The Friday Night Dancers organization was formed in 1985 in response to a Request for Proposals from the National Park Service, Glen Echo Park. The original committee was a group of nine dancers, callers and musicians.
The Friday Night Dance had several local ancestors, including dances run by Lou Shapiro and Bruce Strand.
The “Dance Committee,” as it was known then, proposed to the Park Service a weekly Friday night square and contra dance, which would also include English Country dancing and American couple dances. The proposal also promised a beginners' lesson, a mix of New England and Old-Time styles, an open band every four to six weeks and both local and out-of-town talent.
On May 3, 1985, the Friday Night Dancers (FND) sponsored its first dance at Glen Echo Park. For many years, FND held fair weather dances at Glen Echo and winter dances at other locations, including the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC and Durant Recreation Center in Alexandria, VA. A few “Polar Bear Balls” were held at Glen Echo in winter over those years, but beginning in winter 1993-94, FND remained at Glen Echo Park yearlong.
Attendance over the years has grown from approximately 150 in 1985 to 250 in 1989, where the dance has stabilized (1999). FND used only a few different bands and callers its first year; today, FND hires 30-40 different bands and callers per year. The Friday Night Open Band plays once a month, providing an important training ground for area musicians.
Today, the Friday Night Dancers Board of Directors has 12 members, up from a low of four in the mid-1990s, and governs itself based upon Robert's Rules of Order.