North American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups

Dance Workshops

To help educate members about German Folkdances, the NAFGFDGs hold frequent workshops. The workshops are most every year and usually during the spring or summer. Below is a list of the Annual Workshops, and dance festivals in Germany run by affiliated groups.

There is also a list of upcoming folkdance events in the US and Canada located at http://www.germandance.org/upcoming.html. If you know of other opportunities for participatory folkdance, please help add to that schedule.

Annual Workshop

2006

Dances of Switzerland, featuring Johannes Schmid-Kunz.
Folklore Village, Wisconsin.

2005

Historic Dances in and around Munich, featuring Ingeborg Heinrichsen.
Folklore Village, Wisconsin.

2004

Dances of the Lüneburge Heide, featuring Dr. Wolfgang Schlüter.
Tulsa, Oklahoma.

2003

Folkdances of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), featuring Klaus Fink.
Walla Walla, Washington.

2002

Dance Techniques and Culture of the Donau Schwaben (Danube Schwabish), featuring Nora Jarchow-Dürrenfeld.
Detroit Michigan.

2001

Dances of the Wends and Sorbs, Germany's Slavic Minority, featuring Sabine Sieg.
Giddings Texas.

2000

No workshop was held this year, but instead 53 NAFGFDG members went to Braunschweig Germany for the 15.Bundesvolkstanztreffen. 31 then continued on to spend a week with Eckart and Angret Redersborg who invited us to tour Meklenburg after their visit to the US in 1999.

1999

Dances and Folklore of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with instructors Eckart and Angret Redersborg.
Folklore Village, Dodgeville, WI.

1998

Dances of the Rhineland-Palatinate lead by Jochen and Ursula Muller
Indianapolis, IN

1997

In 1997 no formal workshop was held. Instead a less formal workshop was held in Houston, TX. Morry Gelman and Karin Gottier did the teaching. This workshop focused on dances that would be danced at the 1997 Bundesvolkstanztreffen in Erfurt Germany where the NAFGFDGs was represented as a group for the first time.

1996

Dances and folklore of Thüringen, featuring Frau Haide Kriwitzki of Erfurt.
Denver, CO

1995

Folkdances of Bavaria, with Sigi Ramstötter from Teisendorf.
Troy, NY

1994

The 1994 founding workshop took place in July 1994, in Hartford, CT. The instructors were Helga and Wolfgang Preuß, from Tanzkreiß Buchholz/Nordheide, and Anni Herrman, Märkische Volkstanzkreiß, Berlin

Bundesvolkstanztreffen

1997

The North American Federation of German Folkdance Groups was represented at the 1997 Bundesvolkstanztreffen in Erfurt Germany by a delegation of members. This was our first time in attendance as the North American Branch of Der Deutsche Gesellschaft für Volkstanz e.V. We hope again to have members attending the next Bundesvolkstanztreffen to represent us there.

2000

The 15th Bundesvolkstanztreffen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Volkstanz e.V. was held in Braunschweig, Germany from Thursday, July 27-Sunday July 30, 2000. The NAGFDGs was represented there by 54 dancers. After a wonderful weekend in Braunschweig, 32 dancers continued to Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg for week visit with a folkdance group there.

2008

The 16th Bundesvolkstanztreffen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Volkstanz e.V. is being planned for Offenburg, Germany. The date is still tentative, and may be either 25-28 July or 1-3 August 2008. The NAGFDGs is planning to be officially represented there and members are encouraged to watch the newsletter for information.

There is a list of upcoming folkdance events in the US and Canada located at http://www.germandance.org/upcoming.html.
If you know of other opportunities for participatory folkdance, please help add to that schedule.