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for more than 60 years, especially celebrating the living traditions of folk music and dance traditional to New
England. Numerous New England folk dance callers, leaders and musicians have had formative experiences at the festival, and in turn have inspired and influenced thousands more through their
70:
As a social dance festival, it is a community experience, the largest in New
England of its kind, with about 5,000 combined admissions in the festival's four session periods. It is the inspiration for other similar traditional dance and music festivals throughout the United States and North America.
104:
caller who presided at the square dances. The series had been running for little more than a year, but was already drawing over two hundred people every week, most of them college students. As Ralph Page later recalled the conversation, they were discussing a recent attempt at a "New
England Folk
117:
Country Dance Group (one of the first square and contra dance series in the Boston area), joined with Mary
Gillette and Ralph Page in calling local leaders to meet and talk it over. Many recreation agencies and ethnic groups sent representatives. From the start, the Festival Committee agreed to
109:
which had left them unimpressed: "Mary said: 'Why don't we have a real folk festival?' and so the idea was born". Mary
Gillette envisioned a festival where New England's many ethnic groups could share their song, dances, and crafts and present them to a wider audience, in a simple, honest,
219:
dancing. Sunday afternoons typically schedule dance and music demonstrations of a variety of ethnic dances, by local and distant dance groups, in the main hall. The hundreds of volunteer musicians, singers, dance callers, leaders and dance-demonstration performers are primarily from
207:, in addition to other genres of dance. A variety of concerts, discussions and other more intimate performances take place in numerous class room spaces. Family-oriented events occur during daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday. A courtyard outside is devoted to
118:
maintain an atmosphere of non-commercialism and high standards of performance and authenticity. The first festival took place on 28–29 October 1944 and attracted 200 attendees, mainly to watch performances of local ethnic dance performing groups.
382:
Published by Ralph Page, and available online at the
University of New Hampshire, Special Collections Library: New Hampshire Library of Traditional Music & Dance. Also edited from annually published program books and a 10th Anniversary
75:
and folk dance leaders from New
England and the United States, the festival has been an annual opportunity to perform, share experiences, insights, and further living traditions. The association also conducts a weekly
43:. NEFFA is a participatory festival; attendees are encouraged to participate in dancing, singing, musical jam sessions, and other activities. It is run by volunteers and all the performers are volunteers as well.
473:(Brief biography of NEFFA co-founder and influential caller Ralph Page.) University of New Hampshire Library Special Collections: New Hampshire Library of Traditional Music & Dance.
260:, in honor of one of the organization's founders, to promote understanding of the history and development of traditional Anglo-American dance forms in New England, especially
256:
Scout House. The dance is nationally known in the contra dance community for its vibrancy and popularity. NEFFA also conducts a separate annual winter festival called the
67:
performances, workshops, and enthusiastic participation. The festival has been influential in sustaining and reviving numerous folk dance traditions in New
England.
504:
449:
See footnote 2 and 3 of this review, referring to large dances in the United States. The Friday Night
Dancers. (Washington D.C.) 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
172:(1959). In recent decades, NEFFA has been influential as a model for dance and music festivals in New England, and nationally, including upstate New York's
224:
and every year a number arrive from more distant parts of North
America. The performers apply in the fall, and the program is announced in the spring.
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The festival continued at the Boston YWCA five more times. From 1951 onward, it was held in a variety of town and cities near Boston, visiting
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96:. The participants were Grace Palmer, director of the YWCA; Mary Gillette, head of the YWCA's physical education program; and
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187:, the 2020, 2021 and 2022 festivals were held virtually. The festival has again been held in person beginning in 2023.
268:. NEFFA has also published influential books about traditional dance and choreography. NEFFA is an affiliate of the
92:
The idea for NEFFA came about in the summer of 1944, in a discussion over coffee after a square dance at the Boston
862:
807:
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248:
In addition to the annual spring festival, NEFFA conducts the weekly Thursday Night Contra dance, formerly in
161:. Over the course of 60-plus years, the festival has grown to a three-day affair, with about 5,000 admissions.
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High and Middle Schools. Since 2023, the festival has been held at Best Western Hotel and Trade Center in
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Grace Palmer offered the facilities of the Boston YWCA. Philip Sharples, who in 1940 had founded the
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The NEFFA festival was founded in 1944, long before several more famous folk festivals, such as the
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In recent years, participatory dancing occurs simultaneously in three halls, most prominently
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The New England Folk Festival is organized by the New England Folk Festival Association.
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in 1974 and remained there through 2006. From 2007 to 2019 the festival was held at
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is an annual weekend festival of traditional dance and music. It takes place in the
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378:, editor. (Edited from writings of Ralph Page and Louise Winston, from the journal
39:. Both the festival and the association are colloquially known by the abbreviation
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A NEFFA Thursday night contra dance at the Fresh Pond VFW in
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The festival and the association has introduced thousands of
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410:"History of NEFFA – New England Folk Festival Association"
337:"Guide to the Ralph Page Manuscript Collection, 1940–1985"
190:
54:residents to the varied communities of traditional
512:
446:How the Friday Night Dance Came to Glen Echo Park
920:
392:Whitehead, Donna; and Cathy Gilbertie Knipper.
477:Photographs from the 2007 Mansfield MA festival
498:
284:, a similar festival held in upstate New York
433:January 6, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
35:region each spring. It is conducted by the
16:Annual traditional dance and music festival
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240:, in May 2003, (before the dance moved to
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605:Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
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610:House of Blues Boston (Kenmore Square)
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372:New England Folk Festival Association
37:New England Folk Festival Association
442:Owen Kelley. Edited by Lisa Miotto.
399:Apr 26, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
149:from 1967 to 1970, then returned to
929:Folk festivals in the United States
191:The festival program and performers
13:
14:
960:
455:
125:several times, and once each in
848:House of Blues (Harvard Square)
258:Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend
600:UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center
436:
420:
402:
386:
270:Country Dance and Song Society
1:
908:Worcester Memorial Auditorium
590:The Center for Arts in Natick
513:Music venues of Massachusetts
252:and as of 2006, held at the
176:(founded 1988) and Maine's
135:North Kingston, Rhode Island
7:
853:Izzy Ort's Bar & Grille
685:South Mountain Concert Hall
640:Narrows Center for the Arts
479:by Doug Plummer of Seattle.
345:University of New Hampshire
275:
10:
965:
625:Lowell Memorial Auditorium
572:Berklee Performance Center
394:Folk festival could return
178:Down East Country Festival
166:Philadelphia Folk Festival
87:
785:
777:New England Folk Festival
764:
718:
690:Springfield Symphony Hall
559:
518:
471:The Ralph Page Collection
131:Manchester, New Hampshire
29:New England Folk Festival
630:MGM Music Hall at Fenway
567:Academy of Music Theatre
428:Contra dance interrupted
323:
303:International folk dance
238:Cambridge, Massachusetts
201:international folk dance
110:straightforward manner.
878:Psychedelic Supermarket
139:Brockton, Massachusetts
245:
82:Concord, Massachusetts
24:
615:Iron Horse Music Hall
235:
228:The NEFFA association
205:English country dance
170:Newport Folk Festival
143:Lowell, Massachusetts
127:Exeter, New Hampshire
33:Boston, Massachusetts
22:
873:Nameless Coffeehouse
772:Lowell Folk Festival
756:Wallace Civic Center
585:Boston Symphony Hall
546:Hatch Memorial Shell
531:Cape Cod Melody Tent
526:Leader Bank Pavilion
934:Festivals in Boston
710:Worcester Palladium
576:Brighton Music Hall
803:Boston Opera House
680:Somerville Theatre
655:Paradise Rock Club
580:Boston Opera House
560:Theaters and clubs
246:
147:Natick High School
25:
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915:
903:Wollaston Theatre
813:Cape Cod Coliseum
798:Boston Music Hall
736:MassMutual Center
660:Paramount Theater
426:Arpine Babloyan.
185:COVID-19 pandemic
145:. It was held in
105:Festival" at the
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823:Colonial Theatre
808:Boston Tea Party
541:Gillette Stadium
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464:Official website
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416:. 22 April 2024.
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180:(founded 1991).
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898:The Underground
888:The Schoolhouse
838:Foxboro Stadium
786:Historic venues
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675:Shubert Theatre
645:Orpheum Theatre
635:The Middle East
555:
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397:Mansfield News,
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282:Flurry Festival
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174:Flurry Festival
168:(1962) and the
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868:Modern Theatre
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858:Matthews Arena
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833:Fenway Theatre
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519:Outdoor venues
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456:External links
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209:Morris dancing
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100:, the popular
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650:P.A.'s Lounge
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369:NEFFA History
365:
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107:Boston Garden
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949:Contra dance
944:Square dance
939:Social dance
828:Concert Hall
776:
700:Wang Theatre
670:The Sinclair
445:
438:
431:The Alewife.
430:
422:
413:
404:
396:
388:
383:publication)
379:
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349:. Retrieved
347:. 2014-10-23
340:
331:
293:Contra dance
288:Social dance
266:square dance
262:contra dance
257:
247:
213:Rapper Sword
197:contra dance
194:
182:
163:
120:
112:
91:
78:contra dance
73:contra dance
69:
45:
40:
36:
28:
26:
883:Rathskeller
818:The Channel
620:Jordan Hall
595:Club Passim
536:Fenway Park
444:Review of:
376:Tony Parkes
222:New England
183:Due to the
159:Marlborough
48:New England
923:Categories
893:Storyville
731:DCU Center
695:Tanglewood
665:The Royale
318:Zwiefacher
313:Shape note
308:Folk music
298:Folk dance
98:Ralph Page
80:series in
64:folk music
60:folk dance
765:Festivals
746:TD Garden
250:Cambridge
217:Longsword
155:Mansfield
123:Worcester
863:Melodeon
276:See also
341:Library
254:Concord
242:Concord
115:Belmont
88:History
719:Arenas
351:2 June
203:, and
151:Natick
56:social
414:NEFFA
324:Notes
41:NEFFA
353:2021
264:and
215:and
141:and
94:YWCA
71:For
62:and
58:and
50:and
27:The
925::
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361:^
343:.
339:.
272:.
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355:.
244:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
