MIT Folk Dance Club presents--

International Folk Dancing

Updated: 28 March, 2019

Participatory line, circle, and couple dancing for everyone from eastern Europe and the world

About one Sunday per month, 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Schedule
How we operate & the kind of dancing that we do
If you've never danced before
E-Mail list
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Dancing to Pajdashi



See the schedule of locations and special events.
(These dances may also be listed on the MIT Events Calendar.)




The MIT Folk Dance Club recorded information line is 617-253-FOLK.  We are unable to update it often, so please check this website or the e-mail list for the latest information.

Now more than ever--we're an all volunteer organization, and we depend on our dancers to help keep us going!  Even a little help makes a big difference, and please feel free to ask us about setup, put-away, or sharing programming duties with one of us (i.e., you don't have to go it alone!).  Thanks!

If you're new to dancing or missed out on the Beginners' Nights:

Come check us out anyhow!  Bring your friends!  No experience necessary!

New dancers are welcome to join us any Sunday, not just at Beginners' Nights.  Come any time, though the best time is the earlier part of the evening (roughly 8:00-9:30) since a certain number of dances are usually taught during that period.  Many of our dances are straight-forward enough to pick up "on the fly", and folks will invite you to join the line (or circle, or whatever the formation might be) for those dances.  Later in the evening, we will blend in some more complex dances to appease the more experienced dancers, but you should be aware that most of our dance programmers make an effort to maintain a mix of levels that includes a certain percentage of easier dances right through the end of the evening, so there will be plenty for you do to do in the latter part of the evening as well.  If you're unsure about whether to join in a dance you haven't seen before, a good tactic is to get behind the line of dancers for a few moments and watch their steps to assess whether you feel comfortable "faking" this one.  And, yes, it is perfectly acceptable to "fake" a dance - just make sure you're moving more or less the same direction as the other dancers in the line, keep your grip relaxed and smile a lot - and no one will notice what your feet are or aren't doing.  This is something all of us, even experienced dancers, find ourselves doing from time to time.

Please avoid using perfumes or scented personal care products while at the dances - some of our dancers are allergic to these.

Footware note: For your comfort & safety, please wear sturdy low-heeled shoes that you're comfortable running & jumping in. 

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The kinds of dancing that we do and how we operate:

We dance mostly village dances and some dances choreographed in folk style to the complex and fascinating rhythms and music of Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, and others.  We round out the repetoire with a few dances from other parts of Europe and the world (such as Israel, France, Russia, even England and the US).  We have a "core" repetoire which you will pick up as you attend a succession of Sunday nights, but we're also always acquiring fun and interesting new dances from a number of sources.  Some of the dances are lyrical and slow, others are great aerobic exercise and give you a chance to really move.  Most of the dances move in the traditional lines or circles; the repetoire also includes some couple dances (but you don't need to bring a partner).

The club owns a large and enviable collection of old, rare, as well modern recordings which we dance to most Sunday evenings.  There are also a number of talented performers of this music in the area, and on occasion we are able to have live music for dancing - those will be noted in the schedule.  Each Sunday we have a programmer who determines what dances we will do and sets up the flow of the evening.  In addition to making sure dances get taught and that we get the right mix of easy/hard, the programmer also works from a request board; anyone can write a request on this board, so bring along names of dances that you know from here or from elsewhere.

Approximately half-way through the evening, we usually pause for some brief announcementsBack to top of page

E-Mail list

The Sunday night e-mail list is the most reliable way to get current and last minute information.  This will include reminders, room updates, special events, and the rare cancelation.  This list will be used for this purpose only; it is not a discussion list, and only the list managers can post.

To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to fdc-international-subscribe[at]mit[dot]edu or fill out this form:
Your email address:  
Your name (optional):  

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Comments & suggestions for this page to:   fdc [at] mit [dot] edu
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