AUTUMN LEAVES XLI
November 6-7, 2026
Joan Bennett
BALKAN DANCE WEEKEND
.Joan Bennett has been a requested and much-lauded teacher of folk dance for over 50 years. Wherever life has taken her, Joan has been a vital part of her local International Folk and Scandinavian dance groups, serving as a member, teacher, programmer, and leader. Knowledgeable, approachable, and fun, she is also a frequent guest instructor throughout the region. Joan has a passion for concise, clear teaching and has spent her career engaged in instructing both adults and children. For Joan, teaching is a way to share her love of movement, augment the skills of dancers, explore diverse music from around the world, and increase the general silliness, FUN, and cohesion within the dance "village."
Throughout her distinguished career, Joan has been a featured instructor at prestigious workshops and camps, including Texas Thanksgiving Camp and Oklahoma’s Old Country Weekend, while maintaining a 35-year residency with the Salem International Folk Dancers. Her expertise spans International and Scandinavian traditions—notably leading Hambo workshops for CDSS—and she has partnered with legendary instructors such as Dick Crum and Germain Hebert. Beyond the dance floor, Joan has brought folk and social dance into academic settings at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College, and she spent over a decade building foundational skills through Austin’s Parks & Rec programs. A dedicated mentor, she also conducts specialized workshops on the art of dance instruction and programming, drawing on her deep roots as a former performer, director, and choreographer of multiple folk dance companies.
Casa Azafran Global Education’s Studio South
2195 Nolensville Pike, Suite 3 | Nashville, TN 37211 | Phone: 615-291-4672
We’ll hold our forty-first anniversary Autumn Leaves at Casa Azafran in Nashville, just a quick hop off interstate I-24. Please join us at Autumn Leaves XLI for a fabulous weekend of dance, music, fellowship, and FUN! In the interest of cutting down on plastic waste, we encourage participants to bring a reusable water bottle or cup. Thanks.
Parking: If the parking is full in front of Casa Azafran on Friday night, there is a back parking lot. Access to it is on Nolensville Road, just past Casa Azafran if you are traveling towards downtown (North). There is a driveway on the left, just past the building and before the sign that reads Park at Melrose Place. I am told the back lot is well lit and safe. If that lot is full, there is additional parking on Nolensville road going away from town (South) on the same side of Nolensville as Casa Azafran. It is a little grassy lot, just past Payless Auto Sales, we are advised to pull all the way in and around to face out at the front of the lot.
Below is a map to the dance site:
Schedule and Fees:
Cost: Registration for all sessions and dance party: $70 ($85 if paid after Oct.18)
Individual Sessions are prorated as follows:
Session I, $20; Session II, $30; Session III, $30; Dance Party, $10
Two options will be available for purchase: either a video DVD or MP4 video download of the review.
To register in advance, click on the PDF registration file, print out and mail the payment and registration form.
PDF registration forms will be uploaded here soon:
Send your check payable to "NIFD" or "Nashville International Folk Dancers" and the above PDF registration form (or equivalent info) to:
Kate Croy
PO Box 148784
Nashville, TN. 37214
615-359-2251
Autumn Leaves XLI Schedule
(Times below are Central Daylight Time)
Friday, November 6
7:00pm - 8:00pm Registration & Request Dancing
8:00pm - 9:30pm Session 1: Teaching ($20 if you are a walk-in)
9:30pm - 10:30pm Extra Request Dancing
Saturday, November 7
9:30am - 12:30pm Session II: Teaching ($30 if you are a walk-in)
12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch Break (On your own)
2:00pm - 2:30pm Culture Session on dance teaching tips and pedagogy
2:30pm - 4:30pm Session III: Dance review session and possibly more dances ($30 if you are a walk-in)
4:30pm - 7:30pm Dinner Break (On your own)
7:30pm - 10:30pm Dance Party ($10 if you are a walk-in) with live music from Tantsova Grupa
Note: There is no Sunday session, as the review will be done on Saturday afternoon
Also: Full-time students with IDs pay half price
Requesting Dances for Saturday night dance party: We have around 1000 dances in our MP3 collection with which to play your requests. If you have a particular favorite request dance, consider checking our updated dance list at the following link: NIFD Playlist. If you don't see it there, we may not have it, so please bring a MP3 of your request on a zip drive and we will be glad to play it and also add it to our collection.
Nearby Hotels
Nearby Restaurants
Past Autumn Leaves Teachers
Contact information:
For more information, email NIFD at nifddance@gmail.com
All advanced registration this year is by mail. See PDF links above for more information.