Door County Folk Festival
Rich Nicoli
(Grafton, WI)
(Work Scholar Team Leader)

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Rich Nicoli grew up in an Italian neighborhood on the south side of Chicago (near Frank Nitti’s barbershop) but actually started dancing through marriage as wife Linda introduced him to the hop polka at her cousin’s Polish wedding. From there he became part of the St. Paul Czech and Slovak Folk Dancers. The group performed Czech dances at various fairs and events throughout the Midwest. A highlight for that group was performing for the Czech president in St Paul and performances at the Czech and Slovak embassies in Washington DC. Rich and Linda stepped away from dancing for a few years raising four sons. Moving to Florida in 2004 they joined a group that performed international dances and an international folk dance group (Grapeviners) in Sarasota, FL. They have since moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida and dance with international groups in Melbourne and Orlando. They now spend summers with their son’s family in Grafton, WI and dance with the group at Hart Park in Wauwatosa. Rich is a retired school principal and enjoys his 9 grandchildren along with golfing, biking, running, pickle ball and volunteering with St Vincent De Paul Society.