Carpathian Dance Workshop

Andy Taylor

joins Chicagoland West International Folk Dance to teach a workshop on Carpathian Dance, bringing new life to "old" dances. 

The workshop is open to all - no prior experience needed.

Monday, November 9, 2026  7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Suggested donation: $10 per person

Grace Lutheran Church: 493 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. More details on the location, see our location guide.

About the Teacher:

Andy Taylor started International Folk dancing at a young age under the guidance of her parents, Marianne and Conny Taylor, cofounders of the Folk Arts Center of New England. Andy was exposed to many cultures through dance, song and stories. Her dream was to connect Social Anthropology and dance.

Recently Andy has had the gift of working with Mike Protenic. He is a folk dance teacher & performer of many years’ experience. For the past 20 years, he has researched the music of the Rusyn, Lemko, Hutzel and Boyko people of the Polish, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Romanian areas of Europe. These people were under the Austro-Hungarian regime when Mike’s grandfather, Johann, collected dances between 1893 & 1903. The dances were passed onto Mike through his father. Mike has reconstructed these dances from old notes and stories. Through Mike’s research, he found music to match the dances both in the descriptions of the music from his grandfather, their origins and their structures. He wants to share them throughout the Recreational Folk Dance Communities. Andy is honored that Mike asked her to teach these dances while he is unable.

Andy enjoys teaching these and many of the dances she has done throughout her life. Dance is community and each place she teaches, is a gift. New friends, new communities, dance is the gift that keeps bringing understanding through cooperation.

Keep on Dancing:

Andy will also be guest teaching in Minneapolis with Tapestry Folkdance Center November 6-9, 206. For information on that International Dance Weekend, check out their website here.

If you want to catch more of Andy's teaching after the workshop, she will be teaching another workshop, this time with RSCDS Chicago Branch (Naperville) Group on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. See their entry on their special events calendar for more information.