Folk Dance Federation of California

Square Dance Workshop with Tony Parkes
2019-07-18 19:30 - 22:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 18870 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga, California, 95070
Join the Saratoga International Dancers for a special evening square dance workshop lead by caller and instructor Tony Parkes. No partner needed.

Tony Parkes
Hailing from the Boston area, Tony Parkes has been calling square and contra dances for more than 50 years. He believes in keeping these dance forms accessible to as many people as possible. He has beginners doing real dances within seconds, and can keep experienced dancers entertained with a bit of challenge or elegance. More details…

Bastille Day Party
2019-07-14 14:45 - 18:00 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Celebrate Bastille Day and France with a folk dance lesson and party with the Peninsula Council!

2:45pm
Doors open

3:00-3:30pm
Free pre-party workshop with Adony Benaries teaching a couple of fun French dances.

3:30-6:00pm
ALL-REQUEST PARTY MC’d by Hollis Radin

The Peninsula Council annual meeting and election of officers will be held during the break.
Send your requests to Hollis and she will incorporate them into the program.
Dances range from beginning to advanced and all forms (line, couple, set). Bring a snack to share!
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.

Palomanians Ice Cream Social
2019-06-15 19:30 - 22:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
DOWNLOAD a flier
The Palomanians Ice Cream Social featuring request dancing, refreshments, and of course ice cream!
A tradition for decades, the Palomanians will provide all the ingredients for an Ice Cream Social and Dance Party! With lots of toppings, fresh and stewed fruit, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and more! Punch, water and coffee also provided. More dancing afterwards to work it all off. Nothing to bring besides your dance shoes.
There’s no teaching so the party begins at 7:30pm

Dance Party with Da! Mozhem
2019-06-07 19:30 - 22:30 | Piedmont Veterans Hall, 401 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA, United States
Dance to your favorite international tunes with Da! Mozhem and the East Bay Folk Dancers. Please save the date and join us for a fun night of dancing!
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.
Da! Mozhem at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival
Da! Mozhem
Da! Mozhem plays and sings high-energy pan-Balkan music for the joy of dancing. D!M is a group of friends who have been playing together for well over a decade. The group has veterans from many excellent folklore bands such as the People’s International Silver String Macedonian Band, Born to Drone, Westwind, Sviraci, and the Slavonian Traveling Band. The band plays with emphasis on Bulgarian, Macedonian, and ex-Yugoslav traditions. Several members frequently travel to the Balkans to learn more about the folkloric music of the region. The group plays on traditional instruments unique to the region as well as modern instruments.

Dance to Live French Music
2019-06-07 19:30 - 22:00 | Bethany Lutheran Church, 1095 Cloud Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States
French dance fun for all ages! Gary Breitbard & Jena Rauti Dance with us through France—and never leave the Bay Area! Gary Breitbard and Jena Rauti will help teach and lead French dances to the live music of Fête Musette.
We will take you to Alsace, Brittany, Gascony, Provence, and the Massif Central in a period where the waltz, mazurka, polka, scottish, bourree, and rondeau ruled. Join us for an evening of called dances for all ages – no experience required!
Gary Breitbard and Jena Rauti have been teaching traditional French country dance music for two decades at Bay Area schools, Lark in the Morning Camp and the SF Free Folk Festival. They studied dance at Grand Bal de l’Europe, Festival de Luthiers at San Chartiers and other dance workshops in France.

Fête Musette
Fête Musette members are Gary Breitbard (accordion, hurdy-gurdy and vocals), Sarah Kirton (fiddle), Lee Anne Welch (fiddle), Peter Tommerup (mountain and hammered dulcimer), Julianne Staffords (button chromatic accordion, oboe and vocals), Bill O’Haren (percussion) and Jena Rauti (accordion and vocals). Read more…
Admission is $12, students are half-price and children are free – but no one is turned away for lack of funds. Tips for the band, and snack and beverage contributions are always appreciated, and there is always a cheese plate!

Sample of a fun French Country dance led by Gary and Jena with live music.

Special Greek Dance Workshop with Stathis Strathis and Joe Graziosi
2019-06-03 19:00 - 21:30 | Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama at 17th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
GreekFeet is pleased to announce this special workshop with Stathis Strathis and Joe Graziosi. Stathis will be paying a tribute to our dear friend and teacher Anna Efstathiou by teaching her signature dance Vari Hasapia. Joe will be teaching a mix of regional Greek dances.
It is going to be an interesting, entertaining evening in the usual GreekFeet fanfare but with an added treat of having these two dynamic Bostonian Greeks joining us.
Ring bell at the gate to enter.
Stathis Strathis
Stathis Strathis has BA in Physical Education with a Dance Emphasis and a Masters of Arts in Creative Arts with a Dance Emphasis both from San Francisco State University. When he was a student at S.F. State in 1978 he saw a flier about Joe Graziosi teaching Greek Folk Dance at the University of California Berkely and has been a fan of his ever since. During his 13 years in S.F. he took Anna Efstathiou’s Monday night classes. He founded the Constantinople Group in the 80’s and they were the first Greek Folk Dance Group to get into the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. He danced for 3 seasons with the Nellie Demoglou Greek Folk Dance Theater in Rhodes,Greece where en ended up living for over 20 years. He taught Jazz Dance, Ballroom & Latin Dance and Greek Folk dance in the United States and on Rhodes both at the Ellie Paraskeva School of Dance and at the University of the Aegean of the Aegean where he was a full time professor in the Department of Early Education He now lives in Marblehead, MA where he teaches weekly both Greek Folk Dance and Argentine Tango. Stathis is a native Bostonian and grew up in the Boston Greek community.

Joe Graziosi
Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi has done extensive research on regional dance in Greece and among Greek communities in the U.S. He has taught throughout the world for community groups and at major folk dance camps, including the Balkan Music and Dance Workshops since 1982. He has served as judge and advisor for the west coast Greek Orthodox Folk Dance Festival (FDF) since 1984, and judge and advisor for the southern states Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) for the past 8 years. He is, along with Ahmet Luleci, co-founder of the annual World Music & Dance Camp, now in Iroquois Springs, NY.

Statewide 2019
2019-05-31 - 2019-06-02 | Edmunds Ballroom, 170 E. 6th St., Claremont, CA, 91711, United States
Ethnic Treasures of Folk Dance!
Statewide 2019 Registration Form
2019 Statewide Folk Dance Festival

Live Music with Miamon Miller and Friends, Bill Cope, Michael Lawson & Janie Cowen
Parties and Luncheon
Workshops and Request Dancing
Meeting friends – Old and New

Teaching appearances by Petur Iliev, Mihai David, Sevi Bayraktar, and Israel Yakovee. Cesar Garfiaz will lead a Sunday Salsa workshop and party!
Ethnic Treasures Festival opens Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. with party and brief introductory teaching.
Participants can choose to purchase the entire festival package or pay for individual workshops and parties.
Register
Our host hotel is Doubletree, Claremont. Pre-registration and hotel reservations available.
DOWNLOAD registration form.
For more details contact Pauline Klak or Diane Baker

2nd Annual Northern California Dance Symposium
2019-05-25 08:00 - 21:00 | Church of the Holy Cross, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, CA, 94002, United States
FDF (Faith, Dance, Fellowship) of Northern California is sponsoring a one day Greek dance symposium. Guest workshop instructors are Achilleas Tsiaras and Yiouli Dimou from Meliki, Macedonia, Greece and Joe Graziosi from Boston, Massachusetts. Achilleas and Yiouli will teach dances from Imathia and Vlach Dances of Kozani. Joe will teach island dances from Rhodes, Kalymnos and Kos; and from Orma, Almopia.
Symposium Schedule of Events

8:00 – 9:15 am
Check in, Light Breakfast, Meet and Greet.

9:15 – 10:45 am
Workshop 1- Joe Graziosi- Dodecanese Sampler- Rhodes, Kalymnos, Kos

11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Workshop 2- Achilleas and Yiouli Dimou- Imathia

12:30 – 1:30 pm
Workshop 3- Joe Graziosi- Orma, Almopia

1:30 – 3:00 pm
Lunch Break

3:30 – 5:00 pm
Workshop 4– Achilleas and Yiouli Dimou- Vlach Dances of Kozani

6:30 pm
BBQ/Dance Evening Event, $25

Register
All day workshop: $50.
BBQ/Dance: $25.
Pre-registration is required.
Register
For More Info please email- norcalsymposium@gmail.com

Bulgarian Dance Workshop with Yuliyan Yordanov
2019-05-23 19:30 - 22:00 | St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 18870 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga, California, 95070
Join us for a very special workshop lead by master Bulgarian dance instructor Yuliyan Yordanov.
Bulgarian ethnic dance is centuries-old tradition that still brings people of all ages together for moments of unity and spontaneous joy. Irregular rhythms, upbeat enthralling music on traditional Balkan instruments, and gorgeous costumes are all characteristics of Bulgarian folk dances. Most Bulgarian dances are line dances, with the dancers holding hands in a straight or curved line, facing in toward the center of the dance space. These dances are frequently seen at weddings and other celebrations with participants’ inherently beaming smiles. The music and the overall emotions are just that powerful.
Yuliyan Yordanov has been living in the San Jose area for the past few years, and has decided to return to Bulgaria. This may be our last chance for a while to learn Bulgarian dances from him.

7:30-8:15 pm
Opening dances

8:15-8:45 pm
First teaching session (2 dances)

8:45-9:10 pm
Dancing for our enjoyment

9:10-9:45 pm
Second teaching session (1 more complex dance)

9:45-10:00 pm
Review of dances taught

10:00 pm
Ending dances

Cost
$6-$8 sliding scale to pay for the hall
$3-$5 sliding scale to pay for the teacher
For more details contact Loui Tucker or call 408-771-4542.
Yuliyan Yordanov
Yuliyan Yordanov
Yuliyan Yordanov grew up in Doyrentsi, a village in the Lovech region of North Central Bulgaria, where he was immersed in dancing and singing from a young age. He later completed his studies at the Academy of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, and for nine years worked professionally in Lovech as a traditional Bulgarian dance instructor, choreographer and artistic director of youth ensembles. Since moving to the U.S. in 2001, Yuliyan has taught at numerous camps, festivals and workshops throughout the folk dance communities of North America. Read more…

Greek Glendi with the Helladelics
2019-05-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama at 17th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Mary is in town and it is a Helladellics reunion. Please join the band and Greek Feet for a full evening of dance, music, revelry and fun. Please bring some food to share. Music begins at 7:30pm. Ring bell at the gate to enter.
Featuring:
Mary Hofer – clarinet
Tom Farris- laouto
Gari Hegedus- oud and violin
Michele Simon- vocals and percussion
The Helladelics play mostly Greek, mostly traditional, dance and trance tunes, with captivating melodies, driving rhythms and passionate improvisations. You’ll find the hypnotic, bluesy material of Epirus, upbeat dance tunes from Thrace, lilting songs of the islands and the odd-meters of Macedonia, as well as tastes of Armenia and Turkey..

Da! Mozhem and the Nema Problema Chorale Party
2019-05-18 19:00 - 23:00 | All Saints’ Episcopal, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto, CA, 94301, United States
7 – 8 pm
Kaela Fine will teach Rusi Kosi and Lucy may teach steps to Tropanka. Dancing to recorded music while the band sets up

8 – 11 pm
Dancing to Da! Mozhem and the Nema Problema Chorale, with musicians and singers famous in the Peninsula

Da! Mozhem and the Nema Problema Chorale
Da! Mozhem and the Nema Problema Chorale play and sing high-energy pan-Balkan music for the joy of dancing. D!M is a group of friends who have been playing together for well over a decade. The chorale consists of up to eight women, joined occasionally by male voices. The group has veterans from many excellent folklore bands such as the People’s International Silver String Macedonian Band, Born to Drone, Westwind, Sviraci, and the Slavonian Traveling Band. The band plays with emphasis on Bulgarian, Macedonian, and ex-Yugoslavetraditions. Several members frequently travel to the Balkans to learn more about the folkloric music of the region. The group plays on traditional instruments unique to the region as well as modern instruments.
Snacks greatly appreciated for the Kafana — a place for chatting with friends, snacking to get more energy for dancing and listening to the band.
Questions? Contact Lucy or Karen.
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May Folk Dance Party
2019-05-11 19:15 - 22:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Peninsula Council Folk Dance Party

7:15-8:00pm
Free pre-party workshop with Lon Radin teaching Tik (Pontian) and Krivo Ihimansko Horo (Bulgarian)

8:00-10:30pm
ALL-REQUEST PARTY MC’d by Adony Benaries and Ken Kaye

Send your requests to Adony or Ken and they will incorporate them into the program.
Dances range from beginning to advanced and all forms (line, couple, set). Bring a snack to share!
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.

Café Shalom Founder Celebration
2019-05-11 17:30 - 23:30 | St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, 1399 43rd Ave, at Judah St., San Francisco, CA, 94122, United States
Cafe Shalom Birthday Celebration On Saturday, May 11, Café Shalom of San Francisco will celebrate the 90th birthday of their founder, RUTH BROWNS GUNDELFINGER, and the group’s 50th year, with a potluck dinner and dance party.
This will be a chance to honor Ruth’s passion for Israeli dance and the joy she has brought to her teaching as well as to celebrate the Café Shalom community she envisioned 50 years ago.
Potluck 5:30pm, dance party 7:30-11:30 pm
Dessert will be provided, so please bring other food to share for dinner along with serving utensils (no pork, shellfish or alcohol please).
Contact Info: Tirtza Pearl 415-595-4492 or e-mail
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Balkan Dance Party with Édessa
2019-05-10 20:00 - 22:30 | Strawberry Recreation Center, 118 E. Strawberry Drive, Mill Valley, CA, 94941, United States
Come dance to the exciting music of Édessa, one of the Bay Area’s premier Balkan dance bands.
Dance on our spacious sprung wood floor. Lots of free parking. Please consider bringing refreshments to share.
Édessa
Édessa is comprised of musicians who have devoted decades to the study and performance of the rich cultural expression of the southern Balkans, with music from Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Armenia, Turkey, and Balkan Roma (Gypsy). Édessa is George Chittenden on clarinet, gaida (bagpipe), zurna (shawm), and guitar, Lise Liepman on santouri (hammered dulcimer) and accordion, Ari Langer on violin, Sean Tergis on percussion, and bassist Paul Brown.
For more details contact president@kopachkafolkdancers.com or 415-497-4890.

Ocho de Mayo Party
2019-05-08 19:45 - 22:00 | Holbrook Palmer Park, Carriage House, 150 Watkins Avenue, Atherton, CA, 94027, United States
Join Suzanne Rocca-Butler and the Carriage House Folk Dancers for an Ocho de Mayo (May 8th) Party. Snacks or beverages to share are also appreciated if you are able to bring them.
Drop in fee is $9.00 for the entire evening. (There is no pro-rating of fees) If you are registered, the party is included.

Balkan Dance Party with Zabava International
2019-05-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Bethany Lutheran Church, 1095 Cloud Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States
Live Balkan music and dancing to Bill Cope and Zabava International! It’s a party night, so snacks and drinks are welcome, as are tips for the band.
Bill Cope
Zabava International!
Energetic, soulful, and rhythmically dazzling music played from the center of the dance floor–music from Albania, America, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Norway, the Romani, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden and Turkey traditions. The musicians recreate the vibrant interplay of traditional music and dance from the cultural crossroads.
Anastasia Barkett (violin)
Noa Laniakea (bass)
Michele Simon (vocals, tupan, hand drum)
Tom Farris (tambura, guitar)
Bill Cope (gajda, bouzouki, tambura, accordion, vocals, and more)
More details…

2019 Blossom Festival
2019-04-28 12:30 - 17:00 | City College of San Francisco, Wellness Center, 50 Frida Kahlo Way, San Francisco, CA, 94112, United States
Blossom Festival 2019 The annual Blossom Festival, a featured event of Bay Area Dance Week, includes a folk dance party, short dance workshops, and dance performance by guest company. Free!
Dance activities will be held in the Wellness Center, 3rd Floor, Studio 301
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Bay Area Dance Week
2019-04-26 - 2019-05-05 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States
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 26 to May 5, 2019.
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 21st 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. Find more free events…
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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 26
7:30-10:00pm
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
Dances for Everyone!
Changs Folk Dancers

7:45-9:45pm
Berkeley
International Folk Dance Party
Berkeley Folk Dancers

Sun. April 28
12:30-5:00pm
San Francisco
Blossom International Folk Dance Festival
Folk Dance Federation of CA, N

Mon. April 29
7:00-9:30pm
San Francisco
Step into the World of Greek Dance
Greek Feet

Tue. April 30
1:30-3:00pm
Berkeley
International Dance in the Afternoon
Berkeley Folk Dancers

7:45-9:45pm
Berkeley
International Folk Dance for Beginners
Berkeley Folk Dancers

7:00-9:00pm
Santa Rosa
Pre-May Day Balkan Dance Celebration!
Razzmatazz Folk Dance Club

10:45am-12:15pm
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa International Folk Dance
Santa Rosa Folk Dancers

Wed. May 1
10:45am-12:15pm
San Francisco
International Folk Dance
San Francisco Dance Circle

Thu. May 2
7:30-10:00pm
Saratoga
Introduction to International Dance
Saratoga International Dance

7:30-10:30pm
San Francisco
Mostly Balkan Dance Party
Mandala Folk Dance

1:30-3:00pm
Berkeley
International Dance in the Afternoon
Berkeley Folk Dancers

7:45-9:45pm
Berkeley
Intermediate International Folk Dance
Berkeley Folk Dancers

Fri. May 3
7:30-10:30pm
San Francisco
Dances of the World
Changs Folk Dancers

7:45-9:45pm
Berkeley
International Folk Dance Request Party
Berkeley Folk Dancers

Sat. May 4
7:30-11:00pm
Menlo Park
Nordic Dance Party
Nordic Footnotes

Sun. May 5
1:00-2:15pm
San Leandro
Intro to Argentine Tango
Tango & More Dance

2:30-3:15pm
How Elvis Presley & Jazz Changed Argentine Tango

3:30-5:00pm
International Folk Dance Fun

Greek Dance Workshop with Yanni Konstantinou
2019-04-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama at 17th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
GreekFeet is delighted to have our friend and internationally recognized teacher, Yannis Konstantinou teach us traditional dances from Macedonia, Greece.
Please join us for this very special opportunity. If you like, please reserve some time to go out after class.
Note: Ring the bell at the gate to enter
Yannis Kostantinou
Yannis Konstantinou YANNIS KONSTANTINOU has been dancing from childhood alongside his parents, family and friends in the villages of Florina located in northwest Greece. He has a deep passion and commitment to preserving and sharing the local traditions / culture of the various ethnic groups living in the region and has studied the cross-border influences of neighboring communities on dance and music along the northern border of Greece. Yannis has studied and researched extensively the dances and cultural influence of this area. He has taught at dance workshops and seminars throughout Europe, Japan and North America as well as in Greece.

English and Scottish Country Dance Workshop and Party with David Newitt and Alan Thwigg
2019-04-14 14:30 - 20:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
The Moveable Feet group features an English and Scottish country dance workshop with the charismic, fun-loving David Hewitt and Alan Twhigg. Live music for dancing by Susan Worland, strings, and Lyle Ramshaw, piano.

2:30 pm
Doors open, chatting, warm ups/stretching

3 – 6 pm
Workshop, alternating English and Scottish dances at all levels
For the Workshop, teachers David Newitt and Alan Twhigg plan to teach, as time permits, from the following list of dances:
English: Jack’s Health, Knole Park, Red and All Red, The De’il’s Awa wi’ the Exciseman, The Homecoming, When Laura Smiles, and Wibsey Roundabout
Scottish: Cranberry Tart, Granville Market, Memories of Lyon, Orpington Caledonians, and Red House

6 – 7 pm
Potluck dinner, bring your favorite dishes. Snacks for the workshop also appreciated. No oven but refrigerator and microwave oven available

7 – 8:30 pm
Dancing to our English and Scottish favorites.
For the Evening Party, David and Alan plan to do quick talk-throughs for many of our favorites and any of the workshop dances, as time permits:
English Party: Emma’s Commencement, Good Man of Cambridge, Levi Jackson Rag, Sapphire Sea, Turning by Threes, and Winter Solstice
Scottish Party: Belle o’Bon Accord, Bratach Bana, Broadway, Shiftin Bobbins, Terrace Loggers Jig, and Welcome

For both the Workshop and Evening Party dances, there are some easier and some harder dances so there are options for everyone. Most of the dances can be viewed, and descriptions are available, online. Come for the whole or part of the event:
Send your requests for both the workshop and party dances to Lucy or Karen. No partners needed. We change partners after each dance. All dancers welcome however basic knowledge of English and Scottish dance fundamentals is beneficial.
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.
David Newitt
David arrived at Swarthmore College in 1976 and was shocked and dismayed to discover a two year physical education requirement. Faced with the alternatives of football and “folk and square dancing” the choice was clear, and he has been dancing international folk dance, English and Scottish Country, Morris and sword teams, and contra dancing ever since. All are wonderful community activities and sharing them has been his passion for over 40 years.
Along with his fiddling wife Heather MacKay, David also loves playing music for English and Scottish dancing. They are founding members of the Humuhumumkunuku Apua’a and Strathspey Society Band—the world’s best Hawaiian-themed Scottish and English Country Dance band.
When not dancing, David studies pictures of people’s insides, doing research utilizing MRI,and specializing in body parts that start with “b.”
Alan Thwigg
With Scottish heritage on both sides of his family, Alan developed a love for Scottish traditional music at an early age. His parents danced with the Reel & Strathspey Club that preceded the formation of the San Francisco Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. They often took him to the Highland games and pipe band concerts as a child.
Alan discovered Scottish Country Dancing as a college student, amongst other dance forms such as ballroom and international folk. The music resonated with some early memories, and the intricate patterns of SCD stood out from the other styles. He soon sought out a weekly class, then two…
Alan passed both of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society teaching exams at St. Andrews in the 1980s, and has been teaching regular weekly classes at various levels ever since. He has served as a guest instructor at weekend workshops across North America and tutored candidates for teaching exams. He also continues to participate in Scottish Country Dance performances, chiefly with the Red Thistle Dancers. Favorite memories include choreographing and performing a sword dance for the San Francisco Opera as well as teaching and performing in Norway, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
In addition to Scottish country dancing, Alan is an accomplished Highland dancer and performs frequently in public. He does both Scottish country dance and Highland dance with the Red Thistle Dancers, a performance group based in Palo Alto. Alan frequently travels to Scotland to attend dance training schools, and broaden his knowledge of the culture.

Greek Glendi with Édessa and Guest Yanni Konstantinou
2019-04-13 19:00 - 22:00 | Albany Recreation Center, 1247 Marin Ave, Albany, CA, United States
This is going to be a great dance party of course with our local band Edessa but to have Yanni lead us in dance is a special treat!
Easy parking on the street or in the adjacent parking lot.
Édessa
Édessa Édessa is one of the Bay Area’s premier Balkan dance bands, devoting decades to the study and performance of the rich cultural expressions of the southern Balkans. They play with a deep understanding of the connection between dance and music. Using both traditional and modern instruments, they perform in a variety of styles, featuring long sets that interweave melodies, improvisation, and beats with dancers in mind. Édessa is George Chittenden on clarinet, gaida (bagpipe), zurna (shawm), and guitar, Lise Liepman on santouri (hammered dulcimer) and accordion, Ari Langer on violin, and Sean Tergis on percussion.

Yannis Kostantinou
Yannis Konstantinou Yannis Konstantinou has been dancing from childhood alongside his parents, family and friends in the villages of Florina located in northwest Greece. He has a deep passion and commitment to preserving and sharing the local traditions / culture of the various ethnic groups living in the region and has studied the cross-border influences of neighboring communities on dance and music along the northern border of Greece. Yannis has studied and researched extensively the dances and cultural influence of this area. He has taught at dance workshops and seminars throughout Europe, Japan and North America as well as in Greece.

April Folk Dance Party
2019-04-13 19:00 - 22:00 | Garden House, 400 University Ave., Los Altos, CA, United States
Peninsula Council Folk Dance Party

7:00-7:30pm
Tatyana Teodorovich of Russia House Kedry will teach two 19th century Russian dances and a third ancient dance if there is time. Here are the details on the dances:
In An Orchard, In A Garden (Vo Sahdoo Li…)
The song is known since the last part of the 18 century.
It was mentioned in one of poetic fairy tales by the Russian poet, A.S. Pushkin at the beginning of the 19 century.
The dance movements appear to be a late 19 century choreography, akin the style of European country rounds. It uses elements of a circle dance as well as part ner dancing.
Six-some (ShestyOrah)
Being a late 19 century dance, it is a variation on a European quadrille style of dances. It is danced in a formation of a three couples set. Repetitive figures in the formation are elaborated by various arm positions of partners.
Steel-Blue Falcon (Siz-Sukolik)
This circle song-dance is an example of a more archaic form of a folk dance. It is similar in footwork to many Balkan dances. This slower, almost meditative song-dance has a powerful feeling of a circular ritualistic movement.

7:30-10:30pm
ALL-REQUEST PARTY. MC’d by Lesley Bone and Hollis Radin

E-mail requests to Lesley. She will incorporate your awesome requests into the program!
Dances range from beginning to advanced and all forms (line, couple, set). Bring a snack to share!
DOWLOAD, print, and share a flier.

Spring Folk Dance Party
2019-04-06 19:30 - 22:30 | Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Avenue, Petaluma, CA, 94952, United States
The annual Petaluma spring folk dance party featuring live music by Staro Vino. The first hour will feature dancing to old and new recorded favorites followed by a live music set with Staro Vino playing lively and beautiful Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Greek music. Everyone is welcome to come dance and/or just listen to the fabulous music.
For information, contact Carol Friedman at 415-663-9512.
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.
Staro Vino
Staro Vino Staro Vino plays dance tunes and table songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia. The members of Staro Vino are: Greg Jenkins on clarinet and vocals; Mark Jenkins on percussion and vocals, Peter Bonos on trumpet, and Balder ten Cate on accordion and vocals.

Balkan Plus Folk Dance Party
2019-03-30 19:30 - 23:00 | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, 240 Channing Way, San Rafael, CA, 94903, United States
A Balkan Plus Folk Dance Party hosted by the Advanced Balkan Dancers!
Lots of free parking and a fine wood floor. Please bring snacks to share.
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.
For more details contact

5th Friday Party with Da! Mozhem
2019-03-29 19:30 - 22:30 | Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, 31st Ave. and Clement St., San Francisco, California, 94121, United States
Celebrate the 5th Friday with dancing to the live Balkan music of Da! Mozhem. We meet at Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, 31st Ave. and Clement St. Enter on 31st Ave.
$5 plus tips for the band. Bring snacks to share.
Da! Mozhem at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival
Da! Mozhem
Da! Mozhem plays and sings high-energy pan-Balkan music for the joy of dancing. D!M is a group of friends who have been playing together for well over a decade. The group has veterans from many excellent folklore bands such as the People’s International Silver String Macedonian Band, Born to Drone, Westwind, Sviraci, and the Slavonian Traveling Band. The band plays with emphasis on Bulgarian, Macedonian, and ex-Yugoslav traditions. Several members frequently travel to the Balkans to learn more about the folkloric music of the region. The group plays on traditional instruments unique to the region as well as modern instruments.

Camellia Festival 2019
2019-03-29 - 2019-03-30 | Polish-American Hall, 327 Main Street, Roseville, CA, 95678, United States
The 62nd annual Camellia International Dance Festival with folk dance workshops, dance parties, and surprise performances!
Schedule

Price
Date
Time (pm)
Event

$10
Friday, March 29
7:00-10:00
Opening party

$15
Saturday, March 30
1:00-2:50
Balkan workshop

$15
3:10-5:00
Irish partner workshop

5:00-7:00
Dinner break (many nearby restaurants)

$10
7:00-10:00
Dance party

DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier.
Instructors

Lee Otterholt
Lee Otterholt is a master teacher of International Folk Dance, teaching at workshops, festivals and seminars all over the USA and Canada. He is a leader of Folk Dance tours all over the world and leads and performs with the International Folk Dance ensemble “SYRTAKI”. He is also the lead singer in the BalkanBeat band “Zimzala”. Read more…

Bridget Floyd
Bridget Floyd has been ceili dancing for over 20 years, since she was 7 years old, and is also an accomplished Irish step dancer. She serves as instructor for Sacramento Irish Folk Dance.

Directions and Lodging
Directions & motel info
For more details contact Cynthia Lambert or call 916-333-2785

End of Winter Dance Party
2019-03-27 19:45 - 22:00 | Holbrook Palmer Park, Carriage House, 150 Watkins Avenue, Atherton, CA, 94027, United States
Bring your dancing shoes and good cheer to dance and celebrate the end of winter! Snacks or beverages to share are also appreciated if you are able.
Drop in fee is $9.00 for the entire evening. (There is no pro-rating of fees) If you are registered, the party is included.
The Carriage House Folk Dancers next class will be on April 3rd when our Spring Quarter begins. A flyer will be forthcoming.

"Just Baskets" Theme Dance Party
2019-03-23 19:00 - 23:00 | All Saints’ Episcopal, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto, CA, 94301, United States
The Moveable Feet club celebrates the basket dance with popular front or back basket folk dances!

6:45 pm
Doors open. Warm up dances.

7 – 8 pm
Workshop with Dan Unger teaching the Romanian back basket dance Braul Lui Zbarcea and Sandra Biroc teaching the Slavonic front basket dance Oj Rasticu Susnjati Mista.

8 – 11 pm
Dancing to your requests and these theme dances:

Ai Lipo Ti Je (Croatia, FB)
Alunelul Batut (Romania, BB)
Drmes Iz Zdencine (Croatia, BB)
Jiana (Romania, BB)
Moja Diridika (Croatia, FB)
Osmica (Bulgaria, BB)
Somogyi Karikazo (Hungary, FB)
Vrapceto (Bulgaria, FB)

Your requests can include non-basket holds, set, or couple dances from any country or region.
Snack contributions appreciated. DOWNLOAD, print, or share a flier!
Send questions or requests to Lucy or Karen.

March Folk Dance Party
2019-03-09 19:15 - 22:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Peninsula Council Folk Dance Party

7:15-7:30pm
Free pre-party review of Grad Se Beli, a fun Croatian dance taught by Zeljko Jergan at this year’s Heritage Festival

7:30-10:30pm
ALL-REQUEST PARTY. MC’d by Becky Beniares and Nancy Kaye

E-mail requests to Becky. She will incorporate your awesome requests into the program!
Be with the theme! Come wearing green!
Dances range from beginning to advanced and all forms (line, couple, set). Bring a snack to share!
DOWNLOAD, print, and share a flier!

Introduction to International Folk Dance
2019-02-17 13:00 - 14:30 | DC Dance Center, 1555 Washington Avenue, San Leandro, CA, 94577, United States
Instructors Gigi and Warren Jensen invite new dancers to learn international folk dance in the East Bay in three monthly 90min sessions.
Future classes are on March 17. Sign up for all three lessons in advance and it’s a total of $15.
Free parking in the area and it’s only a short 4 block walk from the San Leandro Bart station to the studio.
To join or for more details e-mail Gigi Jensen or call (510) 326-6415. The DC Dance Center web site or office will not have information of the class.
