Anna Breger will teach some lovely melodies found in 18th century manuscripts from northern Europe. All instruments welcome, intermediate playing level.

How are women represented in the folk song traditions of the West? Are women a benevolent source of life, a lure of sin, a vessel of romantic and spiritual love, a fountain of black magic, or do women represent a connection to God? This concert and discussion takes 9 songs, and, with each of them, examines the way women’s lives and bodies interact with the folk song tradition of the Western world. Songs include The Blacksmith, Shady Grove, As I Roved Out, Katy Cruel, and more.

Stick around after the Coleman's Quartet contra session for some California waltzes.

A session of original waltzes on piano by Bob Pasquarello

"Learn two of the beautiful Argentine folk dances: ""El Bailecito"" from the Andean north and ""El Gato"" found throughout all of Argentina."

Fun dances for 2 or more with good balance(s)!

Balkan dances with Rakiya, modern style.

Joyful dances from the pan-Balkan traditions (Bulgarian, former Yugloslavian, Romanian) including many traditional easy-to-follow village dances as well as some well-loved, well-known choreographed ones.

"Come sing along, dance along, or just enjoy listening to ""old city songs"" and/or dance songs from Macedonia and environs, evoking the pleasure (""kefi"") of singing with old friends in the village tavern or coffeehouse - if it had a jukebox with all your favorites!"

A ballad is a song that tells a story. Bring us your ballads from renowned collections, local history, family tradition, or just ripping good yarns.

Singing Beatles songs makes us happy, and hopefully will make you happy too. Come join us!

The joy of waltzes for your dancing and listening pleasure.

Learn the footwork and styling to several dances in the Beranche uneven-five rhythm (SQQSQ). Amaze your friends by knowing what to do when the band plays one of those wonderful tunes.

Take a trip down the blues road, stopping along the way for a taste of blues flavors. Cousin Louis sings and plays traditional and modern blues and the music it influenced. As Willie Dixon once said, “The blues are the roots and all the rest are the fruits.”

Song circle for chanteys, sea songs, maritime poetry, and entertainments at least faintly damp and salty. In-person would feature all-sing choruses, online w.ould be a solo singaround.

Zdravets presents Bulgarian and Macedonian dancing with traditional instruments and vocals.

Easy Bulgarian line dances; music by Zornitsa, a men's Bulgarian singing group with instrumental accompaniment.

Play Bulgarian and Macedonian tunes. Sheet music is provided. Session includes some discussions about scales, time signatures, and ornamentation.

Bulgarian singing workshop online for mixed audience - experienced, not experienced, family with kids welcome.

A brief presentation, followed by Q&A/open discussion, on variety in programming. Different dance forms can spice up your programs and help you market to non-contra-dance groups.

A concert of songs about our working waterways.

This session will focus on English Country Dances choreographed by women in the 21st century.

"Honoring singer, dancer, folklorist, and collector Anthony Grant ""Tony"" Barrand (1945-2022) with a panel featuring fellow researcher Jocelyn Reynolds, bandmate John Roberts, and folklorist Jennifer Cutting of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, which holds Tony's collection."

Come to the first public screening of this year's community videos submitted to NEFFA 2022, and stay for the unveiling of the new NEFFA Video Archive on Vimeo.

Supertrad playing original and trad reels, jigs and waltzes.

Counting songs, finger plays and movement songs for children. A sing-a -long program of new and tried and true songs for children age 1-101. Kim has been writing a lot of new counting songs, partly to replace old ones with rotten roots.

Cowboy songs with accompanying lyrics for choruses, and group yodeling.

"An ""All-Hands-In"" rousing sea chantey singing session. Bring your voices and your friends."

A potpourri of taught dances/requests to recorded music.

Lively contras for dancers (new and old) who just can't get enough!

International traditional folk and country dance tunes played on mountain dulcimer by national dulcimer champion, Mark Gilston. English, French, German, Scandinavian and Balkan dance tunes.

contra dancing with Steve Zakon-Anderson and SuperTrad

Balkan and international folk dancing with Shining Moon

A selection of coastal and seafaring songs and ditties focused on the Northeast and Canadian Maritimes, with sing-along opportunities for the crew!

This workshop teaches the basics of playing the drums and rhythms that originated in West Africa and migrated with the slave trade into Latin America and Brazil. You'll get a broad overview of the djembe, dunduns, congas, bongos, surdo and a variety of percussion instruments associated with these exciting rhythmic traditions. If you have a drum, play along. If not, you can still learn by watching and listening.

One-figure dances are not always simple, but dancing to tricky rhythms is one of life's delights. We'll do some easy and some challenging dances, all with fabulous live music!

Enjoy familiar dances (and perhaps a new one or two) suitable for one, two, or more people to do on Zoom without needing a gaggle of ghosts!

We would like to lead a jam session of ECD music for all who would like to join in and play, or just listen.

English Country Dances for all skill levels. Join our virtual community to revel in some classic favorites and new choreography. All dances have been adapted for 1-2 dancers.

A variety of fabulous dances for your online dancing pleasure

Sparkling with energy, wit and whimsy, Jackson incorporates interactive song, movement and stories in a rollicking mix of comedy and music for all ages.

If you love making music with your children, learning new songs, singing and dancing along, this is the workshop for you.

Farah will be a fest of Jewish music from North Africa and the Middle East. This encompasses several ethnic traditions - Spanish, Egyptian, Syrian, Baghdadi, and Yemenite. It includes some of the sweetest as well as some of the liveliest rhythms of any tradition. I will sing in Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino, and English.

The cool and the classic at this iconic Neffa event.

Presentation and Discussion about how to play the fiddle without pain. Discussion of playing and of violin equipment. Questions welcome. I used to have pain when playing and now have no pain.

Contra dances that are choreographed for flow and nearly constant motion for the dancers.

"Grammy-winning fingerstyle guitarist Mark and nat'l award-winning vocalist Greta team up for a lively and fun performance of traditional and original music, ranging from their sublime ""Water Is Wide"" to the raucous slide-guitar ""Grease Monkey."" You'll hear a variety of guitars, uke, percussion and pristine harmony vocals. "

Sharon Green calls adaptations of dances by her teacher Fried de Metz Herman to recordings specially made by the Odd Sundays English Garage Band [Shira Kammen, Judy Linsenberg, Patti Cobb].

Everyone is welcome to join our folk singing party. The song leaders will get us started but every present is welcome to suggest songs that we can sing together.

Scottish Country Dancing involves a number of unique figures. This class is designed for more experienced dancers in any dance form at NEFFA to introduce you to several of these figures and their variations in context. We will focus on having fun with these more challenging figures in dances. Experience in Contra, English, Squares and other related dance forms valuable. Scottish is not necessary.

Pure and adulterated musical nostalgia with lots of fun surprises. Includes topical originals, musical foolishness & finesse, and sing-alongs that have been fractured, twisted and bent.

We’ve been growing food for thousands of years -- on giant farms, on small market plots, in our back yards. Songs from the old world and the new, some old and some recent – welcome to my garden!

Enjoy moving to wonderful tunes written and set to English country dances since the dawn of the 21st century.

Join me for a NEFFA hour of bloomin' good songs and tunes that feature in the many English dance traditions we love: ECD, Morris, Sword and more. Bring your voices and dancing shoes. There will be plenty of opportunities to join in with choruses and I may even teach y'all a dance of some kind!

Make wonderful rhythms! Hambone is making percussion using your body – slapping and clapping while sitting down. It's great fun! Learn the basic techniques and how to put them together.

"Hand Jive! 1950s hand jive was much more than shown in ""Grease,"" with many different movements, patterns, and musical rhythms. Learn different arm and hand motions for grooving to the music even when there's no space to dance. No partner needed, family-friendly, and accessible to those with lower-body disabilities. "

Traditional and recently-traditional songs with LGBT+ themes: handsome cabin boys, female husbands, and captains with huge crushes on the sailors. We will be talking live about the songs but editing our harmony together ahead of time and presenting the pre-recorded performances in the concert.

Fun and easy circle and line dances from 16th century France. Family friendly too! Some small jumps and kicks involved.

Buckle up, you're in for a wild ride! Gròóvåtrøñ's playful spirit and energetic tunes have been paired up with Drew Delaware's joyful calling for this hour of action-packed contra dances.

"Holi is the festival of colors. People from different castes come together and meet and greet each other. We share home made sweets, ""Gujia, and Ladoo"" and put color on each other. It brings communities closer and spread love and joy like ""Radha-Krishna's"" eternal love."

Introduction to Playing the Irish Bodhran; a demonstration of handling technique. Explore Irish music rhythms. We'll consider session etiquette, play some tunes, explore ornamentation. Bring a bodhran and tipper (drumstick)

Hypnotic, moderately paced Old-Time Jam. Lock in with other musicians in a moderately-paced Southern old time jam.

Folk dancing from many countries.

All are welcome to revel in the flowing movements and haunting music of dances that historically were done by women in different cultures around the world.

Check out Jeff Kaufman's alternative to Zoom for online singing! Unlike Zoom, it lets you hear, on the average, about half of the other singers. Participants are welcome to lead a song, sing along, or just listen. Songs with slow, rich choruses are recommended.

This workshop teaches the basic hand technique for playing the Middle Eastern doumbek drum (also known as darbuka or tabla, depending on the country). You'll also learn the most common rhythms that are popular in many genres of Arabic music. No prior experience is required. If you have a drum, play along, or learn simply by watching and listening.

Come learn the basics of Balkan and other international dance styles. Enjoy efficient, cheerful teaching and wonderful music!

Learn an easy klezmer tune (or two), with discussion of scales/modes used in klezmer, ornamentation and how to accompany klezmer tunes.

Come and try out Scottish Country Dancing! We will go over basic steps and figures and put them together for a few fun dances.

Clogging / Flatfooting lets everyone be a member of the band. We’ll learn a few basic steps and learn to play with rhythm. Foot-stomping fun!

Demonstration/Workshop. A brief history of the banjo—“America’s instrument”—as well as some basic clawhammer banjo techniques and tunings.

A group of Boston area traditional folk musicians will lead an 'Open Participatory Session' in the playing and singing of Italian folk, pop, classical, and operatic aria songs and melodies. The Session is open to all musicians, singers, and listeners of Italian music. We will provide music notation and Italian lyrics.

A workshop explaining the online app JamKazam, which enables musicians to play together online from remote locations. We will be also demonstrating the effectiveness of JamKazam by teaching and playing from two different locations.

Janie will play a selection of her own original tunes ranging from lovely waltzes, rhythmic reels, driving old time tunes, jigs and a few crooked ones too!! This is your opportunity to hear and learn a bunch of Janie's award winning original tunes on the fly, and ask questions about the tunes-phrasing, bowing, rhythm, chords etc. Open to all but for Intermediate-Advanced players. Recording to your own devices to work on later allowed.

Come dance your heart out to Outrageous Fortune's rootsy jug band stylings of classic '20s and '30s blues and jazz. Stationary listeners are also welcome!

Ken Perlman performs a selection of fiddle tunes on banjo from several traditions - not only Appalachian, but also Cape Breton/Prince Edward Island, Irish, Scottish, and more.

Pete Kraemer and Howard Stith present the Blues in the styles of the Kings of the 12-String Guitar, including Leadbelly, Blind Willie McTell, Barbeque Bob and others.

Learn a simple song from one of the genres of Scottish Gaelic, in English and Gaelic. No prior knowledge of Gaelic required. Words, translation, phonetics and sound recordings pre-provided.

Keep your carbon footprint low with this delightful selection of fresh composer to dance floor compositions

The celibate, communal United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, of whom only three now survive, are famed not only for their furniture and other crafts, but the boisterous singing and dancing in their religious services. Join former Hancock Shaker Village Museum interpreter April Grant and Boston Area Shaker Study Group member E. J. Barnes for a selection of Shaker songs.

Live screenings of NEFFA's 2022 Massive Asynchronous Jam (Inisheer, Simple Gifts, and St. Anne's Reel) and of the Virtual Pub Sing (Thousands or More). Following will be an informal talk and Q&A with the directors of each project, Stuart Ryerse and Alex Cumming, regarding how each project was made, from choosing the tunes to rendering the final video. Jokes will be included as well!

Beginning dancers will find a magic carpet in their own living room as they follow Stacy Rose on a dance tour around the world.

"Using traditional shanties, ballads, and songs Chris will explore not only the work, but stories and daily life of 19th and early 20th workers who looked to the sea for their vocations. We'll explore how lyrics and song-forms can help us by leaving ""clues"" as to how the songs were used, and what they might tell us of the traditions of our maritime past."

This workshop will introduce participants to the Mountain Dulcimer. In person participants will have an opportunity to play a basic strum and some simple tunes on the dulcimer. If we are virtual these will be performed for and with on line participants. We will also learn about the instruments history, various styles of playing, and see the dulcimer family which also includes soprano, baritone and bass dulcimers. Participants questions will be encouraged.

We'll go over the basic skills at the foundation of playing fiddle tunes note for note - drop and double thumbing to all strings and in all string combinations, regular and alternate-string pull-offs, and more.

I will teach some lovely instrumental tunes from the Eduard Kremser manuscript (1911-1925) that contains wonderful Viennese songs and dance melodies. You will need to be able to play comfortably over at least 2 octaves since the melodies often have a wide range.

I would be happy to help anyone at any level with questions about playing the guitar, mandolin or tenor banjo. I am especially interested in how these instruments work in the context of a group, as apposed to playing solo. (I’ve participated in various Neffa presentations with the group, Danse Café)

This fiddle and guitar duo perform very danceable cumbias, polkas, pasodobles, and waltzes from the West Texas borderlands.

A perennial NEFFA favorite, Mike is a versatile and highly entertaining singer, instrumentalist, and storyteller. Everything from hilarious parodies to traditional ballads to Bach on the concertina to riveting recitations.

Milonga is a grandparent dance of Argentine tango. Fun, sassy, and easy to learn, it has African roots. You'll use its infectious rhythm in a line dance.

Concert of folk music from Bulgaria and Macedonia, vocal and instrumental, with traditional folk instruments.

We will be hosting a jam with our favorite Scandi tunes and will have a tunebook available for those new to the tunes.

"In the spirit of Philadelphia's popular ""Mostly Waltz"" series, a variety of waltzes together with schottische, tango, swing, and other couple dances."

"Janie and Allan have been blending their American Old Time and Scottish Traditional songs for over 40 years. Allan is from Aberdeen, and is a ""real deal"" singer of the old songs from the Northeast of Scotland. Janie is an award winning fiddler, banjo player and tune composer of old time style tunes and providing the beautiful melodies to Allan's lyrics for new music in both genres! Songs, instrumentals, stories and fun! www.janierothfield.com."

Listen to traditional Scottish and Cape Breton tunes arranged to create a unique fresh sound while also keeping in the tradition. We have a big fiddle sound with other instruments, including flute, whistle, guitars, mandolins, cellos, piano and more.

I will be exploring the use of natural elements and their meaning in traditional Serbian songs.

NEFFA is an all-volunteer run organization. Come meet the Board, provide feedback, and ask questions.

It's a tradition! Join Drew for a 25 minute, no walk through dance medley.

A rollicking singalong of rousing favorites from the Old English music hall of the Gilded Age, led by an extraordinary league of veteran artistes.

Learn fun and accessible touch-free partner dances from around the world — Portugal, Mexico, the Philippines, and more.

The Swedish nyckelharpa: a sampling of tunes old and new, traditional and modern. Come to listen or play along.

Old Style Cajun Fiddle workshop (Int./Adv). Early Cajun music was all about the fiddle. There was no accordion nor guitar. These early tunes are sprightly, haunting and often quirky. This class will focus on learning an old style tune from one of the early Louisiana masters of this music.

One song performance and banter for single performers. Make your audience love you!

Do you have a favorite Pete Seeger song? Do you have a Pete story to share? Join us as we celebrate Pete Seeger and the power of song.

The Philippines has 7,107 islands. Through their folk dances, music and costumes, we tell you stories of the people from the lowlands and exhibit the skills in performing these dances.

"Come and plan to lift your voice! As Power Harmonies, Lynn Noel and Ken Mattsson sing with depth, power, and passionate attention to the spirit in the song. As experienced dancers of contra, English country, and Scandinavian gammaldans, their duo sound can be described as ""ballroom dancing for the voice."" They are noted for inspiring harmonies and making the rafters ring. "

Indian Folk Dance Bhangra From Province Punjab.

A curated presentation, with some narration and kibitzing, of ritual dance videos submitted for the occasion -- including several from April 23 at the Gore Place Sheepshearing Festival.

This will be a performance of old time ballads and tunes, punctuated by some scholarly research on the presence of rivers in this music.

Join us for the premiere of a film that celebrates Roaring Jelly's 50 years of playing for NE dances, followed by a conversation with current and former band members and leaders. Find out how the band began, how it became a model for some other groups, and how it continues to thrive.

Play Romanian music. Sheet music is provided. Session includes a little discussion about styling.

Bernadette Colley and Richard Yospin explore the creation and evolution of the American Songbook — influential, enduring pop songs, jazz standards, Broadway and movie tunes, from the early twentieth century through the bebop age and beyond, in vocal harmonies and on piano, guitars, mandolin, and clarinet.

The King’s Busketeers are here to turn Virtual NEFFA into their own olde-schoole pub sing— you’re invited! Traditional &original songs from Ireland, the UK, the US, & beyond!

"Retrospective look at American cowboy songs, from authentic ballads and working songs, to ""singing cowboy"" Tin Pan Alley compositions of recent years -- and contemporary composed songs that evoke the cowboy ethos. Lots of choruses!"

Be prepared to be moved through a range of emotions that reflect the human experience, from playfulness to loss, from the excitement of birth to the struggle of euthanasia, from giddy new love to the despair of betrayal to the acceptance one another with all our imperfections. Sam Asher's music captures the depth of feelings, sometimes with a curious twist, often with humor, and always with sensitivity.

Swedish tunes on fiddle and/or nyckelharpa, solo with harmonies via looper pedal magic

Play along with favorite accessible mostly-Swedish tunes. lydia will lead on fiddle and/or nyckelharpa, with harmony lines via looper pedal magic

The word ceilidh is a verb meaning to visit in Scottish Gaidhlig. It has also come to signify a repertoire of party dances popular at events and celebrations around Scotland. At this workshop, Susie Petrov and Jen Schoonover will share and teach a selection of Ceilidh dances.

Fun Scottish figures and great tunes

This song circle is a space to share songs of hope, love, community, peace, strength, grief, healing, celebration, etc. that don't attribute those experiences to god(s) or religion. Listeners welcome.

Shape note singing from the ground up! We'll put the parts together one by one, and in just 50 minutes, this basic primer will have you singing the rich and powerful 4-part harmonies that brought colonial communities together. No experience necessary. Bring your friends and family.

The Sillertides (Linn Phipps and Doug Huggins) will share a couple of their conversation songs, and invite you to bring a song of dialogue, call and response or conversation.

Bobbi and the Band engaging live shows include storytelling, sing-alongs, and improvisation by the band. The music tells the stories of growing up, of love, and of loss and freedom. The band is known for never doing a song the same way twice and that leads to magical moments on stage. The band includes Bobbi on guitar, Rob Mac on harmonica and Gary Chapin on the Accordion. Raised on equal parts Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, Louis Armstrong, and Bruce Springsteen, Bobbi has a unique sound that has been described as urban folk gypsy jazz. Come join us for a unique event!

English Country Dance

A mixture of slightly skewed original songs and rockin' arrangements of jigs, reels, and other melodies from the British Isles and beyond.

Learn common session tunes at this slow jam with The Little Match Girls. Learn by ear or use sheet music provided.

Please join us for a user-friendly tune-trading session, primarily Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle tunes which often turn up at sessions in the Boston area. Requests welcome!

Show some attitude and bring you sassy self to dance snazzy, jazzy contras and squares.

Award-winning 16 year old fiddler from Maine playing trad tunes from the Maine/Maritime and Scottish traditions.

Song Circle for everyone to bring songs which tell of the seasons, either individually or following the progress of the yearly cycle.

Song Circle for everyone to bring they songs about whales and whaling. Self – accompaniment welcome.

Traditional songs in English and French from Newfoundland and the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick)

Songs about, in praise of, remembering home. New songs in the folk tradition.

We will perform songs transcribed from previously unpublished manuscripts and field recordings done before 1945. We will also discuss the process of finding, transcribing and publishing Julia's book, Bygone Ballads of Maine.

A mixture of maritime and traditional folk, some acapella, some accompanied by variety of instruments.

The women's suffrage movement gave rise to a wealth of songs. New compositions were written, and new lyrics set to familiar tunes. Katherine Rhoda sings some of these historical songs.

Come learn a 4-part South African folk song, with dance movements.

Like a contra medley, southern sets use two-couple figures, but the figures can vary. Try a few classic moves with a friend or three.

India has developed her spring traditions through deep cultural roots developed through thousands years of refinement. We will present a sample of the festivities through the lyrics in multiple languages.

Nadine and Barbara contribute their joy of creating and playing arrangements of music from Quebec, Ireland, England and beyond, plus many originals, touches of blues, jazz, and Latin, many moods.

Traditional and Personal stories selected to explore a theme. This year of reunion will offer tales of hope and healing. The audience will be invited to share personal stories.

Choose your partner, real or imaginary, for my best virtual contras from 2021.

Tired of that old G, C, D, boom-chick kind of thing? Learn some cool new chords and rhythms to play swing tunes like Take Me Back To Tulsa, Cornbread and Butterbeans and C Jam Blues. For people who don't think they can play jazz. Chris will also play some cool swing originals.

A session of live triplets,with instruction and calling, 6 dancers, a caller, and recorded music. We're hoping attendees will make their own pods of 6 and dance along.

"Thieves? Giant Slugs? Hear some stories that will make you laugh, and smile. While family friendly(ish), these tales may push the boundaries of ""good taste."" "

A concert of traditional songs from Brittany, the Celtic region of France

I'll lead the group in writing a tune or three and will also talk about my approach to writing and will perhaps make up one on the spot on my own.

Strumming a ukulele you've gotta be smiling! Bring a uke, we'll have a collection of favorite songs. We'll display the words, and all can strum and sing along.

"Live from Ukraine! A presentation on Ukrainian Easter eggs (pysanki) and their traditional ornaments and symbols. This will include a short video demonstration of how to make a simple ""krapanka""-style egg, which attendees will be able to make at home afterward."

Live from Ukraine! A presentation on the Ukrainian ceremonial towel used in weddings and the symbolism of its designs, colors, and seams. Focus will be on the Kyiv region.

Take a tune everyone knows. Write new words. Make it fun and easy to sing along with and share it with everybody at NEFFA. It's The Ultimate Parody Jam!

"Original and traditional music from ancient ballads to blues and bluegrass—The Homegrown String Band, aka ""the family that plays together,"" explores the roots and branches of American music."

Songs (trad and contemporary) celebrating Australian women facing and overcoming tremendous odds: transportation, exile, colonial life, war, loneliness, work, discrimination, brutality, bushfire, shipwreck, adventure, rejection, men, neighbours!

Contras with a unique twist to elicit dancing joy

Founded shortly after the Civil War, the Grange has a rich heritage of songs celebrating agriculture and advocating for farming communities. Katherine Rhoda sings from vintage Grange songbooks.

"You are welcome to join ""Three Quarter Time"", a Boston area acoustic folk instrumental group that plays and leads traditional 3/4-time and folk waltz melodies. You will participate in an ""open-to-all-instruments and all levels"" jam that has been a NEFFA tradition since 2001. You can play by ear, or use music notation that we will provide. Dancers and listeners are welcome if sufficient room space permits."

Join the Drum Nomads for a high energy dance jam featuring rhythms from West Africa. We'll show you some of the basic dance moves, then cut you loose to dance along with the ensemble as we crank out the beats! If you have a drum at home, you're welcome to drum along. No prior experience required. All ages welcomed.

Our old routines were great, but certainly not perfect. COVID's disruption forced a re-boot. Let's share ideas and stories about thoughtful experiments (both personal and group) to improve our events.

Techniques for whistling with the lips, with special focus on dance tunes, as well as considerations for performance in general.

Novel and authentic choral repertoire from global ethnic traditions: South Africa, Iran, Bosnia, Georgia, Croatia, Madagascar, Cuba, the US and more.

Our group of 22 amazing teens personalize this year's ensemble and small group / individual prerecorded videos with live introductions.

Put your waltzing and pivoting skills to use in many different permutations! Enjoy whirling with partners to classic Bavarian Zwiefache tunes! The music tells you what to do!