Dance Around the World 2024
2024-10-27 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Our Lady of Guadalupe School Parish, 40382 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA, 94538, United States
A fundraiser of world folk dance performances followed by a folk dance workshop for all to participate! Includes refreshments and party.
Hosted by the FC Dancers, Repentance Prayer Community, the Aloha Hula Dancers, Laura Noel, Fr. Gabriel Augustine, and Folklorico Santa Paula.
Master Instructors

Rebecca Tasi
Raul Herrera
Janice Gonzalves
Fr. Gabriel Augustine

Tickets
DOWNLOAD, print, or share a flier.

Dance Party with Da! Mozhem
2024-11-03 14:00 - 16:30 | Strawberry Recreation Center, 118 E. Strawberry Drive, Mill Valley, CA, 94941, United States
Dance to your favorite international tunes with Da! Mozhem and Kopachka Folk Dancers.
$15 general admittance, students $7, kids free with supervision. Doors open at 1:30pm.
Be sure to bring tips for the band.
Covid protocol: Vax and boosters highly encouraged. Mask required if not (N95, KN95, KF94).
Da! Mozhem
Da! Mozhem at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival 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.

Festivals of Light
2024-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | J. B. Gale Theater, 1 Tiger Way, Roseville, 95678, United States
Come join a celebration of traditions from around the world! This year’s presentations include dances and songs from India, Spain, Quebec, Peru, Mexico, Italy, Scandinavia, and Ukraine. There will also be dances from the United States including clogging. This is the 5th annual Festivals of Light.
Two shows: 7:00 pm November 7th and 3:00pm November 8th. Tickets online or at the door.
Purchase tickets
International Dance Arts Collective
The mission of the International Dance Arts Collective is to foster peace, love and appreciation of all peoples and cultures within our local community and beyond. We achieve this by providing education and performance opportunities for children and youth through world, cultural, and historical dance and music. More details…

Festivals of Light
2024-11-08 - 2024-11-09 | Del Oro High School Theater, 3301 Taylor Road, Loomis, CA, 95677, United States
Multiple cultures are represented in this folk dance performance with both adults and children performing. This is the 4th annual Festivals of Light.
Two shows: 7:00 pm November 8th and 2:30pm November 9th
Purchase tickets
International Dance Arts Collective
The mission of the International Dance Arts Collective is to foster peace, love and appreciation of all peoples and cultures within our local community through exposure, education, and performance opportunities for children and youth through world, cultural, and historical dance and music. More details…

Peninsula Folk Dance Party
2024-11-09 15:30 - 18:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Join the Peninsula Council Folk Dancers for an all-request dance party! Rebecca Tsai has volunteered to be MC this night.
We’ll have dances for all levels, beginning to advanced, and all forms (line, couple, and set). Dress comfortably in layers; sneakers or low-heeled dance shoes recommended. Donations to help cover the cost of the hall are welcome. We do dances from nearly every country in the world, and the music is incredible.
Please stay home if you are sick, and please wear a mask if you are unsure or have been exposed to someone with a contagious illness. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
Send your dance requests to pfdcparty@gmail.com along with any questions, comments, or suggestions.
If you’d like to bring a snack to share, please make sure they are prepared for individual servings.

Hungarian Folk Dance Afternoon/Open Practice
2024-11-10 16:00 - 18:00 | Hungarian Cultural Center, 35660 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA, 94560, United States
Eszterlánc presents an afternoon of Hungarian folk dance lessons for adults and open dance. All levels welcome, no partner needed. Suggested donation is $10.

Desperado Ball
2024-11-15 19:30 - 22:30 | Live Oak Recreation Center, 1301 Shattuck Avenue (at Berryman), Berkeley, CA, 94709 , United States
Berkeley Folk Dancers Advanced Class is hosting a desperado theme folk dance party Nov. 15. Everyone welcome! Admission is $12. Or in their own words:
WANTEDCALLING ALL BANDITS, BRIGANDS AND EVERYDAY BADDIES!!
WE’RE HAVIN’ A BALL! MOSEY ALONG TO THE DESPERADO SALOON AND KICK UP THOSE HEELS FOR SOME FAST-SHOOTIN’, FOOT-BUSTIN’ ACTION ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15, 7:30pm SHARP. SHHH — DON’T LET THEM DANGED’ LOCAL SHERIFFS, BOUNTY HUNTERS OR VEEJEELANTEES GET WIND OF THIS. IT’S A LAWLESS-ONLY AFFAIR — WE’LL BE CHECKING YOUR GANG BADGES AT THE DOOR.

Officers Ball 2024
2024-11-17 13:00 - 22:00 | Veterans Memorial Building, Pleasanton, 301 Main Street, Pleasanton, CA, 94566, United States
The Folk Dance Federation’s annual festival of folk dance with workshops, on-site dinner, dance party, and special attractions returns! This year’s theme is Joining Hands Across the Years! Save the date!
Schedule

Price
Time (pm)
Event

1:00
Doors open

$25
1:30-5:30
Dance workshops

$20
5:30-7:00
On-site dinner with the always popular sing-along with Bill Cope (for those registered in advance)

$25
7:00-10:00
Evening celebration, dances from the workshop and your requests.

Workshop
The afternoon workshop will again feature a program of new and classic folk dances taught by local teachers

Aaron Alpert – Mechankot (Israel)
Julie East – Chalypso (US)
Pete Galanais – Koljovo Horo (Bulgarian)
Marija Hillis – Oige ja Vasemba (Estonian)
Judy Kropp – Joc de Leagane (Romanian)
Kamrin MacKnight – Mist on the Mountain (Scottish)
Lothar Narins – Rakkas (Turkish)
Lenore Watson – Contras (US)

The Annual 50/50 Drawing is also a popular event: buy tickets for $1 each and, if your ticket is drawn, you receive 50% of the total ticket sales.
Registration
Officers Ball 2024 Registration Form Register by November 14, 2024 to obtain the special all event package pricing (workshop, on-site dinner, and evening party) of $55 and save $15. On-site dinner registration is not available after November 14. New members with coupon pay for dinner only.
Option 1: Mail-In Registration
Download and complete registration form.
Make checks payable to the FOLK DANCE FEDERATION.
Mail the check and registration form to:
Laura Richardson
1343 Rosalia Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Option 2: Online Registration
Register online

Fall Camp 2024
2024-11-22 - 2024-11-24 | Brandeis-Bardin Campus, 1101 Peppertree Lane, Brandeis, CA, 93064, United States
Fall Camp 2024 promises to be another vibrant, fun-filled weekend with workshops by master instructors Genci Kastrati (Albanian) and Ira Weisburd (International), dance parties, and other fun activities, including the Pot Luck Band, happy hours, night sky viewing, an ice cream sundae bar, and more! The only thing that would make it better is if you attend! You can fly into beautiful downtown Burbank, instead of LAX. Like before, it will serve as both a quiet retreat where you can relax with some very nice people and a weekend dance camp where you can learn from master teachers. You can find out more and download registration forms (and waivers) at http://FallCamp.org.
Fall Camp 2023
Comfort
Fall Camp, nestled in a woodsy alcove near Simi Valley, is a lovely place where you can enjoy being close to nature while still having the creature comforts of excellent meals (upgraded from previous years), motel-style rooms (with private bathrooms, heat, and air conditioning), and more. You can dance when you feel like it, and when you don’t, do other things such as catching up with friends, playing Scrabble, working on a jigsaw puzzle with others, getting a massage, completing a craft project, going for a walk in nature, reading a good book, meditating, or doing nothing at all. You don’t have to get on a plane or drive treacherous mountain roads to be with nature, and WiFi is available too!
Fall Camp will no longer require masks or vaccinations, but we still encourage best health practices. Because the fall weather is so difficult to predict, we are doing all of our dancing in a beautiful, heated and air-conditioned building, where many of our other activities will also take place. Although we are installing the largest wood floor possible to fit the dance room, it is smaller than the largest room we used in previous years, so we are limiting the number of campers to around 60. This also means that dancers will have more access to our two master teachers. The dining menu has been upgraded in quality, and Sunday lunch is included in the registration price. There will be two happy hours with wine.
Register

Kolo Festival 2024
2024-11-29 09:00 - 2024-12-01 00:00 | Croatian Cultural Center, 60 Onondaga Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94708, United States
2024 will be the 73nd annual Kolo Festival! Kolo Festival includes dance, vocal, and instrumental classes, along with dancing, sing-alongs, culture corners, instrumental jam sessions, kafanas and parties, brass, Bitov, Izvorno bands and more!
Musicians from around the world playing folk dance music from Albania, Bosnis, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Norway, Romany communities, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States.
Schedule
Friday, November 29 | Saturday, November 30 | Sunday, Dec 1
Dance Instructors
Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu
Romanian Folk Dance
Cristian and Sonia have been guest performers with the Collage International Dance Ensemble of Boston, have been regular teachers at l’ École supérieure de danse du Québec and have been selected to be part of the Artists in the Schools program sponsored by the Québec Ministry of Education. In recent years, they have developed a specific interest in working with recreational folk dance groups in Canada and the United States, Mexico and Brazil. They have been teaching in Europa (Austria, England, Poland, Germany, Italy,  Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France) in Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia) and Australia  to share their love of Romanian folk traditions.
In recent years, Cristian and Sonia have developed a specific interest in working with recreational folk dance groups. They’ve been teaching in Brazil, Canada and the United States, Europe (Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands), Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan) to share their love of Romanian folk traditions. They have taught workshops in Canada and the United States and choreographed Romanian suites for performing groups, including the world-renowned BYU Folk Dance Ensemble in Utah.Read more…
Anna Angelova
Bulgarian Dances
Anna grew up in a small town in Northern Bulgaria where the lively local festivities (sabors) and traditional ceremonies kindled her interest in folklore at an early age. Anna’s dance adventures started when she joined the town’s folk dance ensemble where she learned from esteemed choreographers and performed along experienced dancers throughout her youth years.
Upon coming to Boston to further her education, Anna got introduced to the internationally acclaimed Ahmet Luleci’s Collage Dance Ensemble: a unique experience that unlocked passion and appreciation for the greater Balkan magic, and beyond. The 8 years Anna spent performing with Collage on local and national stages were instrumental for her growth as a dancer – from professional attitude to stage presence to polished style to authentic connection with our ancestors through Ahmet’s vibrant choreographies. In 2022, Anna was honored to teach Bulgarian Dance at Ahmet Luleci’s annual World Camp in Rock Hill, New York.
With the start of her own family in Boston, Anna felt the need to be more involved in the local Bulgarian community. This is when she joined Ludo Mlado, a Bulgarian folk ensemble led by Pepi Petrov and Marieta Mircheva. Anna connected with Ludo Mlado’s mission to preserve the rich dance traditions of Bulgaria. An outstanding moment with Ludo Mlado was the opportunity to participate in the Chicago Folk Festival VEREA. Read more…
John Morovich
John Morovich John Morovich, born in 1965, grew up in Seattle’s sizable Croatian community. Since 1973, he has studied, taught, and performed traditional music and dance of Croatia and other parts of Southeastern Europe. He was awarded the prestigious Washington State Arts Commission Folk Arts Fellowship for 2001.
He is currently the artistic director of the Seattle Junior Tamburitzans, a 50-member youth ensemble of which he was a performer from 1974 through 1987 and since 2013 has directed Tamburaski Orkestar Kisobran. He conducted the Jele Croatian Women’s Choir and Klapa Ruzmarin in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was selected as Guest Conductor for the Croatian Fraternal Union of America Junior Cultural Federation Festival held in Chicago, in July 2005.
John has taught at many camps and seminars, including the California Kolo Festival in San Francisco, the Balkana Seattle Balkan Camp, the Texas Camp, the East European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music & Dance Workshops, and the Seattle Folk Dance Festival. John has also worked with many folklore ensembles across the United States and Canada. He most recently choreographed for the Ban Jelačić Croatian Dance Ensemble of Penticton, B.C., Canada; Hrvatski Vitezovi; Sarajevo of Vancouver; and Zagreb of Victoria, B.C., Canada, and Ethnic Dance Theatre of Minneapolis. MN. Dances John has taught include Kabanica i Seksera, Grizlica, H’ajd Na Lievo, Mazulka, Okrani Se Moje Kolo Malo, Repa, Sad Moi Dragi u Šumi Kod Koza, Saljsko Kolo, Slavonsko Kukunješče, Sroteš, Sˇ’tiri Snehe, Tanac po Susasko, Veloluški Tanac, and Žena Ide Na Gosti.
Michael Ginsburg
Michael Ginsburg Michael Ginsburg began teaching Balkan folk-dance in 1964 in New York City and now teaches a weekly dance class there. He plays tapan with Cherven Traktor, a band that plays Bulgarian folk music on traditional instruments. He also plays trumpet with Kavala Brass Band, a band specializing in the Brass music of Aegean Macedonia. Michael has been director and lead trumpet player of Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band since 1983. He accompanied ZU to brass festivals in Guča, Serbia, three times between 1987 and 1990, as well as in 2003 and 2005, where he and ZU were able to play and party with local brass bands and experience the music in its natural setting. Michael and Zlatne Uste worked with Ekrem Sajdić and Zlatni Prsti brass band in 2003, and in 2005 with Vranjski Biseri, both in Vranjska Banja, Serbia. Michael performed in the summer of 2010 with Zlatne Uste at the first competition of international bands at the Sabor Trubača in Guča, Serbia, representing the United States.
Yannis Konstantinou
Yannis Konstantinou Yannis Konstantinou, is an internationally recognized teacher and researcher of Greek Macedonian Dances and culture. He has taught workshops extensively throughout Europe and the USA. Yannis is the current president of the highly respected dance association “Lygkistes” which has performed extensively throughout Europe. Yannis also served as the artistic director and instructor for Lykeion Ellinidion Florinas, teaching over 200 dancers of all ages on a weekly basis, as well as teaching at many Cultural Associations
Yannis’ passion for traditional music and dance began in his childhood, dancing with his family in his parents’ villages of Alona and Akrites in the Florina region of Greece. He is deeply committed to preserving and sharing the rich traditions, culture, music and dance of this region.
For details visit http://kolofestival.org
Registration

Special pricing:

Entire Festival Pre-Registration Package (until 11/23/2024) – $180
First-time Kolo Festival attendees may take $30 off the package price
Students may take a one-time 50% discount on the package or any single event

Register
Online Viewing
Many have asked if California Kolo Festival 2024 will be on Zoom this year.
The simple answer: YES!! The parties on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon will show selected segments both from the Main Hall and the Kafana. If you want to get a taste of Kolo Festival, register and join online here:
View online segments
Update
The SF Russian Center has canceled our reservation for Kolo Festival this year but our friends at the Croatian American Cultural Center are welcoming us back and Kolo Festival will return there this year. The full program that we have promised you for months will still happen! In order to do that, we are expanding the festival to 3 days: Friday/Saturday/Sunday, November 29-30 & December 1. Despite adding another day to the festival, we are not changing the registration cost for the full package. If you want to register for the whole weekend, it will still be $180 advance registration until 11/23. If you wish to pay by the individual session, adding Sunday will cost you $60. Please register today!
For those who responded to our June request to donate additional funds to move to the Russian Center, we will be in touch with you via email soon.
We’re going to have a festival this year with everything that we have promised and more. Five superb teachers, 35+ musicians, three full days of Kolo Festival music and dance! And all at the same price. Sometimes, bad news ain’t so bad.
If you have questions, please contact Bill Cope, Festival director: Bill@KoloFestival.org
Thank you for your consideration!
The California Kolo Festival Board
https://KoloFestival.org

Dance Workshop with Yannis Konstantinou
2024-12-04 18:30 - 21:30 | Young Ladies Institute, 1400 27th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95816, United States
Yannis dancing with his children Simos and Xenia Kolo Koalition hosts a Greek folk dance and music workshop with renowned instructor Yannis Konstantinou and his son Simos on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00pm. Arrive by 6:30pm for warm up dances.
For more details e-mail lauraleo524@gmail.com or call or text 916-549-7093.

Yannis Konstantinou
Yannis Konstantinou Yannis Konstantinou, is an internationally recognized teacher and researcher of Greek Macedonian Dances and culture. He has taught workshops extensively throughout Europe and the USA. Yannis is the current president of the highly respected dance association “Lygkistes” which has performed extensively throughout Europe. Yannis also served as the artistic director and instructor for Lykeion Ellinidion Florinas, teaching over 200 dancers of all ages on a weekly basis, as well as teaching at many Cultural Associations
Yannis’ passion for traditional music and dance began in his childhood, dancing with his family in his parents’ villages of Alona and Akrites in the Florina region of Greece. He is deeply committed to preserving and sharing the rich traditions, culture, music and dance of this region.

International Folk Dance Party
2024-12-13 13:30 - 16:00 | Age Well Center at South Fremont, 47111 Mission Falls Ct., Fremont, CA, 94539, United States
Celebrate the holidays and join this International Folk Dance party with Rebecca. No partner or experience needed. Enjoy easy and fun dances from around the world. Wear red and white to be festive.

Palomanians Pie Party
2024-12-14 15:30 - 18:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
The annual Palomanians Pie Party featuring ice cream, refreshments and pie all provided by the Palomanians! Come join us for an evening of dancing and pie. Denise Heenan is MC.
Nothing to bring, all pies, ice cream, and refreshments will be supplied by the Palomanians. Dances range from beginning to advanced, and all forms (line, couple, and set).
Email your requests or questions to pfdcparty@gmail.com
Proof of up to date vaccinations are required. If you’ve been to our parties in the past, we’ve marked you as vaccinated. If this is your first party, please bring proof of vaccination or email us proof at pfdcparty@gmail.com. Masks optional.

Razzmatazz Holiday Party
2024-12-14 19:00 - 22:00 | Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA, 95401, United States
Join the Razzmatzz Folk Dancers for their ‘Tis the Season Holiday Folk Dance Party on Saturday, December 14 from 7:00pm – 10:00pm at Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa. Doors open at 6:30pm. Admission: $5. Tips for the musicians and singers are greatly appreciated.
The evening will begin with recorded dance favorites from 7pm – 8pm, followed by a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” and Hanukkah songs. The rest of the evening will feature live music with GRADINA, local Balkan choral group and YABULKA playing Bulgarian dance tunes on traditional instruments.
Snacks for our refreshment table are welcome. We hope you can be there!

Federation Board Meeting
2024-12-15 14:00 - 15:30 | Online, CA, United States
Join the Folk Dance Federation online for their board meeting. Various topics such as event planning, membership, scholarships, publicity, insurance, and budget are discussed.
Sunday Dec 15, 2:00pm-3:30pm, online
Meeting ID: 834 7018 9967
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Join Online

Hungarian Folk Dance Afternoon/Open Practice
2024-12-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Hungarian Cultural Center, 35660 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA, 94560, United States
Eszterlánc presents an afternoon of Hungarian folk dance lessons for adults and open dance. Includes lessons in Bonchidai Hungarian dance. All levels welcome, no partner needed. Suggested donation is $10.

Saratoga Folk Dancers Clash Celebration
2024-12-19 19:30 - 22:15 | St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 18870 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga, California, 95070
Saratoga International Folk Dancers invite you to come to a folk dance party wearing your most inconsistent and conflicting clothing designs (e.g. stripes with plaid or flowers with checks). A $25 prize is awarded for the best costume creation, by a vote of those present. Refreshments for the table are welcome.
Warmup and dances for beginners between 7:30 and 8:15pm. Request dancing for the rest of the evening. This is a large, friendly group; you won’t be disappointed! Sliding scale admission $5-10. More details…

Family Fun and Dancing
2024-12-20 19:00 - 22:00 | Miraloma Park Clubhouse, 350 O’Shaughnessey Boulevard (at Del Vale Avenue), San Francisco, CA, 94127, United States
Join Changs International Folk Dancers for a night of music and dance for the entire family!
For December 2024, Changs Family Night will be on the 3rd Friday in December (December 20) instead of the 4th Friday as it usually is.
An hour of fun dance activities to music from around the world. Every Fourth Friday, 7pm-8pm. Followed at 8-10pm by international folk dances from our club’s repertoire.
Adults accompanied by kids always free!

Global Folk Dance Party
2024-12-21 14:30 - 18:30 | Online, CA, United States
It’s holiday season! Please join us for a few of our favorite things, that’s our theme – and decorate! We’ll have our usual team of dance leaders and this month we’re also joined by guest leaders Clem Dickey and Sharon Flory. Have any ideas? Send them along to us! Please come at 2:30pm for some pre-show fun. We look forward to seeing you on the Zoom dance floor on Saturday December 21.
Connect Globally, Dance Locally. Follow folk dance leaders and dance watching enthusiasts worldwide.
Join The Party
By Zoom
Register by Zoom
We’ve changed Zoom numbers. Here’s what you need to do. Use the registration link above and you’ll get an email from Zoom with your link for the Global Folk Dance Party. Feel free to share the above registration link with your friends, they’ll get their own link to join. With the new registration, you’ll get a reminder email the morning of the Global Folk Dance Party, so you don’t have to look for your link.

IMPORTANT – Do not use both computer and phone; you will generate feedback.
Zoom will best be viewed using side by side mode. See https://bit.ly/39dximU for info.
When in the meeting, click the ‘chat’ button to chat with everybody and make requests.
When you sign into Zoom, enter your name and city so we know where you’re from!

By Facebook Live
Join by Facebook Live
if Zoom is full or you just want to watch.
https://www.facebook.com/PFDCouncil/
For more details or to send requests e-mail us at virtualfolkdance@gmail.com. Alicia La Fetra, Lisa Michael, and Stacy Rose will be happy to help.

Cafe Shalom Dance Party
2024-12-21 19:30 - 23:30, 2025-01-18 19:30 - 23:30 | Congregation Am Tikvah, 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco, CA, United States
Israeli folk dancers from all over the Bay Area dance the night away at Café Shalom’s Saturday party—a monthly tradition since the 1960s! We play a wonderful mix of oldies and the latest dances based on requests. Dancers of all ages are invited to join the fun on the third Saturday of every month.
Saturday classes are large parties with many dancers from all ages and spectrum. We dance dances from 1918 and from 2018 back to back.
The first part of the evening – 30-45 minutes starts with slow and beginners dances, oldies, and dances which we learn in Tuesday class. Later we increase the intensity, up the beat and the pace and the evening is fully charged with great energy and fun.
7:30 pm – Warm-up, beginner’s, oldies dances, and recently taught dances
8:00 pm – Our party perks up… with circle, and couple dances
9:15 pm – Birthday celebrations, announcements, followed by a line dance set
9:30 – 11:30 pm – We’ll dance ‘til then or ‘til we drop – whatever comes first!
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students.
Info: Text 669.444.1284
Cafe Shalom, more details…

Christmas Night Dance Party
2024-12-25 19:00 - 22:00 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Once upon a time, a family gathered with friends and relatives every Christmas Night to celebrate the day. They shared food and beverages, and danced away the evening. John Nicoara was there. It was from the stories of these warm memories that Jan and he, and Becky and Adony, were inspired to continue that tradition with a new family — YOU!
All request Folk Dance Party with Adony Beniares and Ken Kaye as our MCs! Send your request to pfdcparty@gmail.com or to Adony directly. This is our 17th annual Christmas dance party.
Bring a finger food snack to share. Water and punch will be provided.

New Years Eve Dance Party
2024-12-31 19:00 - 2025-01-01 00:00 | Live Oak Recreation Center, 1301 Shattuck Avenue (at Berryman), Berkeley, CA, 94709 , United States
Ring in the New Year dancing with the Berkeley Folk Dancers in a New Years Eve Dance Party! Potluck dinner at 7pm and dancing 9pm to midnight.

New Years Eve Dance Party and Lucy Chang Memorial Fundraiser
2024-12-31 19:00 - 2025-01-01 00:15 | All Saints’ Episcopal, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto, CA, 94301, United States
Come help Moveable Feet celebrate the arrival of 2025 with an in-person potluck supper and dance party while raising money for Second Harvest, a local food bank!
The combined, New Year’s Eve International Folk Dance Party and Lucy Chang Memorial Second Harvest Fundraiser will kick off on Tuesday, December 31, at 7:00 p.m. and wind down not long after we ring in the New Year on Wednesday morning. Once again it will be held at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley Street, Palo Alto.
We’ll start with a potluck dinner at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:45), followed by dancing from about 8 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. Bring a favorite dish to share (label your serving utensils). Moveable Feet will supply drinks, plates, and utensils.
You may donate early to Second Harvest Food Bank at impact.shfb.org/MoveableFeet24
so your support will be available immediately
Donate to SHFB
Please make a generous donation to Second Harvest, either in advance or bring to the party cash, checks, or a smart phone to use a credit card. You may also bring cans, jars (peanut butter), bags (rice, pasta), and boxes (cereal, cake mix) to be delivered to SHFB.
Additional notes: Parking is free on New Year’s Eve and no time limit in Palo Alto city lots and streets.

Berkeley Folk Dance's Birthday Ball
2025-01-11 12:00 - 16:00 | Live Oak Recreation Center, 1301 Shattuck Avenue (at Berryman), Berkeley, CA, 94709 , United States
Staying Alive Through the Decades
Berkeley Folk Dancers will be 84 years old this year! Join us in welcoming our new members and celebrating Berkeley Folk Dancers’ 84th year. Join the celebration!
Things have changed in the last eight decades, and things have continued. Costumes can be anything that you have fond memories of: your prom dress, a Grateful Dead t-shirt, a tuxedo from a significant event, what you wore on your best vacation. anything that you treasure.
Lunch: 12 noon. Please reserve your lunch by 1/8/2025
Dance: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
$27 Lunch and Dance, $12 Dance only
Organized by Bill Bauer, BFD Vice President. Contact: bauerbill@gmail.com
Register

Peninsula Folk Dance Party
2025-01-11 15:30 - 18:30 | St. Bede’s Church Hall, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Join the Peninsula Council Folk Dancers for an all-request dance party with MC Clem Dickey!
We’ll have dances for all levels, beginning to advanced. Dress comfortably in layers; sneakers or low-heeled dance shoes recommended. Donations to help cover the cost of the hall are welcome. We do dances from nearly every country in the world, and the music is incredible.
Send your dance requests to pfdcparty@gmail.com along with any questions, comments, or suggestions.
Dances range from beginning to advanced, and all forms (line, couple, and set). If you’d like to bring a snack to share, please make sure they are prepared for individual servings.
Please stay home if you are sick, and please wear a mask if you are unsure or have been exposed to someone with a contagious illness. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Global Folk Dance Party
2025-01-18 14:30 - 18:30 | Online, CA, United States
We’re so happy to start 2025 with our online dance friends! Please join us on Saturday January 18 for our first online dance party of the year. We’ll have our usual team of dance leaders and this month we’re also joined by guest leaders Tom Roby and Sue Rose. Also, wonderul live music will be provided by Tom Pixton. Have any ideas? Send them along to us!
Connect Globally, Dance Locally. Follow folk dance leaders and dance watching enthusiasts worldwide.
Join The Party
By Zoom
Register by Zoom
We’ve changed Zoom numbers. Here’s what you need to do. Use the registration link above and you’ll get an email from Zoom with your link for the Global Folk Dance Party. Feel free to share the above registration link with your friends, they’ll get their own link to join. With the new registration, you’ll get a reminder email the morning of the Global Folk Dance Party, so you don’t have to look for your link.

IMPORTANT – Do not use both computer and phone; you will generate feedback.
Zoom will best be viewed using side by side mode. See https://bit.ly/39dximU for info.
When in the meeting, click the ‘chat’ button to chat with everybody and make requests.
When you sign into Zoom, enter your name and city so we know where you’re from!

By Facebook Live
Join by Facebook Live
if Zoom is full or you just want to watch.
https://www.facebook.com/PFDCouncil/
For more details or to send requests e-mail us at virtualfolkdance@gmail.com. Alicia La Fetra, Lisa Michael, and Stacy Rose will be happy to help.

Hungarian Folk Dance Class
2025-01-19 15:30 - 17:30 | Hungarian Cultural Center, 35660 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA, 94560, United States
Have you always been interested in folk dance but couldn’t commit to weekly practices? Do you hear folk music and feel like dancing but don’t know what steps to take?
Eszterlánc is here to help! We’re launching monthly folk dance classes!
Who we’re expecting:

Anyone who wants to move around a little
Anyone who will be trying folk dance for the first time
Anyone who actively dances or has danced folk before
Anyone who loves folk culture or is simply curious about it

What you can expect:

A short warm-up
Folk dance instruction led by Gergő Bolgovics and Ilka Dajka
Folk song learning
Free dance using the figures you’ve learned earlier

Suggested donation: $10
We warmly welcome you! If this sparks even a bit of your interest, come along — it’s for you!

Hungarian Dance House (Táncház) with Live Music
2025-01-25 10:00 - 23:00 | Hungarian Cultural Center, 35660 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA, 94560, United States
Eszterlánc invites you to join us for a Hungarian Dance Day (táncház) on January 25th, 2025. This is our regular start-of-the-year dance house with live music by Forrás Banda (violin, viola, double bass, cimbalom (hammered dulcimer), moldavian drum).
There will be several new features:

Free film screening before the dance house: The Hungarian film Akkord (with English subtitles) about the connection between folk music and pop music.
Folk music concert by Forrás Banda to kick off the dance house. Everyone is welcome, even if you can’t stay for the dance house itself.
Performance by the Mazsola Children’s Folk Dance Ensemble immediately following the concert.
Children’s dance house, followed by:
Adult dance house, including instruction during the first part of the dance sets.
New this year: Marketplace, where Eszterlánc dancers and others can sell folk-related items. If you have something to sell, let us know in advance to coordinate.

Schedule

Time
Event

10:00am
Folk Music Workshop

3:00pm
Akkord Film Screening

4:30pm
Hungarian Folk Concert with Forrás Band

5:15pm
Mazsola Performance

5:30pm
Kid’s Dance Circle

6:30pm
Adult Dance with Teaching

11:00pm
Singing

We reserve the right to make changes to the program. Start times may vary depending on the number, composition, and mood of attendees, but we’ll do our best to stick to the original schedule.
All levels of experience welcome, no partner needed.
Hungarian food, drinks, and pastries available for purchase.

Dance Party with Da! Mozhem
2025-01-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, 95062, United States
Dance to your favorite international tunes with Da! Mozhem and Cabrillo Folk Dancers.
$15 sliding scale admission
Be sure to bring tips for the band. If you are not well please stay home.
Da! Mozhem
Da! Mozhem at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival 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.
