For 67 years, the SAFDF workshops have been San Antonio’s beloved tradition of international folk dance teaching, music, parties, and camaraderie. They are part of Heritage Festivals of San Antonio.

The 2025 workshops are an in-person event in our traditional dance space — the Multicultural Activities and Recreation Center (MARC) on the campus of the beautiful Our Lady of the Lake University. See the map below.

Registration

To register online: Choose any of the options below, use the buttons to add them to your shopping cart, then check out using PayPal.

To register by mail: Download this registration form, fill it out, and mail it to us with your check.

Entire festival admission for 1 person, including all teaching sessions and parties:
  • $200 if you register on or before March 14
  • $250 if you register after March 14
Admission for 1 person to all events on Saturday -- $100
Dance review materials for onsite registrants, including syllabus, music, and video, distributed digitally after the festival -- $40
Dorm rooms for Friday checkin and Sunday checkout (see below for rules and details):
Shared room, SAFDF provides linens -- $115
Shared room, you bring your own linens -- $85
Private room, SAFDF provides linens -- $230
Private room, you bring your own linens -- $170
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Teachers

Andy Taylor-Blenis (international dances and dance stretches)

We are delighted to welcome back a beloved SAFDF legend and friend! Andy holds a B.F.A. in dance with a minor in social anthropology. She is well versed in modern, jazz, and folk dances of Portuguese, Scottish, French, Hungarian, Armenian, Mexican, and Balkan origins. She holds a teaching certificate in Scottish Country Dance and is registered in St. Andrews in Scotland. Andy is also currently artistic director at the Boston branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. She is also a former performer of the modern dance company Prometheus. Andy has contributed endless teaching, choreography, and inspiration to SAFDF over many years. This year she again brings us her one-of-a-kind stretches between teaching sessions!

Franklin Houston (Balkan and “golden-oldie” dances)

Franklin is one of those rare individuals who “grew up” in folk dancing. He started taking square dance lessons at the age of 8 from George Lowrey, a long-time folk and square dance leader. Franklin learned folk dances from many eminent teachers around the country and brought back to Texas many dances that became part of Austin International Folk Dancers‘ regular repertoire. He is known for his ability to present dances with tricky footwork, syncopated rhythms, and challenging patterns so that everyone can learn them, and has been told on a number of occasions, “you’re the first person who taught that dance so I could understand it!”

John Rodi (international dances)

John Rodi is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. John has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Tulane University and a Master of Arts Degree in economics from the University of New Orleans. After college, John was employed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior as an economist, and retired in 2015 after 45 years of service. John has always pursued training in and performance of dance in a variety of genres. In early years (beginning at age 5) he concentrated on numerous social and ballroom dance styles. In 1981, as a member of the Komenka Ethnic Dance Ensemble of New Orleans, he began an intense study of ethnic/folk dance styles from throughout the world. In the course of this endeavor, John has traveled to over 20 foreign countries, and has studied with numerous dance experts from throughout the world. John’s intense attraction and love for international ethnic/folk dance was very much inspired by his personal diverse mixed race family heritage, significant portions of which include ancestors from Croatia, England, France, Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, West Africa, and native America. In 1983, John assumed the role of Komenka’s manager and principal dancer and has very successfully held that position since that time. John has won numerous choreography awards throughout his tenure with Komenka. In addition, he has appeared as a guest artist and choreographer with every major arts organization in New Orleans as well as numerous others in other parts of the United States and beyond.

Schedule

As usual, this schedule may change between now and the festival.

DayTimeEvent
Friday, March 287:00 - 7:30 pmParty: Recorded music
7:30 - 7:45 pmIntroductory teaching: Franklin
7:45 - 8:00 pmIntroductory teaching: Andy
8:00 - 8:15 pmIntroductory teaching: John
8:15 - 9:00 pmParty: Recorded music
9:00 - 10:00 pmParty: John and Komenka lead us all in dancing
10:00 - midnightParty: Recorded music
Saturday, March 299:00 - 9:30 amRegistration, continental breakfast, warmup dances
9:30 - 10:20 amTeaching: John
10:20 - 10:30 am— Break —
10:30 - 11:20 amTeaching: John
11:20 - 11:30 am— Break and stretches with Andy —
11:30 am - 12:25 pmTeaching: Franklin
12:25 - 2:00 pm— Break for lunch (at MARC or on your own) —
2:00 - 2:50 pmTeaching: Andy
2:50 - 3:00 pm— Break and stretches with Andy —
3:00 - 3:50 pmTeaching: Franklin
3:50 - 4:00 pm— Break —
4:00 - 4:50 pmTeaching: Andy
4:50 - 5:00 pm— Stretches with Andy —
5:00 - 7:00 pm— Dinner (carpool or on your own) —
7:00 - 8:00 pmParty: Recorded music
8:00 - 8:20 pmParty: Live music with Slavadillo
8:20 - 8:35 pmParty: Csardas performance
8:35 - 8:55 pmParty: Reminder and dancethrough of Franklin's dances
8:55 - 9:15 pmParty: Reminder and dancethrough of Andy's dances
9:15 - 9:35 pmParty: Recorded music
9:35 - 9:55 pmParty: Reminder and dancethrough of John's dances
9:55 - 10:20 pmParty: Recorded music
10:20 - 10:40 pmParty: Live music with Slavadillo
10:40 - 11:20 pmParty: Recorded music
11:20 - 11:40 pmParty: Live music with Slavadillo
11:40 pm - 1:00 amParty: Recorded music
Sunday, March 309:00 - 9:30 amContinental breakfast, warmup dances
9:30 - 10:20 amTeaching: John
10:20 - 10:30 am— Break —
10:30 - 11:20 amTeaching: Franklin
11:20 - 11:30 am— Break and stretches with Andy —
11:30 am - 1:00 pmDance exchange: Reigniting the classics
1:00 - 1:30 pmPack up and drive to restaurant
1:30 - 4:30 pmLunch and open dancing at a local restaurant

Dorms

In years past, OLLU has usually granted us rooms in Pacelli Hall, a nearby student dormitory. This dorm is within easy walking distance of the festival, making it a convenient housing option for festival attendees. Staying at these dorms is considerably cheaper than nearby hotels and avoids the need to struggle through the numerous road-construction zones around OLLU.

Here are photos of a typical dorm room. Click on an image to enlarge it.

Code of conduct

 

SAFDF is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable experience for everyone at SAFDF events. Participants are expected to comply with the rules below. SAFDF Safety Team members will enforce these rules at all SAFDF events.

To ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience at an SAFDF event, the following conduct is not permitted: discrimination or inappropriate behavior toward others related to gender, age, physical appearance, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, or physical or mental capability. This includes:

  • Offensive or inappropriate verbal comments
  • Display of offensive images
  • Intimidation, stalking or following
  • Objectionable photography or video recording
  • Sustained or repeated disruption of an SAFDF event
  • Inappropriate physical contact
  • Unwelcome sexual attention
  • Probing questions about an individual’s personal life or habits

Attendance at an SAFDF event indicates your agreement to comply with this Code of Conduct. Participants asked to stop inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately.

SAFDF Safety Team members may take any action they deem appropriate in response to the above prohibited conduct, including counseling, warning, and expulsion from the SAFDF event without refund.

SAFDF Safety Team members are available to help participants contact local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the SAFDF event.

Participants are encouraged to contact an SAFDF Safety Team member if they notice that someone is behaving inappropriately or if they have any other concerns.

  • Do not offer unsolicited advice to others, either during teaching or while dancing.
  • Exercise caution on the dance floor with yourself, your partner, and those around you to avoid injuries or the risk of harassing behavior.
  • Practice good hygiene and dress appropriately.
  • Please limit your use of fragrances to protect dancers with sensitivities.

If you encounter or observe a violation of our code of conduct, find an SAFDF Safety Team member in person during the event, or email: safety@safdf.org.

Click here for a printable version of this code.

Here’s what you need to know about renting and staying in the dorms:

  • Typical dorm rental is from Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30, inclusive. Use the registration options above.
  • Want to check in on Thursday? Want to check out on Monday? We may be able to accommodate this. E-mail dormrooms@safdf.org and we’ll discuss the necessary arrangements.
  • No single-night rentals are available.
  • Check-in is between 3 and 10 pm at the MARC ballroom. No late checkin — no exceptions! If you arrive after 10 pm, you will need to plan your own overnight accommodation.
  • Check-out is 12 noon.
  • You will receive two keys — a card key for the building door, and an ordinary key for the dorm room. Don’t lose them! If you do, you’ll be charged key-replacement fees of $10 for the card key and $65 for the ordinary key. When you check out, leave the keys with a SAFDF committee member in the MARC ballroom.
  • If you sign up for a shared room, you can e-mail dormrooms@safdf.org to indicate your roommate preferences.
  • The dorm rooms have shared bathrooms. Ladies will share with ladies, gents will share with gents, and married couples will share with married couples. (These are university rules that our host, OLLU, sets for us.)
  • Each room has twin beds, a microwave, and a mini refrigerator, as shown in the photos above.
  • If you choose an option with linens, you will receive bed linens, a towel, a pillow, and a blanket.
  • You can park your car near the dorms for free. We’ll have a “Festival Attendee Dorm Resident” sign for your dashboard so that the OLLU campus police know you’re with SAFDF.
  • No pets are allowed in the dorms.
  • The dorms have central climate control that you cannot adjust. Previous residents have reported the dorms being on the cooler side. So bring warm clothes and a warm blanket to avoid being cold.
  • Bring any toiletries (soap, shampoo, lotion, and so on) that you’d like to use. The dorms don’t provide these.

Continuing education

Are you a Texas teacher interested in earning some Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits? SAFDF is a wonderful way to get them!

SAFDF is registered with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as a CPE provider. By attending the workshops, you can obtain between 6 and 12 CPE credit hours. We will provide you with a certificate when you complete the workshops.

If you need more details, please contact us! Use this form:

 

Hotels

A variety of hotels are also available within short driving distance of OLLU. We provide you the following list based on past attendee experience. The list is always subject to change. If you identify a problem with the list, contact us (use the form on our home page) and we’ll update it.

SAFDF attendees can take advantage of discounted OLLU rates at the following hotels:

Previous festival participants have stayed at the following hotels and had good feedback on their stay:

These hotels do sometimes fill up fairly quickly. If they do, you can also usually find good hotel deals on kayak.com and booking.com.

Refunds

Registration fees are generally nonrefundable except under extenuating circumstances such as illness and airline mishaps. Refunds are at the steering committee’s discretion. If you wish a refund, use our contact form on the main page to reach the steering committee.