 This Friday's AIFD/HIFD Virtual Folk Dance, June 5, 7:30-9:30pm, will be hosted by HIFD (Zoom link).
The complete lineup of music and teachers will be available on the HIFD website prior to the event. If you have any dance requests, please submit them to jnjbloom@gmail.com prior to noon on Thursday, June 4.
A note about Zoom version:
Zoom now requires people to have version 5 or later of the client, so please consider upgrading in advance of the dance - launch the client, click upper right on your initials or picture and Check for Updates.
|
Get To Know
Your Board:
 Daisy Lai, Secretary.
I was born in Taiwan, a beautiful island where people are friendly and the food is cheap and yummy. I had never danced before until I was a high school student. I went to a girls’ high school where every girl needed to pick one school club to join. One day on campus, I heard the folk music and I fell in love. I thought even if I couldn’t dance, at least I could enjoy the music. Soon after I joined the folk dance club, I found out that you didn’t need to have the dance experience as long as you loved to dance. Because of folk dancing, I had a busy and colorful high school life.
I stopped dancing when I was preparing for the college entrance exam. Every summer the Taiwan government invited several folk dance groups to perform in the Yilan International Children’s Festival and I worked as an interpreter for two summers when I was in college, one summer for a folk dance group from Belgium and the other summer for one from Latvia. I had a great time dancing with those young dancers and with the adult musicians. After graduating from college, I was preparing for getting my Masters at UT, which was my top choice. Luckily, I got in and that’s the first time I traveled overseas. One day when I was walking at UT, and I was lucky enough to see a dance performance by the UT Hungarian Dancers. It’s hard to describe my excitement when I heard the music. I watched the performance and found out about AIFD from some members and tried to come every Saturday night. I met Misi, Franklin, Dena, Michael, and Kathleen at that time when Madeline was the President of AIFD. Their kindness made me feel like family even though I was all alone by myself at that time. Throughout all these years, our old friends are still here to support AIFD, which is precious and hard to replace. Thank you so much for keeping AIFD alive.
Daisy Lai
|
|
|
City of Austin Update:
"The Mayor of Austin deems it is in the public interest to issue this Order, effective as of 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2020, and continuing until 11:59 p.m. on June 15, 2020.”
Austin is slowly allowing businesses and facilities to open, trying to balance the risk of infections  with the benefits of "returning to normal". Needless to say, it could be a long time before folk dancing as we know it returns to Hancock Rec Center. And even then it will depend on what is allowed combined with what folk dancers feel safe with. In the meantime, we hope everyone is enjoying the online activities.
|
Online Dance Activities
Compiled by Denise Fynmore.
These are some of the online dancing events, but not all. Please check our Facebook page frequently.
Also, Dale Adamson maintains a comprehensive Events Calendar of online dance events. In an effort to streamline the newsletter, events on this calendar will not be duplicated in the newsletter.
Friday Night Folk Dance co-hosted by Houston and Austin International Folk Dancers, 7:30-9:30pm. This week's (June 5) line up and Zoom link are on the HIFD website.
Yves Moreau – has dance videos of his teaching of FIVE dances. These are available on his Facebook page anytime.
Dimitar Petrov teaches a workshop with several Bulgarian dances. It is on YOUTUBE.COM, also with a link from the AIFD Facebook page. Available on YOUTUBE anytime.
The San Antonio Folk Dancers have Tuesday night dances at 7:00 pm using Zoom. Use this link every Tuesday. Join Zoom Meeting
us04web.zoom.us/j/430250629... Meeting ID: 430 250 629, Password: 95942.
Rebekah Valencia is hosting Monday evening ZOOM folk dancing in your living room from Oklahoma. Check the Oklahoma City Folk Dancers Facebook page for time ad ZOOM link.
CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) has compiled a great list of online events for the Contra and English Country Dancers. See their website at cdss.org/community/covid19/online-events.
Austin Balkan Singers in quarantine continues to meet on Zoom, every Wednesday night at 7 PM for an hour or so. If you are missing your 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, or even 11/8 dose you are welcome to join us – zoom singing has the advantage is that you can “sing along” while muted if you want to learn in private. Also we are being joined by folks from far away who we have missed. Send e-mail to susan.hovorka@gmail.com if you want to zoom-sing along with us.
If you have any suggestions or comments about upcoming online events, please email contact@aifd.cc.
|
|
|
