Events

Friday Night Dancing

Dates: Every Friday
Time: 7:30 PM till 9:30 PM
with special programs starting at 6:30
Saint James Episcopal Church
1325 Monterey Rd., South Pasadena, CA 91030
Admission: $8 (members $7) Additional donations welcome

  • We have a teaching session around 8:00 where we teach one or more dances that are beginner or intermediate level. We usually teach the same dances all month, and whatever we teach will be on the playlist throughout the next month, so you get lots of practice.
  • The rest of the evening is programmed dances and requests from our large collection of recorded ethnic dance music from countries around the world. See our This Month page for upcoming playlists.
  • When a month has five Fridays, the fifth Friday is a party night. It’s all-request dancing and we take a break from teaching.
  • Beginners’ Hour is every 1st and 3rd Friday from 6:30 till 730. We go over folk dance basics and teach beginner level dances. Admission included with general admission.
  • Second-Friday set dancing 6:30 till 7:30: Marshall Cates leads set dance review starting at 6:30 before our regular dancing. These are mostly Scottish country dances, with occasionally dances from US, England, or other countries included. Admission included with general admission. 2nd Friday set dancing is dark for December and January but resuming in February.
  • Fourth Friday Intermediate teaching 6:30 till 7:30: Volunteer teachers, Toti O’Brien, Valerie Daley, and Rick Cofield will be teaching and reviewing some of the more challenging dances in our music library. he aim is to sustain or revive well-liked dances that sometimes tend to fall off the program for lack of a leader or enough participants. Experienced dancers, whether from the co-op or another club, you’re encouraged to attend and share your ideas.

Check back for updates, or if you’d like to get direct email updates, you can sign up for our email list on the Contact page.

Upcoming So Cal Events

Wednesday, December 31, 2025, 7:00 PM till 10:00 PM
**New Year’s Eve Dance Party at Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op**

Sponsored by: Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op

Saturday, January 24, 2026, 1:00 till 5:00 PM
**Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op Winter Festival**

Sponsored by: Folk Dance Federation of California, South

Friday to Sunday, January 30 to February 1, 2026Stockton Winter Weekend
ZOOM ONLY
REGISTRATION: Global Folk Dance Party (includes other events)
TEACHERS: Richard Powers, Tanya Dimitrov, Jaap Leegwater & Angel Nazlâmov, Shmulik Gov-Ari, Dimitâr Petrov.
MUSICIANS: Orkestar Outbound
INFORMATION: Parties, games, videos, puzzles, Sherry Cochran and Will Cope (History of Folk Bands), and more.
WEBSITE: https://stocktonfolkdancecamp.org/winter-weekend/
SPONSORED BY: Folk Dance Federation of California, Inc.

Saturday, February 21, 2026, 12:55 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Lunar New Year Festival at Cerritos Folk Dancers
Cerritos Senior Center, 12340 South St., Cerritos, CA 90703
Suggested donation: $15.00 per person at the door OR non-refundable $12.00 if prepaid by February 14, 2026.
Finger foods to share are welcome, but not necessary.
Teachers: To be announced
Contact: Sue Chen – 562-338-2298, cerritosfolkdancers@gmail.com
Sponsored by The Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.

Friday to Sunday, March 6 to 8, 2026
Folk Dance Festival at Laguna International Dancers
Clubhouse Two, 24112 Moulton Pkwy., Laguna Woods, CA 92637
Teachers: Ana Angelova (Bulgarian), Daniel Sandu (Romanian & Rom).
Dance parties, happy hours with dance requests, live music, great food and wine, an ice cream social, Sunday concert, plus beach dancing on Monday! Also, awarding of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Website: Laguna International Dancers

Sunday to Sunday, July 19 to 26, 2026
Stockton Folk Dance Camp, Week 1
University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
TEACHERS: Roo Lester (Scandinavian), Stacy Rose (Contras and Squares), Tineke van Geel (Armenian), Maurits van Geel (Romani and European), Daniel Sandu (Romanian Inspired), Bruce Hamilton (English).
MUSIC: By the Boston Three Party: Tom Pixton, Ralph Iverson, and Brian Wilson.
INFORMATION: The artists teach the same dances both weeks, but the Assemblies, Parties, and Evening Dancing are different each week.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT: $200.00 by check. Mail it to Registrar, 8151 Oakcrest Pl., Palo Cedro, California, 96073.
CONTACT: stocktonfolkdancecamp@gmail.com
WEBSITE: https://stocktonfolkdancecamp.org/summer-camp/
SPONSORED BY: Folk Dance Federation of California, Inc.

Sunday to Sunday, July 26 to August 2, 2026
Stockton Folk Dance Camp, Week 2
University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
TEACHERS: Roo Lester (Scandinavian), Stacy Rose (Contras and Squares), Tineke van Geel (Armenian), Maurits van Geel (Romani and European), Daniel Sandu (Romanian Inspired), Bruce Hamilton (English).
MUSIC: By the Boston Three Party: Tom Pixton, Ralph Iverson, and Brian Wilson.
INFORMATION: The artists teach the same dances both weeks, but the Assemblies, Parties, and Evening Dancing are different each week.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT: $200.00 by check. Mail it to Registrar, 8151 Oakcrest Pl., Palo Cedro, California, 96073.
CONTACT: stocktonfolkdancecamp@gmail.com
WEBSITE: https://stocktonfolkdancecamp.org/summer-camp/
SPONSORED BY: Folk Dance Federation of California, Inc.

See the Federation Calendar page for more details plus additional events.

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Current Health Protocols for Co-op Dancing:
Do not attend if you are sick
Please bring your own water to drink.