Co-op Dancing in May

Every Friday
7:30 PM till 9:30 PM
with special programs starting at 6:30
St James Episcopal Church
1325 Monterey Rd
South Pasadena, CA  91030
Admission: $8 (members $7)

This month during the 8:00 teaching sessions, Pat Cross and Don Krotser will co-teach Četvorno Šopsko Horo, a Bulgarian line dance sequenced by Yves Moreau from traditional Cetvorno patterns he learned in Bistrica, Bulgaria. 

The month of May has five Fridays this year, so we’ll be having a party night at the end of the month. On May 27th we’ll have live music by the Fifth Friday band plus all-request recorded dance music.

1st and 3rd Friday Beginners’ Hour
On the first and third Fridays, from 6:30 till 7:30, Mari Werner will teach and review beginner level dances and review folk dance basics as needed. Beginners can start the class on either the first or third Friday of any month–the curriculum is adjusted depending on attendees.

2nd Friday Set Dance Review 
Marshall Cates leads set dance review in the 6:30 till 7:30 slot on the second Friday of each month.  Set dance review is dark for May 2026, but planning to resume in June.

4th Friday Intermediate/Advanced Teaching
On the fourth Fridays from 6:30 till 7:30, teachers, Toti O’Brien, Valerie Daley, and Rick Cofield teach and review of some of the more challenging dances in our music library. 

Spring Festival in Somis

The Somis Spring Festival in April brought together dancers from all over the region for a Federation sponsored afternoon of dancing in a lovely little town in the farm country north of Camarillo. Thanks go to everyone who helped and participated, with special thank to Valerie Daley and to Jan and Marc Rayman as the driving organizers.

^{Rumor has it the fun level this year equaled or exceeded 2024 when this photo was taken}

Cerritos Festival

The Cerritos Folk Dancers are having their 17th Anniversary Festival on Saturday May 16th in Bellflower. They invite attending folk dance groups to lead or perform up to three dances, and Toti O’Brien has accepted the invitation on behalf of the co-op. She’ll be leading three Romanian dances: Hora Primăverii, Asta-I Hora Mare, and Aman Aman, which, though not advanced dances, have been announced and reviewed in the Fourth Friday Intermediate/Advanced teaching session in preparation for the event. 

Co-op dancers are encouraged to attend and participate even if you haven’t had the teaching. See Events for specifics on the festival. 

Federation Scholarships

The Folk Dance Federation of California, South, of which we are a member, offers scholarships to folk dance camps and festivals. The deadline for applying for a scholarship this year is May 15th. If you are interested in attending a camp or festival and could use some financial assistance, go here for the information on applying (the deadline date there has not been updated, but otherwise the information is correct). The process is simple, but please allow time for getting a letter of recommendation from your club. 

Board Meeting 

The Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op Board of Directors will be having a meeting on Zoom on Thursday, May 7th at 8:00 PM. A notice with the zoom link should go out to all members early next week.

On the agenda:

• Officers reports
• Upcoming board elections
• Future plans for Friday night programs
• Other agenda items?

Pasadena Folk Music Society 

Pasadena Folk Music Society is a non-profit organization that hosts folk music concerts at various venues in Pasadena. Coming up they have Irish, Scottish, Blue Grass, and a group called Kalos that mixes maritime music traditions from Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and North America. 

Coming soon:

• May 9: Kalos with a blend of maritime styles
• June 6: Bluegrass musicians, Laurie Lewis with Nina Gerber

Go to their website to find full details on these and other upcoming concerts as well as video links for the featured groups plus much more information. Pasadena Folk Music Society 

Memberships

The current membership year is from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. A membership costs $15 for the whole year, and it gets you a dollar off admission for Friday night dancing, makes you eligible to vote for the board of directors and to serve on the board, and it’s an expression of solidarity and support for the Co-op. To renew your membership or become a new member, see Lucie Cofield on any Friday evening. Or in the event Lucie can’t be there, Rick Cofield will be filling in.

From January 9, 2025

Dear Dancers,

Sadly, I have to inform you that our dance venue has burned down in the Eaton fire. Our condolences go out to the staff and members of Altadena Community Church, along with thanks for the years they’ve hosted us. A number of our dancers have been affected by the disaster, but by all reports, everyone is safe and well. I hope all of you are also safe and well.

We will dance again soon though not right away, and we won’t be able to have our Winter Festival on the 18th. After personally affected board members have had time to recover and regroup, we’ll meet and organize and find a new venue. Possibly we’ll dance at a temporary venue for a little while. 

Dancing in the park will continue. See Nomad Dancers on the Associated Groups page, and you’ll find other dance groups listed there as well.

Please keep the faith and keep dancing in your heart. We shall overcome. Stay safe and well.

All the best, Mari Werner
for the Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op Board

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Folk Dance Resources

Most of you probably know that Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op is a member of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc. Through the federation we are connected with other folk dance groups around the region, and the federation provides us with support and a wealth of folk dance resources. They also sponsor our festivals and those of our sister organizations in the area. On their website you can find a directory of federation clubs, advices on teaching, organizing events, and managing clubs, as well videos and syllabi for an enormous library of dances, plus folk dance news and events, and more.

Something probably less well known is that via the federation we belong to the National Folk Organization (NFO). NFO also offers a wealth of resources on their website and through various events both online and in-person nationwide, and they offer scholarships to many of their events. Check out a recent newsletter to get a flavor of who they are and what they do.

Join the Folk Dance Federation Facebook Page

The Folk Dance Federation of California South now has a page in Facebook Groups here. If you’re a Facebook user, joining it will help you stay informed on all the great folk dance happenings going on in the whole region and also connect you with lots of folk dance clubs and individual folk dancers. 

Folk Dance Scene

Folk Dance Scene is the official publication of the Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc. It comes out ten times a year in both print and email form (monthly, with combined issues for June/July and December/January). In it you’ll find news and information on our sister clubs in the area plus interesting articles on folk dance, music, costumes, customs, lore, and culture of the peoples of the world, as well as news of folk dance opportunities in other regions. Design and layout are done by our own Pat Cross and Don Krotser. 

Click here to peruse a sample issue (March 2024) and if you’re interested in a subscription, send an email to: subscriptions@FolkDanceScene.org.

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Current Health Protocols for Co-op Dancing

• Do not attend if you are sick
• Face masks are recommended but not required
• Please bring your own water and any snacks you want to have
• Hand sanitizer is available

Some Co-op History

from Marshall Cates

In the middle  80’s the Pasadena Coop was at a very low state  We had been dancing at the Odd Fellow’s Lodge -upstairs when they suddenly doubled our rent. I was President at the time, so It fell on me to find a new location.  I thought I had a place at the congregational church, but when they said we had to quit at 10:30, it was a deal breaker (we were dancing to 11:30 at the time).  We finally settled on Holliston Church even though the floor was not wood. Slowly we lost people, eventually Ray Augustine quit coming. This was a serious blow as he and I were the main teachers with Ester Purcell doing beginning. He brought the new dances from Stockton.  We dropped to about 15 with Cheryl bringing refreshments, both of us opening and closing and me doing most of the teaching. We started quitting at 11:00.  About two years later Phil Gamble found Throop hall with its wonderful floor. Ray returned and we began again to flourish. By 1993 we had good attendance at both the New Year’s Eve party and the Winter Festival.

1990s

Quotes

The job of feet is walking, but their hobby is dancing.
– Amit Kalantri

Hard times require furious dancing.
– Alice Walker

Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.
– Voltaire

If you hit a wall, climb over it, crawl under it, or dance on top of it.
– Unknown