To help promote folk dance, several Bay Area Folk Dance Federation member groups are generously opening their folk dance classes free to the public during Bay Area Dance Week, April 27 to May 6, 2018.
Bay Area Dance Week
Bay Area Dance Week (BADW) is the largest, most vibrant dance week celebration in the country with over 400 free dance performances, workshops, classes, lectures, and open houses during its 10-day celebration. The Bay Area possesses one of the largest active and thriving dance communities of the country. In fact, the Bay Area has the largest per capita concentration of dancers in America. Now in it’s 20th year, Bay Area Dance Week invites participants and volunteers to celebrate dance, offering hundreds of free events representing the diversity of dance forms practiced in the region. From established company programs to one-time events, Bay Area Dance Week provides an opportunity for dance-lovers of all ages and experience-levels to take a grand tour of the many movement styles, including Argentine tango, classical Indian, jazz, hip hop, ballet, traditional hula, fire dance, Samba, modern, Chinese classical, belly dance, aerial dance, West African, contact improvisation, and more.
Since 2015, the Folk Dance Federation has encouraged member groups to participate in Bay Area Dance Week by offering to register their events and thereby defray their $86 registration fee. Participating member clubs span Mill Valley to Saratoga and Mountain View to Berkeley. They include the Kopachka Folk Dancers, Changs’ International Folk Dancers, Berkeley Folk Dancers, Greek Feet, San Francisco Dance Circle, Mandala Folk Dance, Saratoga International Folk Dancers, Stanford International Folk Dancers, Razzmatazz Folk Dance Club, and more. The Blossom Festival at City College of San Francisco on April 29 is among the events included.
If over 18,000 people participate during BADW again this year our hope is many will bring their feet to dance and meet friends among our folk dance clubs in the Bay Area. Encourage your friends to come and try folk dance too that week. Bay Area Dance Week is their chance to dance.
Find more free Bay Area Dance Week events…
Participating Folk Dance Events
Click an event link below for location and details of a free folk dance event
| Day | Time | Location | Event | Presenter |
| Fri. April 27 | 8:00-11:00pm | Palo Alto | Join Hands for World Dance | Stanford International Dancers |
| 7:30-10:30pm | Mill Valley | Ethnic Dances from the Balkans and Beyond | Kopachka Folk Dancers | |
| 7:30-10:30pm | San Francisco | Family Folk Dance Party | Changs Folk Dancers | |
| 7:45-9:45pm | Berkeley | International Folk Dance Party | Berkeley Folk Dancers | |
| Sun. April 29 | 12:30-5:00pm | San Francisco | Blossom Festival – International Dance Party | Folk Dance Federation of CA, N |
| Mon. April 30 | 7:00-9:30pm | San Francisco | Step into the World of Greek Dance | Greek Feet |
| Tue. May 1 | 1:30-3:00pm | Berkeley | International Dance in the Afternoon | Berkeley Folk Dancers |
| 7:45-9:45pm | Berkeley | Beginning International Folk Dance | Berkeley Folk Dancers | |
| 7:00-9:00pm | Santa Rosa | May Day Balkan Dance Celebration! | Razzmatazz Folk Dance Club | |
| Wed. May 2 | 10:45am-12:15pm | San Francisco | Fun Folk Dancing! | San Francisco Dance Circle |
| Thu. May 3 | 1:00-3:00pm | Santa Rosa | Afternoon World Dance | Santa Rosa Folk Dancers |
| 7:30-10:00pm | Saratoga | Introduction to International Dance | Saratoga International Dance | |
| 7:30-10:30pm | San Francisco | Balkans and Beyond | Mandala Folk Dance | |
| 7:45-9:45pm | Berkeley | Intermediate International Folk Dance | Berkeley Folk Dancers | |
| Fri. May 4 | 7:30-10:30pm | San Francisco | Around the World with Easy Partner Mixers | Changs Folk Dancers |
| 7:45-9:45pm | Berkeley | International Folk Dance Party | Berkeley Folk Dancers | |
| Sat. May 5 | 7:30-11:00pm | Menlo Park | Scandinavian Dance Party | Nordic Footnotes |