Welcome to Redding International Folk Dancers

We are a recreational international folk dance group in Redding, California. Currently we are hosting two different dances series:

1) INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCING on FRIDAYS:

We dance Fridays from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Redding Arts Project (formerly the Redding Ballet Academie), 1726 Market Street, across from the Cascade Theatre. Cost is $3. (First-timers are free!)

All Fridays September through June. See postings below for holidays or other occasional schedule changes.

Each evening is a combination of teaching, review, and open request dances. You'll hear a wide range of diverse music. Folk dance is great exercise and just plain fun. Our dances come from all around the world.

If you're interested in coming...Stop by, drop in for just a while or for the whole evening. We tend to start the evening with easier dances and work in intermediate to advanced dances as the night goes on.

2) MONTHLY CONTRA DANCES

On select Saturdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. Our currently scheduled dates for 2019 are: April 27, Summer Break, September 27, October 25, November 16.

Admission $8 adults/$4 students

Contra Dances are at:
Odd Fellows hall in Palo Cedro IOOF/Rebekah Hall - Off of Hwy 44 22551 Silverlode Lane



FOR EITHER TYPE of DANCE...

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We recommend shoes that stay securely on your feet (no flip flops!) and with a smooth or light tread (so you can pivot or slide a bit). Bring water.

All dancers are welcome: beginners, experienced folk dancers, guests, visitors....anyone who enjoys dancing. No partner required. (Contra dances are a "partnered" dance, but we don't have fixed partners so everyone gets a chance to join in.)


Updates on the schedule and special events are listed below. Most recent announcements are at the top.



Wednesday, May 20, 2015

May & June Dancing

Regular folk dancing on Friday nights continues through the end of June.
And....
Join us for two more contra dances before the summer break!
7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Saturday, June 27
$8 admission adults/ $4 students
Location: Palo Cedro IOOF/Rebekah Hall - Off of Hwy 44   22551 Silverlode Lane

Wear shoes comfy for dancing. And, though we'll have bottled water for sale, you're welcome to bring your own hydration! Snacks will be shared as potluck (simple finger foods).
Live music. All dances taught/called.
Singles, couples, beginners, experienced dancers...all are welcome!

And just what is contra dance?! Here's a great description:
Contra dance is a folk dance from New England.  It originally traveled to American shores from the Old World, where it began life as a hybridization of 17th century English country dances and French court dances. Thus contra dance looks like the sort of ballroom dance that you might know from Jane Austen movies: couples are arranged in long paired lines that run the length of the ballroom, and they interact with adjacent couples through a series of movements like do-si-dos, swings and chains that serve to pass couples up and down the line, all as a “caller” calls out instructions and a live band plays merry folk tunes. 
 The relative formality of the dance sequences are balanced by an almost total lack of rules in terms of style and footwork. And when it comes to swinging — which is essentially twirling in a circle with your dance partner, fairytale-style — all bets are off around how the two of you will manage to stay upright, except that you’ll figure it out. (Bonnie Chan/Oakland Local)