This page is an historical archive, and therefore is out of date and will not be updated. Please visit our homepage at http://mit.edu/fdc for current information about the MIT Folk Dance Club.

* MIT Folk Dance Club *

Sunday: International Folk *various Tuesdays: Contra Dance *Wednesday: Israeli

Updated August 16, 2016                                                                                                   Facebook icon Join our Facebook group!

**Upcoming Dances

** Quick Index

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*About The Club
* IAP Special Events
*Club Email Lists
*Special Events
*How to Find a Room We're Scheduled in
*Organizational 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/Floor Room Notes
September 11, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
September 18, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall Live music by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
September 25, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
October 2, 2016 Kresge Auditorium basement Kresge Rehearsal Room B
October 9 - 23, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Live music 9/16 by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
October 30, 2016 No dancing.
November 6, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
November 13, 2016 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
November 20, 2016 No dancing.
November 27 - December 11, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall Live music 11/27 by Rakiya, 12/11 by the Last Minute Pickup Orkestar (Yaron Shragai, Barry Shapiro, Dan Salomon, Sonia Lipson, and Lauren Ingram)
December 18, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Live music by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
December 25, 2016 & January 1, 2017 No dancing. Happy holidays!
January 8 & 15, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
January 22 & 29, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall 1/29: Live music by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
February 5, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
February 12, 2017 Cancelled due to the weather.
February 19 - March 5, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico 3/5: Live music by Sladka!
March 12, 2017 No dancing.
March 19, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall Live music by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
March 26 & April 2, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico 3/26: Live music by Rakiya!
April 9, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
April 16, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Live music by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra!
April 23, 2017 No dancing. See you at the NEFFA festival.
April 30 & May 7, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall 4/30: Live Croatian music by Pajdaši!
May 14 - 28, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
June 4 & 11, 2017 No dancing.
June 18 - July 9, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Live music June 18th by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra
July 16 & 23, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
July 30 - August 13, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Live music July 30th by the Cambridge Folk Orchestra
August 20 & 27, 2017 No dancing.

To see what dances we've done from July 2002 - January 2016, see the playlist archive. See our web archive for old versions of our web pages.


Wednesday night Israeli Dancing usually meets on the 2nd or 4th floor of the Student Center, from 8:00 to 11:30 pm.

Wednesday Dates (8-11:30 pm) Building/Floor Room Notes
September 14, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
September 21, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
September 28 & October 5, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
October 12, 2016 No dancing -- Yom Kippur
October 19, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
October 26, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Beginner's Class 7:30 - 8:30 pm
November 2, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall Beginner's Class 7:30 - 8:30 pm
November 9, 2016 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491 Beginner's Class 7:30 - 8:30 pm
November 16, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall Beginner's Class 7:30 - 8:30 pm
November 23, 2016 No dancing. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 30, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
December 7, 2016 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
December 14 & 21, 2016 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
December 28, 2016 No dancing. Happy Hanukkah!
January 4 - 18, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
January 25, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
February 1 & 8, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
February 15, 2017 Canceled due to water main break
February 22, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
March 1, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
March 8, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
March 15, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
March 22, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
March 29, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
April 5, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
April 12 & 19, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
April 26, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 407
May 3 & 10, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
May 17, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
May 24, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
May 31, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
June 7, 2017 No dancing at MIT.
Dancing is available at Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street, Brookline.
June 14, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
June 21, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
June 28 & July 5, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico Set Night June 28!
July 12, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Lobdell Dining Hall
July 19, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
July 26, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
August 2, 2017 Student Center 4th Floor Room 491
August 9, 2017 Student Center 2nd Floor Sala de Puerto Rico
August 16 - 30, 2017 No dancing at MIT.
Dancing is available at Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street, Brookline.


Check the Israeli email announcement archive to confirm information about each week's location and teaching schedule, and special events. Light kosher snacks and drinks will be provided each week.
Israeli dancing is co-sponsored by MIT Hillel and the MISTI MIT-Israel Program.
Israeli photo gallery
For more information about Israeli dancing, email   mitisraeli [at] gmail.com .

In addition to our folk and contra dance PE classes, some semesters there is also an all-Israeli folk dance class run by David Karger. Register with the PE Department. For more information, email karger [at] mit.edu .


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; an optional $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.

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 MIT's Independent Activities Period each January.
Check out our IAP offerings for January 2016.

** Club Email Lists

We have 3 email lists, one for each night of dancing. These lists are for announcements only and have very low volume.

If you have any questions, please contact the Folk Dance Club officers at fdc[at]mit[dot]edu.

** Special Events

*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 4 am. Check back to confirm the location and details of the December 2016 marathon.
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 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. The next festival will be on Sunday March 26, 2017. The show includes performances by dance ensembles from far and near. Visit http://www.bostonfestival.org for more information and to order tickets.

** 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 W20-423 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 glass and metal 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 lot behind the Bank of America ATM at Mass Ave and Vassar Street (though it sometimes fills up on weeknights), or on the street.
This lot is free after 5 pm, and all day on weekends. Metered street parking is free after 6 pm or 8 pm depending on the block -- check the signs.

Paid parking is available in the West Garage on Vassar Street. $7 flat rate nights and weekends, credit and debit only. Spaces should be available when the free options are full.

** Club Meetings

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

Contact the club officers at fdc[at]mit[dot]edu to find out about future meetings.

** Links to other folk dance resources

International Folk, Contra Dancing, 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 Mansfield, 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 now that the city has rebuilt it as a youth/community center.
* Country Dance Society, Boston Centre (Contra and English Country dancing.)
* The Jamaica Plain Square Dance, BIDA (Porter Square, Cambridge), the Jamaica Plain Gender Free Contra Dance, the West Cambridge Fourth Saturday Dance, and the monthly Dare to Be Square: Camberville BAR-n Dance are the other contra/traditional square dances in the city.
* 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.
*Arthur Saltzman has posted FDC photos and movies from the 1960s.
*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 party which occurs each year in March, in Concord, MA.
*The Dance Gypsy is a calendar of contra and other folk dances throughout the U.S., focusing on New England.

Israeli Folk Dancing:
* Israeli Folk Dance in Boston, including Sunday night Israeli Dancing at Temple Emeth in Chestnut Hill (formerly located at Harvard Hillel), and Monday night dancing at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline.
* 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.

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

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