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
Dancing at the Co-op This Month
As mentioned below, we’ll have Beginners’ Hour from 6:30 till 7:30 on the first and third Fridays, and probably the fourth as well. Set dance review is back this month, so Marshall Cates will be leading set dancing from 6:30 till 7:30 on the second Friday.
Go to the This Month page on our website to see the teaching schedule and our full dance programs for each Friday.
Beginners’ Hour at the Co-op
We kicked off our Beginners’ Hour in September, and we’ve had five or six new dancers joining us for each session. The classes run from 6:30 till 7:30 PM every first and third Friday before our regular Friday night dancing. This month, since the 4th Friday is open, we’ll probably have it that night as well. We focus on beginner-level line dances, folk dance basics, and common folk dance patterns. Admission is free for the first time and thereafter it’s our usual $6, which includes the whole evening of dancing.
Come join us if you’re a beginner or send beginners if you’re not.
Co-op Memberships
Co-op memberships expired at the end of June. See Rick Bingle at dancing on any Friday night to renew your membership or to buy a new one if you’re not yet a member. A membership costs $10 for the full year and it gets you into Friday night dancing for $5 rather than the standard $6 as well as making you eligible to vote for the board of directors and to serve on the board. Plus it’s just a nice expression of solidarity and support for the Co-op.
Pasadena Folk Dance Co-op History — Information Wanted
We’re still seeking details of early co-op history to include on our website. Old timers out there, do you have historical data you can contribute? Please send it by reply email to this newsletter.
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 (March 2024) and if you’re interested in a subscription, send an email to: subscriptions@FolkDanceScene.org.
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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