.

Parking

Free parking is available in the N10 Lot (off Albany Street east of Massachusetts Avenue) or West Annex Lot (on Vassar Street west of Massachusetts Avenue, next to the West Garage), or on the street. The lot behind the Bank of America ATM at Mass Ave and Vassar Street is closest, but it often fills up on weeknights.
No parking permit is required at these lots after 5:30 pm or on weekends. Metered street parking is free after 6 pm.

** Club Meetings

Organizational club meetings usually take place once a year in late May or early June.

Folk Dance Club annual meeting and elections
Sunday May 4, 2008, 5 pm
We will meet at the 4th floor lounge in the Student Center. If it is not available, we will try the 3rd floor lounge, and post a sign on our club office (Student Center 437) saying where we are.
Everyone is welcome to come to the meeting to discuss any issue related to the Folk Dance Club.
We will hold elections for our MIT student officers. If you are interested in running, please contact club president Ira Winder at jiw [at] mit.edu .

** Links to other folk dance resources

International Folk and Other kinds:
* The Folk Arts Center of New England home page, including their calendar Folk Dancing 'Round Boston.
* New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) runs a folk festival each April in Natick, MA, as well as a contra dance each Thursday night at the Scout House in Concord, MA. (This dance was formerly located at the VFW in west Cambridge, and hopes to move back there once the city rebuilds it as a youth/community center.)
* Country Dance Society, Boston Centre (Contra and English Country dancing.)
* contradancelinks.com, a comprehensive page of links to other Contra Dances around the world.
* Larry Denenberg's Beginner's Catechism page
* The Cambridge Folk Orchestra plays at various folk dances in the Boston area, and occasionally plays at MIT at our Sunday night international folk dances.
* The MIT Folk Dance Club Songbook, a compilation of lyrics of the songs in our record collection.
* Our own Neil Rosen has written a Folk Dance mp3 Player which can be used along with a database of dances.
* The Tuesday Night Revival is an advanced Balkan dance group that used to dance at MIT, and now holds dances about once a month in Arlington on a Friday or Saturday.
* Balkan Music Night is a concert and dance which occurs each year in March, in Concord, MA.
* The Dance Gypsy is a calendar of contra and other folk dances throughout New England.

Israeli Folk Dancing:
* israelidance.com, which includes a test to see if you are a true folk dance addict and a session-finder, in case you're thinking of moving and want to see if there's dancing there first.
* Ken Avner's Israeli Folkdance page
* Sunday night Israeli Dancing at Temple Emanuel in Newton (formerly located at Harvard Hillel). This page also includes links to other Israeli dancing sessions and classes in the Boston area.
* Monday night Israeli dancing in Brookline with Raphael and Ronnie.
* Israeli Dance Plus, Boston's newest Israeli session, meets on occasional Saturday evenings at Springstep in Medford.

Comments on this home page and other subjects are welcome.
Send mail to fdc-request[at]mit[dot]edu .

Web page maintained by Daniel Salomon d a 1 8 1 2 5 [at] mit [dot] e d u