BIFD Annual Workshop with Tineke & Maurits Van Geel

The 2026 Boulder International Folk Dancers (BIFD) Annual Workshop includes featured master dance instructors Tineke and Maurits van Geel.

Schedule

Friday, April 24: Evening teaching session starting at 7:30 PM.
Saturday, April 25: Morning and afternoon teaching sessions, followed by an evening dance party.
Sunday, April 26: Morning review session of all taught dances, concluding around 1:00 PM.

Registration

Workshop costs

BIFD Members – $17/Workshop Session

Non-Members – $20/Workshop Session

Students with valid ID – Half price

Dancers over 90 – FREE

Saturday evening Dance Party is FREE for those attending all workshop sessions; $10 for all others.

Register

Maurits van Geel

Maurits holds a degree in Arts and Crafts and Art History. He graduated as a folk dance teacher in 1977 and received his degree at Dance Academy level from the Ministry of Culture in 1986. He taught at folk dance clubs in Amsterdam and worked as a dance consultant for the City Council 1986-1988, initiating dance projects in schools in combination with setting up dance projects and festivals. Also in the 1980s, he specialized in Appalachian Clogging, worked as guest teacher in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, and was invited to be a guest teacher at the Rotterdam Dance Academy.

He was employed by Het Internationaal Danstheater, a professional dance company in Amsterdam, first as choreographer and later as artistic director for 23 years (1988-2011). During his career, he produced over 47 theatre programs in the field of world dance for this company. Part of this job involved several months of dance research each year in order to prepare for these programs. His travels have included India, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Cherkassy, among many other countries. His archive consists of almost 900 DVDs, with research material from all over the world, most of it recorded by himself. He has also choreographed folk dances, among them Syrtos Kitrinou. Read more…
 

Tineke van Geel

Tineke specializes in the teaching and choreography of Armenian dance and conducts workshops for students at various levels, from beginner to professional.

Her main focus is to break down complicated steps and movements to basic elements and slowly rebuild them into the original dance form. This skill is part of her worldwide success and is combined with a vast knowledge of Armenian dance and culture. She also discusses the history and background of each dance she teaches. She has taught folk dance workshops in Austria, Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. In addition to Armenian dance, Tineke has taught international and Dutch dances.

She started folk dancing in 1975. In 1977, Tineke received her degree in the Netherlands as folk dance instructor.

Since 1985, Tineke has spent much time in Armenia, regularly studying at the Pedagogic Institute and Choreographic School in Yerevan. She has danced with the village folk as well as learned alongside the performers. A part of each of her research trips to Armenia has been devoted to working with several amateur dance groups. She also has done extensive research on Armenian costumes. So far, two of her trips to Armenia have been sponsored by the Dutch government. Moreover, she has done research in the Armenian communities in the United States. Read more…