Description and Mission Statement
Origins
The Manitoba International Folk Dance Association (MIFDA) was first established in 1961 to organize folk dance workshops for school teachers and community leaders, and to put on an annual Children's Folk Dance Festival. In the late 1970s MIFDA offered dance workshops designed for school teachers in Gimli, Manitoba with funding from the provincial government. MIFDA also provided dance adjudicators for arts festivals in various Manitoba communities. Starting in 1979 MIFDA transitioned to a recreational folk dance club based in Winnipeg, offering weekly classes and occasional workshops featuring guest instructors. Since that time the organization has continued to follow this approach.Mission
MIFDA is an unincorporated member cooperative. Our mission is to provide folk dancing opportunities and instruction for all those who may be interested. We focus on folk dancing, broadly defined, that originates from many countries and cultures. We see folk dancing as a social and recreational activity, and want to make it accessible to people of various ages, backgrounds and abilities.
Manitoba International Folk Dance Association is committed to sharing and learning dances from many different cultures and traditions regardless of any current political issues or conflicts that may be associated with those cultures or countries. Our goal is to provide a recreational and social activity that is welcoming to all, regardless of social, cultural or political backgrounds.
Scope and Activities
Our focus is social and recreational. We dance weekly on Friday nights from September through June. We do not aspire to be a professional dance group, but if there is interest among our members we may perform occasionally at community events. We are run by our member volunteers and do not seek to make a profit, and we are funded by modest membership and drop-in fees. The way we operate and the types of dancing we do are generally similar to international folk dance groups in other cities and countries.
Organization
A set of officers and a committee structure are used to plan and carry out our activities. An annual general meeting provides for the election of officers, creation of committees, reporting on the year's activities and finances, and provides guidance for making plans for the coming year. We communicate with members via a weekly newsletter, through announcements on dance nights, through social media, and through email. A small annual membership fee and nightly drop-in fees are charged to members. Non-members can drop in as well, and are charged a drop in fee. When they join MIFDA, members have the option of allowing their contact information to be shared with other members or kept confidential. Non-members and guests are always welcome at our dance nights and other events.
Officers
The General Administrator handles communications regarding our program, facilities, and activities, responds to queries, leads planning for the AGM and other meetings and may help with workshop or event planning as needed.
The combined Treasurer/Membership Officer manages our bank account, pays bills, creates an annual list of members, receives fees, makes deposits, prepares annual financial and membership reports. (In the past the roles of Treasurer and Membership Officer were separate.)
The Music & Equipment Manager maintains computer and sound equipment used to play dance music for dance nights, identifies when new equipment is required and recommends purchases, manages and keeps records of the weekly playlists, and operates or facilitates the operation of the computer and sound equipment.
The Communications Officer produces and distributes the newsletter, interacting with others to determine content, and posts announcements on the MIFDA Facebook page.
Committees
The Executive Committee meets periodically throughout the year to decide on any policy or organizational issues that arise, major expenditures or budgetary issues, scheduling the AGM, workshops, or other meetings, and the creation of ad hoc committees. (The Executive Committee is made up of the MIFDA officers listed above.)
The Program Committee meets periodically to plan the overall schedule for the year, the weekly teaching program, and recruits volunteer teachers and dance programmers.
Ad hoc committees are struck as needed, depending on availability of volunteers. These may include a Workshop Committee (to plan dance workshops), a Promotions Committee (to promote MIFDA and recruit new members), and a Social Committee (to plan and organize parties or social events).
MIFDA Newsletter
The Communications Officer distributes a newsletter to members via email during the dance season (September-June), to keep them informed of upcoming MIFDA events, dances being taught, and to publicize other folk dance events. The newsletter is also used occasionally to survey members concerning organizational decisions and programs. The newsletter is anonymous and members can choose not to receive it.
The MIFDA Directory
The Membership Officer keeps a list of MIFDA members and their contact information. A directory of this contact information is made available to other members. Members may opt out of sharing their personal contact information. This directory is meant to facilitate communications amongst members related to things like announcements of significant events in the lives of members or to discussions of the functioning of MIFDA as an organization. It is useful for accessing contact information for specific friends. Out of respect and consideration for those who may not be interested, it is not intended for mass emailing of personal viewpoints or promotion of organizations, activities or products unrelated to MIFDA’s operation.
---- Updated June 6, 2025