Congratulations to Texas Camp Co-chairs Genevieve Kent, Jay Elbaor, and the entire Texas Camp staff and volunteers for the extremely successful 66th Annual Texas Camp… and …
Misi Tsurikov and Anne Alexander for receiving Texas Hall of Fame awards… and … |
to the folk dancers recognized as part of TIFD’s 2013 “All Star Team”:
Madeline Brock, Austin
Franklin Houston, Austin
Dena Houston, Austin
Chuck Roth, Austin
Misi Tsurikov, Austin
Jack Alley. OKC
Lissa Bengtson, San Antonio
Chris Broad, Houston
Alice Byrd, OKC
John Clement, Houston
Emily Clement, Houston
Gary Diggs, Albuquerque
Jane Diggs, Albuquerque
Nelda Drury, San Antonio
Scott Gordon, Santa Fe
David Kauer, OKC
Jo Loyd, Tulsa
Carolyn Mills, Los Alamos
Elaine Moczygemba, San Antonio
Rene’e Park, San Antonio
Beverley Rapp, OKC
Jackie Rickel, Tulsa
George Rollow, San Antonio
Julie Schmitt, El Paso & Las Cruces
Susie Thennes, Dallas
Ada Young, Houston
The Austin International Folk Dancers meet almost every Saturday Night (7-11PM) at the Hancock Recreation Center, 811 E 41st St, in Austin Texas.
Everyone is welcome at AIFD, we are kid-friendly and our dancers come from all walks of life. We ask for a $5 donation to cover room rental from those 17 and up (where else can you have three hours of fun for that low a price these days?).
No partner is needed, and dancers of every skill level are welcome.
Our repertoire includes line dances, couples dances, and mixers. Folk dancing is a great social event and wonderful exercise.
We are often having intermediate teaching sessions and other special events! Please check our Teaching/Programming page or the Calendar for more information on upcoming events. Or feel free to Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for up to date information on what is happening at AIFD as well as information on fun dance events all over Austin and beyond!
Typical Saturday night schedule:
| 7:00-7:30 pm |
Equipment Setup – please come help out. |
| 7:30-8:00 pm |
Teaching and walk throughs. |
| 8:00-9:30 pm |
Request dancing. |
| 9:30-9:45 pm |
Contra / announcements. |
| 9:45-10:30 pm |
Request dancing. |
| 10:30-10:45 pm |
Clean up. |
In his book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell writes about how the cumulative effect of small forces can result in a dramatic change when a threshold is crossed (the tipping point). The wonderful turnout at our recent 50th anniversary celebration reminds us all what a vibrant, exciting, joyful place Austin International Folk Dancers can be when we all come together as a community to dance. To build on that success, we appeal to everyone in AIFD to join our campaign to “Be the Tipping Point.” Commit to making small changes in how we participate in our dance community.
Each week, our newsletter will contain a “Be the Tipping Point” suggestion. Some may be simple (”arrive 10 minutes earlier for dancing”) or more challenging (”learn to lead a dance”), silly (”dance backwards”) or serious (”remind someone how much you enjoy seeing them at dancing”). Some you may already be doing; others may not be possible for you right now. We hope, though, that the suggestions may prompt us all to think about one or two small, positive changes we can make ourselves.
We all have the power and the responsibility to make Saturday night dancing the experience we want it to be. Small changes *can* make a big difference. Be the Tipping Point for AIFD!
Do you have a “Be the Tipping Point” suggestion or personal story to share? E-mail us at contact@aifd.cc.
Come to Hancock Recreation Center around dusk this Saturday for the 2013 Holiday Candle Light Trail celebration. Walk among the 
thousands of luminarias that will line the trails of the golf course. Then come inside for some hot chocolate and cookies and a visit from Santa, followed by some special performances. Afterwards AIFD will take over with a short set of easy dances done to Christmas and Hanukkah music. 
This will be a great chance to introduce new folks to our group. We will then transition to our regular fun evening of dancing. Bill Ogilvie will DJ, assisted by Dee McCandless.
From our teaching director, Misi Tsurikov: We’ll have on-demand walkthroughs of dances throughout the evening. You will also see some of the great dances taught by Susy and Steve Kotansky at Texas Camp 2013. This will likely whet your appetite for learning these dances, and we will satisfy your craving with Camp teachings over the next several weeks.
are encouraged to become familiar with its location next to the attendants desk. In the event of an emergency you could save a life simply by retrieving it for the emergency responder. If you are certified to operate the AED please 
July 13, 2013: AIFD has printed a bunch of business cards. Board members will gladly equip you with your very own stack. Simply ask a Board member at Saturday night dancing. Feel free to distribute them as you bump into people who show interest. If you are so inspired, you can also print your own cards. You can find the template at