News and updates will be posted here and on the Events page, and we also send notices to our email list. If you don’t receive our emails and would like to, let us know through our Contact page and we’ll add you to the list.
Friday Night Dancing
Dates: Every Friday
Time: 7:30 PM till 9:30 PM
Place: Altadena Community Church, 943 Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91001
Admission: $6 (members $5) Additional donations welcomed
Marshall Cates Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Laguna International Dancers gave their Southern California International Folk Dance Lifetime Achievement Award to our own Marshall Cates this year. The award was presented at the Laguna Folk Dance Festival last month. Marshall was acknowledged for over 41 years of service both at the co-op and at the Folk Dance Federation of California South. We all know we depend on him for dance teaching and leadership as well as knowledge and guidance on many other things. At the Federation he’s served two separate terms as president, one as vice president, five stints as chair of the Statewide festival, as well as many other committee chairmanships and board offices.
Laguna started the award in 2015 to honor “the pioneers who had a vision and worked consistently to create the great community that we enjoy today. We want to recognize, remember and honor these people in their lifetime, so they know how much we appreciate their contribution.”
Congratulations, Marshall!
Dancing at the Co-op this Month
In April, Cheryl Cates will be teaching Ec Ec, an Albanian line dance that you can see demonstrated here. On the second Friday of the month, Marshall Cates will be doing set dance review starting at 6:30 before our regular dancing. To see the full dance programs for each Friday, go to the This Month page.
Co-op Tee Shirts
We’ll be placing an order soon for Co-op tee shirts. They’re available in three styles–men’s, women’s crew neck, or women’s V neck–and you can choose from a large variety of colors, in sizes ranging from small to XXXL. Cost is $20 per shirt (feel free to order more than one), and the order form will be available on Friday nights for at least the next few weeks. Thanks go to Ellen Stern for the beautiful design!
We’ve now also added full zip hoodies with the logo on the back. Hoodies are $40 each. Friday, April 19, will be the last chance to get in on this order, so if you want either a Tee or a hoodie and haven’t place your order yet, come on Friday, or if you can’t make it, use the contact page to arrange getting your order in.
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.
Federation Scholarships
Are you interested in attending folk dance festivals and camps, but maybe a little short of funds? The Federation offers scholarships for camps and festivals to dancers who are participating in their local clubs and supporting the growth of international folk dance. You can receive up to half of camp tuition or the full registration fee to festivals with teaching. Click here to find out how to apply.
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 (April 2023) and if you’re interested in a subscription, send an email to: subscriptions@FolkDanceScene.org.
Beginner Orientation
We offer beginner orientation sessions, scheduled according to interest and availability. When we have them, it’s a half-hour session starting at 7:00 before our regular dancing begins. We cover types of folk dances, hand holds, some basic folk dance patterns, and two or three of the simplest dances.
To find out about future sessions, use the Contact page. If you’ve attended before, it’s fine to schedule again for a refresher, or if you know an interested beginner, please send them this way.
Yves Moreau
One of the shinning lights of the world folk-dance community went out this past September. Yves Moreau was a master folk dance teacher especially renowned for his expertise in Bulgarian dance. He was instrumental in popularizing folk dance in the US and Canada, and was well loved for the generosity, joy, and inspiration he brought to the folk dance community. Dance groups throughout the world are honoring him in various ways. Those who knew him or attended his workshops may appreciate this collection of clips from events at the San Diego Folk Dance Center, put together by Mary Marshall and Steve Gould: Remembering Yves Moreau – Dance workshops and parties in 2005 and 2007
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Current Covid-19 Protocols for Co-op Dancing
As of March 24, 2023 we no longer require proof of Covid-19 vaccination.
- Do not attend if you are sick
- Face masks are strongly 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