Thursday, December 28, 2017

Oak Park Folk Dancers Birthday Party Wed Jan 17, 2018

Oak Park Folkdancers
Belated 37th Birthday Party

January 17, 2018
7:30-10:30
515 Franklin
River Forest, IL

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Sad news: Marcella Ciucki

We were saddened to hear that longtime Argonne folk dancer Marcella Ciucki passed away yesterday (Dec 22, 2017). Funeral service will be December 29th 2017, 10:30 AM, Our Lady of Grace Church, 3025 Hwy Ave, Highland, IN.

https://www.afterlife.co/us/obituary-munster-marcella-a-ciucki-6617455
"January 30, 1931 - December 22, 2017 Marcella A. Ciucki, 86, of Munster, passed away December 22, 2017. She is survived by several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters.

Marcella was retired from the Lake County Public Library system. She was treasurer of the Sand Ridge Audubon Society. Besides bird watching, Marcella was active in nature conservation and attending the opera.

A funeral mass will be held directly at Our Lady of Grace Church 3025 Highway Ave., Highland on Friday, December 29, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. There will be an hour of visitation prior to the service at church. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice in Marcella"s honor."

Friday, December 15, 2017

New Year's Day Party Mon Jan 1, 2018

Argonne International Folk Dance
New Year's Day Party
Date: Monday, January 1, 2018
Time: 1pm-6pm, potluck meal around 3pm
Place: St Paul's UCC Fellowship Hall
Address: 5739 Dunham Rd, Downers Grove, IL
Requested Donation: $5 + Potluck dish to share
Click on image below for flyers

Friday, December 1, 2017

Not meeting Friday Dec 29, 2017

We will not be meeting Friday, Dec 29, 2017, because we will be meeting Monday, Jan 1, 2018, for our annual New Year's Day dance & potluck. Meeting as usual the other Fridays in December.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Free Holiday Concerts Dec 12 & Dec 16, 2017

Senior Suburban Orchestra
Holiday Concert
Tuesday, Dec 12, 2017
2:00 p.m.
St Paul's United Church of Christ
5739 Dunham Rd, Downers Grove
http://www.seniorsuburbanorchestra.org/

New Horizons Band Dupage
Sounds of the Season Christmas Concert
Saturday, Dec 16, 2017
3:00 pm
Community United Methodist Church
20 N Center St, Naperville
http://www.newhorizonsbandassoc.org/

Friday, November 24, 2017

Not meeting Fri Nov 24, 2017 - Happy Thanksgiving!

We will not be meeting Fri Nov 24 (the day after Thanksgiving), so you'll have to find a different way to work off your turkey dinner! Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Skokie Folk Dancing Holiday Party Wed Dec 20, 2017

Skokie Folk Dancing Holiday Party

When	8pm-10pm Wed Dec 20, 2017
Where	Weber Center, Skokie, IL (map)

Evanston + EDC New Years Eve Party Sun Dec 31, 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

EDC-EMNFD New Year's Eve Potluck & Dance

THIS EVENT IS AT THE CHICAGO LATVIAN COMMUNITY CENTER

4146 N ELSTON AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60618

$20 with potluck dish

$25 dance only

Potluck: 7:30pm-9pm

Dancing: 9pm-2am

Registration and further information can be found at ethnicdance.net/newyears

Tamburitzans - Sun Nov 19, Merle Reskin Theater, Chicago

Tamburitzans performance: "Passages – the Journey of our Ancestors"
Sunday Nov 19, 2pm
Chicago, IL Merle Reskin Theatre (former Blackstone)
60 E. Balbo Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
Box office: 312-922-1999
theatreboxoffice@depaul.edu

http://www.thetamburitzans.org/

Xmas Around The World, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

The Annual "Christmas Around The World and Holidays of Light" at the Museum of Science and Industry is coming up, with loads of ethnic dance performances throughout. Here's a link to the schedule of events:
https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/christmas-around-the-world/events/december-events/
Charles will be performing with the Welsh dancers on Saturday, December 16.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Milwaukee Holiday Folk Fair Nov. 17-19, 2017

Milwaukee Holiday Folk Fair
State Fair Park Exposition Center
8200 West Greenfield Avenue
West Allis, Wisconsin 53214
Tel: 414-727-8840
Parking:General Parking available for $6.00.
http://folkfair.org/

Muriel Anderson Saturday after Thanksgiving Concert - Downers Grove

Muriel Anderson's annual Saturday After Thanksgiving Concert
When: Saturday November 25th, 8:00pm
Where: Downers Grove North High School Auditorium, 4436 N. Main Street
Tickets: $22 adv/$25 door, $15/$17 students (through high school) and seniors (65+), available at Anderson’s Bookshops, Tobias Music or order online http://murielanderson.com/dg/

Friday, October 20, 2017

Terra Guitarra folk/flamenco concert Sun Oct 22 - Warrenville Library

Sunday Music Matinee: Terra Guitarra

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Warrenville Public Library

Meeting Room

28W751 Stafford Place Warrenville, Illinois 60555
630/393-1171

Bruce Hecksel and Julie Patchouli perform their original blend of folk meets flamenco.Register online if you want a reminder email or text. Advance registration welcome, but not required.

https://warrenville.evanced.info/signup/eventdetails?eventid=6274&lib=0&return=

Evanston Regional Folk Dance Pot Luck - Sat Nov 11, 2017

Evanston Regional pot luck dinner and dance hosted by EMNFD
6:30 - 11 pm Saturday, November 11, 2017
$5 plus Bring a dish to share (8+ servings)
at Lake Street Church of Evanston
607 Lake Street - NW corner of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue
enter through courtyard arched entry on Chicago Avenue
http://www.evanstonfolkdance.org/

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

NPR: The Folk Music Festival That Started With A Spider Bite

Monday, October 16, 2017

Band concert - Dance Music, Sun Oct 22 Naperville

The American Wind Band, a community band that rehearses in Downers Grove, will present a concert dedicated to dance music. Included is music from the Big Band Era, Latin dance music, a hoedown, a reel, ballet music, “Moondance”, and “Shall We Dance”.
Free Admission
Oct 22, 2017 at 03:00 pm (Sun)

North Central College - Wentz Concert Hall 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, IL 60540

http://www.artsdupage.org/event/invitation-to-the-dance-concert/

Friday, September 22, 2017

WBEZ Curious City: Dances invented in Chicago

WBEZ Curious City feature about dances invented in Chicago - click on first link below to listen to it, the rest of the links are videos.

Which Dances Were Invented In Chicago?

Polka Hop

Cha-Cha Slide

Pasito Duranguense

Footwork

Steppin'

Thursday, September 21, 2017

2017 post-Oconomowoc web surfing

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Oconomowoc video clips 2006-2017 on youtube

The first few years of the blog, I uploaded the videos (and photo slideshows in some cases) to a free account on photobucket.com, which provided the HTML "embed" code to include them in the blog. But now photobucket has changed things and made stuff unavailable for "third party hosting" as this is called, unless you upgrade to a premium (paid) membership. So, I finally got around to uploading all the years of Oconomowoc video clips that I have to youtube, making a playlist for each year (and also updated the early blog posts with the broken photobucket links to embed the youtube playlists instead.)

I made the youtube playlists "unlisted", which means you can see them if you have the link, but they won't show up in a youtube search. Below are all the youtube playlist links, including 2006, which was before the blog even started:

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2006

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2007

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2008

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2009

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2010

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2011

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2012

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2013

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2014

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2015

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2016

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp 2017

Monday, September 18, 2017

EDC folks visiting Friday Sept 22 - party!

Folk dancers from Ethnic Dance Chicago will be joining us for dancing in Downers Grove on Friday Sept 22, 2017 -- so we're making it a party! Bring snacks to share if you feel like it, and see friends you may not have seen for a while (unless of course you just saw them at Oconomowoc; then come to see them again and maybe review some of the Oconomowoc dances!)

Oconomowoc 2017 video clips

Below is aYoutube playlist of dances taught this weekend and reviewed Sunday morning. To see the whole list, click on the icon & text ("1/13..."), you should then be able to scroll down the list and click on whichever particular dance you're interested in.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Evanston: Dance Party, Kabile Orchestra Mon Sept 18

Monday, September 18
Dance Party at EMNFD with Kabile Orchestra

$8

at Lake Street Church of Evanston
607 Lake Street - NW corner of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue
enter through courtyard arched entry on Chicago Avenue

7:30-10:30 pm
http://www.evanstonfolkdance.org/save-the-date

Friday, September 15, 2017

Not meeting Friday Sept 15, 2017

We will not be meeting Friday, Sept 15, because many of us will be at the Oconomowoc folk dance camp that weekend.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Scandinavian Day Sep 10, 2017 Vasa Park, South Elgin, IL

Scandinavian Day Festival
Sunday, Sept 10, 2017 10am-6pm
$10/person, kids under 12 free
Vasa Park, 35W217 Route 31, South Elgin, IL 60177 | 847-695-6720
Scandinavian crafts, dance, education, food, music, and merchandise;
Nordic Folk Dancers perform at 1:30pm, teaching at 2:30
http://www.scandinaviandayil.com/index.html

Fermilab English Country Dance Sun Sep 10, 2017 + other ECD events

Received from Mady:

"This Sunday afternoon, September 10, at Fermilab's Kuhn Barn, there will be English country dancing from 1 to 5 p.m. (experienced from 1 to 2 p.m., then all welcome), with live music by Old Fezziwig's Band. We'll start working on a few of the dances coming up on the Harvest Moon Dance Weekend programs (see below), as well as Pat Shaw and other favorites from our summer experiences. There are also dates for upcoming dances at Fermilab through the 2017-08 season on the website now.This coming Monday evening, September 11, from 7 to 10 p.m., there will be a special workshop with dance historian Susan de Guardiola, with live music by Tim Macdonald and Jeremy Ward, at Oak Park's Nineteenth Century Club. Susan's focus is "The dancing of early 19th century Edinburgh" and is based on her recent research into the dancing of the Lowe brothers. (More details on the website.) Of course, if you want to wear historic costume, that is always appreciated, though certainly not required.

Also coming up soon is our Harvest Moon Dance Weekend, October 13 - 15, held entirely at Oak Park's lovely Nineteenth Century Club, with superlative music by all four members of Bare Necessities and wonderful calling and workshops by Bruce Hamilton. The early bird price for the full weekend ($130 for adults, $85 for full time students and limited income seniors) expires September 15, so you might want to register online by then!

In news of Central Illinois, dancing in Champaign-Urbana will move from the previously announced date of Saturday, September 23, to Sunday afternoon, September 24, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Phillips Center.
English dancing in Evanston has already started up for the season every other Wednesday evening. Check the website for upcoming dates."

Oconomowoc Folk Dance Camp Sep 15-17, 2017

Fall Dance Camp in Oconomowoc
Sponsored by Lake Geneva Folk Dancers
Where: Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), 600 Lac Labelle Dr, Oconomowoc, WI
When: Sep 15-17, 2017, check-in starts Friday 4:30pm, Dinner 6:30pm
Camp ends Sunday after a light lunch
Cost: $225 per person if paid in full by Aug 15 30, 2017 ($245 after Aug 15 30)
Accommodation: Double occupancy rooms with private bath. Charge for a single room, IF AVAILABLE, will be an additional $75
More details on flyer. Click on flyer image at left to open it full size.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Passport Europe Festival Sep 23-24, 2017 Morton Arboretum

Passport Europe Festival
Sat-Sun Sep 23-24, 2017
Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
Live music ranging from Spanish flamenco to Polish polkas and Italian jazz. Dances from Ireland, Germany, and Greece.

You may want to bring a blanket or folding chair if you want to sit & watch the performances.

Admission: $14 Adults ages 18–64, $12 Seniors ages 65+, $9 Youth ages 2–17
Admission includes FREE parking. Members enter for free with valid membership credentials.

http://www.mortonarb.org/events/passport-europe-festival
You may want to bring a blanket or folding chair if you want to sit & watch the performances.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Chicago World Music Festival thru Sep 24, 2017

2017 Chicago World Music Festival
September 8-24, 2017 • City-wide • Various Locations • FREE Admission
http://www.worldmusicfestivalchicago.org/

Complete schedule posted here:
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/world_music_festival2.html

https://www.facebook.com/WorldMusicFestivalChicago/

WTTW preview of the festival: http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/09/06/chicago-world-music-festival-around-world-13-days

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Gofundme fundraiser for Door Co Folk Festival

We received e-mail from Paul about a gofundme campaign to support the Door County Folk Festival, "to retire the remaining debt from the 2017 Festival and raise start-up funding for 2018 Festival planning activities".
Here's the link if you'd like to support it:
https://www.gofundme.com/dcfolkfest
The campaign runs thru Sept 16, 2017.

Mayim-Mayim, Ricky Holden, and Japanese video games

Listening to PRI's The World on the radio, I heard familiar music and an interesting story -- it starts at about time 40:25:

It refers to this article "How an Israeli Folk Song Became A Hit on Japanese Video Game Soundtracks":
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/242738/jewcy-mayim-mayim

"...Seriously, everyone in Japan knows “Mayim Mayim.”
"How did this happen? It began in the post-WWII occupation of Japan, led by General Douglas MacArthur. As part of the (admittedly somewhat forced) cultural exchange, the United States decided to teach the youth in Asia folk dances. They enlisted the aid of Rickey Holden, a prominent square and folk dance-caller, scholar, and educator..."

If you search for "Mayim Mayim Anime" in youtube, you find an amazing number of clips:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mayim+mayim+anime
Who knew?

Sunday, August 13, 2017

French Connection Day Sunday Aug 13 Cantigny

French Connection Day at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL
Sunday Aug 13, 2017, 10am-4pm
Free with $10 parking fee
http://www.cantigny.org/calendar/signature-events/french-connection-day

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Summerdance - EDC Balkan dance - Sat Aug 26 Millenium Park

From Paul:

Chicago SummerDance (21^st Edition) Invites You To an Hour of Balkan & S.E. European Dancing
with Ethnic Dance Chicago

Circle/Line Ethnic Dance-Off Celebration

Saturday, August 26, 2017
3:00pm-4:00pm

Great Lawn – Jay Pritzker Pavilion - (Downtown Chicago)
201 E Randolph St – Chicago, IL 60602

Free and Open to the Public

(Less expensive parking lots on State St between Balboa and Congress and on Wabash Ave)
(More expensive Parking lots on Michigan Ave – Millennium Park & Grant Park Underground Garages)
(Convenient for travel to Downtown on CTA’s Downtown Stations on Wabash, State and Dearborn)

Balkan and South East European Circle & Line Dancing

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has invited Ethnic Dance Chicago to lead an hour of Circle and Line Dances as part of Chicago SummerDance’s big celebration called the Summer Dance-Off, which will feature many types of dance events throughout Millennium Park on Saturday, August 26th.

While this event is open to the public, the targeted audience is the International Folk Dance Community (IFD) and Balkan & South East European Ethnic Communities from all over Chicagoland and the Midwest.

We are asking you to help spread the news of this event by word-of-mouth, email, telephone, etc. (and by any means possible) so that we can get a huge turnout. This is the only opportunity for our communities to join together and do circle and line dancing as part of this year’s SummerDance Program, so let your families, friends and colleagues know about this and ask them to help us get a large crowd of dancers and observers for this event.

We’ve been asked to run this event like a SummerDance program in Grant Park, so there will be some basic dance instruction (for new dancers) mixed in with open dancing (for experienced dancers) throughout the hour.

NOTE: This event is the same weekend as the Greektown Festival, so plan to attend this hour of Circle & Line Dancing at Millennium Park before or after you go to “A Taste of Greece”.

Other Dance-Off Events (at various times that afternoon) include:

· Dance-Off Finale Competition, from contestants who showed off their footwork and steppin’ skills at a series of amateur competitions conducted in Eight Neighborhood Parks throughout the City this summer.

· Millennium Park Dance Village, featuring various local dance companies and advocacy groups with performances and booths For Additional Chicago SummerDance Info visit: www.chicagosummerdance.org

Monday, August 7, 2017

CANCELLED: Fox Valley Folk Fest Geneva, IL Sep 3-4, 2017

UPDATE: unfortunately, recent flooding has caused the festival to be cancelled. See http://foxvalleyfolk.com/

--- 2017 FESTIVAL CANCELLED!! ---

Recent flooding of the Fox River had much of Island Park under water for up to 3 weeks...cancelling was the only option..

Fox Valley Folk Festival
~~Sun-Mon, Sep 3-4, 2017~~
~~Island Park, Geneva, IL~~
~~Festival Hours: -- Eight Stages Run From 11 AM to 6 PM Both Days.~~
~~On Sunday Only, From 6 to 7:30 PM: Old-Time Community Barn Dance~~
http://foxvalleyfolk.com/

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Miserlou for surf guitar, drill, and oven

Monday, July 17, 2017

Mediterranean Summer Fest Sun Aug 6 Northlake, IL

Mediterranean Summer Fest
Sunday Aug 6th 12pm-11pm
St. John The Baptist Melkite Catholic Church
200 E North Ave, Northlake, Illinois 60164
Cover: Free Entry
Food: Saj, Shawarma, Falafel, Tacos, Baklava, and more!
Live music and dance-floor
https://www.facebook.com/events/1213277185467645/
https://www.stjohnmelkite.com/event/mediterranean-summer-fest/

Friday, July 14, 2017

Alliance Francaise Dupage Bastille Day Picnic Sat July 15, 2016

Ashli will be teaching some French folk dances at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm at the Alliance Francaise Dupage Bastille Day Picnic
http://www.afdupage.com/special-events.html
Saturday, July 15, 2017 - 12:00 noon
Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, East Shelter (Google Maps Link)
off Butterfield Road in Wheaton, IL
Potluck food buffet, music, folk dance instruction

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Evanston World Arts+Music Festival July 15-17, 2017

Evanston World Arts+Music Festival, July 15-16, noon-7pm, Dawes Park, Evanston, IL

https://www.cityofevanston.org/government/departments/parks-recreation-community-services/programs-events/festivals/world-arts-music-festival

The above link gives the complete schedule; A couple of the performances to note on Saturday, July 15:

1:55-2:20pm	Field Performance	Dabkeh Workshop with Muna Zarour	Music and dance from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria

3:15-3:40pm	Field Performance	Ensemble Balkanske Igre	Balkan music and dance

Chgo Tribune: SummerDance article

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/dance/ct-summerdance-dance-card-ent-0712-20170711-column.html

"...The 21st edition of SummerDance is also getting a significant upgrade as the popular evening event including instruction in a variety of partner dances accompanied by live music expands from its longtime home in Grant Park's Spirit of Music Garden to include satellite events in neighborhood parks all over the city. Also new this year is the SummerDance Celebration, to be held Aug. 26 in Millennium Park. The all-day dance festival boasts cultural dance lessons, an expo of local arts organizations hosted by Audience Architects/SeeChicagoDance, and the final rounds of the first-ever SummerDance-off, a competition featuring amateur performers of two homegrown dance styles: footworking and steppin', which is a Chicago-style evolution of West Coast swing...

SummerDance continues through Sept. 10, Fridays through Sundays in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park, and Thursdays and Saturdays at eight neighborhood parks throughout the city. The SummerDance Celebration runs noon to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 26 in Millennium Park. All events are free. For more information and the full schedule of all SummerDance-related events, visit www.chicagosummerdance.org."

NOTE: The Aug 26 Summerdance Celebration includes this event, among many others:

Paul Collins, Circle Dance Lesson on the Great Lawn, Jay Pritzker Pavilion
3–4pm
This circle dance lesson, led and DJed by Paul Collins on the Great Lawn of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, will encompass Central and Eastern European folk dances and will be a family-friendly, all-ages experience.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

TIME: Why Dancing Is the Best Thing You Can Do For Your Body

http://time.com/4828793/dancing-dance-aerobic-exercise/

Dance floors tend to be sweaty places for a reason. All of those shimmies and shakes burn energy like you wouldn’t believe—and come with many other surprising health benefits, too. When you cut a rug, you can expend more than 300 calories every half-hour, according to a report from the University of Brighton in the UK. That meets or exceeds the amount of energy you burn during an easy run or swim, the report shows. Even relatively tame forms of dance burn about the same number of calories as... Read the full story

Saturday, July 8, 2017

St Haralambos Greek Food Fest Jul 14-16, Niles

The Big Greek Food Fest of Niles
HOLY TAXIARHAI & ST HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
7373 Caldwell Ave, Niles, IL
Phone (847) 647-8880
Fri, July 14: 5 PM To 12 midnight
Sat, July 15: 3 PM To 12 midnight
Sun, July 16: 3 PM To 12 midnight

Greek music & dancers, in addition to food.
Free admission (free will gifts welcome)

Friday, July 7, 2017

Irish American Heritage Fest Chicago Jul 7-9, 2017

http://irish-american.org/at-the-center/iahc-irish-fest/

Irish Fest 2017
6pm to Midnight on Friday, July 7, Noon-Midnight on Saturday, July 8 and Noon-11pm on Sunday, July 9.
at the Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N Knox Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
Phone: 773-282-7035

Monday, July 3, 2017

St Spyridon Greek Fest - Palos Hts, July 8-9,2017

St Spyridon's Greek Festival
12307 S Ridgeland, Palos Heights, IL
July 8th & 9th
Saturday 3pm-11pm
Sunday 11am-11pm
Admission $2 adults
Greek food, music, dancing, dance troupe performances
http://www.saint-spyridon.org/
https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Spyridon-Hellenic-Orthodox-Church-136400283058968/

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Sad news: Robert Yonco

We got some e-mail yesterday that Robert (Bob) Yonco, "a past president of the Argonne Folk Dancers...[who] loved international dancing" according to his obituary, recently passed away. I think he must have been before my time, but some of you who have been around longer might remember him.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=185797794

There's a photo that includes him on the ethnicdance.net page for Herman Johnson's 90th celebration: http://www.ethnicdance.net/herman_johnson/herman_gallery_90th_birthday-1.html

Friday, June 2, 2017

Not meeting Fri June 2, 2017 - June camp

We won't be meeting for dancing in Downers Grove Friday, June 2, because many of us will be attending June Camp. Hope to see you in the following weeks, when we should have some new dances to share.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Fortune Cookie, Chicago Summerdance

Had lunch ~~today~~ at an Asian restaurant, this was in my fortune cookie:

Speaking of which, here's the link for Chicago Summerdance: http://chicagosummerdance.org/
~~The details aren't up yet, but~~ here are the dates:
Fridays-Sundays, June 23-September 10, 2017 • Grant Park, Spirit of the Music Garden Saturdays & Thursdays, July 13-September 14, 2017 • Eight Neighborhood Parks throughout the City

Update: The schedule is up now: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_summerdance6.html

A few that look interesting:

July 5, 6-9pm Irish Folk Music + Dancing Bua(Irish Folk Music) Trinity Irish Dance (Irish Folk Dancing) Part of Taste of Chicago
July 16, 4-7pm Italian Folk Music + Dancing Newpoli(Italian Folk Music + Dance) Newpoli will teach Pizzica, a traditional tarantella from Apulia called “Salento”
Sept. 3, 6-9:30pm Contra + Square Dance Volo Bogtrotters (Country and Square Dance) Paul Tyler (Caller)

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Stara Vlajna

After there was some discussion about how to do Stara Vlajna last Friday, Susan found this link:
http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2013/05/two-variations-on-serbian-folk-dance.html

She says: "After doing Stara Vlanja the way I learned it on the East Coast and getting some rather interesting comments, I found these two versions(of several) posts on the internet as to style. Dunav does the dance the way I learned it and Evansville apparently the way some of the midwesterners learned it. So whichever style you choose, just enjoy it. "

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Door Co Folk Fest Jul 12-16, Contra Dance Weekend July 14-16

Door County Folk Festival (We-Su, Jul 12-16)
Contra Dance Weekend (Fr-Su, Jul 14-16)
http://www.dcff.net/
http://www.dccontrafest.net/

special guest Balkan dance instructor is Steve Kotansky.
The Festival also features a select group of Regional Dance Instructors (see website)
Guest Musicians are Tantsova Grupa (Nashville) and Nick Bratkovich (Tulsa).
The Contra Weekend guests include callers Jonathan Sivier and Meg Dedolph, Clogging instructor, Lynn Szatkowski, and Shape Note Singing leader Carol Crawford.
Guest Musicians include Rare Privilege, The Cosmic Otters, Jason Busnieweski and the DCFA Contra Dance Band.
Program Overview

14 Ethnic Dance Workshops (Thu-Sun)
2 Ethnic Singing Workshops (Fri-Sat)
5 Ethnic Dance Parties (Wed-Sun)
9 Contra/Square Workshops (Fri-Sun)
2 Contra/Square Parties (Fri-Sat)
Family Barn Dance (Fri)
2 Shape Note Singing Sessions (Sat-Sun)
2 Lunchtime Dance Sessions (Fri-Sat)
Fish Boil Dinner (Sat)
2 Mini-Concerts (Thu-Fri)
Youth Activities (Fri-Sat)
Details: www.dcff.net/activities

NYT Article: Dancing May Be Best for the Brain

Roo alerted us to this interesting article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/well/walk-stretch-or-dance-dancing-may-be-best-for-the-brain.html

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Chicago Spelmanslag - Fermilab Barn, Sat May 6, 2017

Chicago Spelmanslag will be performing at the Fermilab Barn on Saturday evening May 6, 2017. Here's the tentative schedule:

~6:15 - 7:15pm Slängpolska dance workshop

7:30pm - 8:15pm Social dance

8:15pm Dance display

8:30pm More social dance

9:15pm Second dance display

9:30pm More social dance

10:30ish End and clear up

https://www.facebook.com/events/1632438116781339/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%223%22%2C%22ref_newsfeed_story_type%22%3A%22regular%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D

Featured Post