Welcome to the Friday Night Dance at Glen Echo
Welcome to the Friday Night Dance at Glen Echo
The Friday Night Dancers and the Folklore Society of Greater Washington are excited to present:
"A Celebration of DC Dance" June 15 through June 17, 2012.
featuring Serpentine with Adina Gordon/Anna Rain, Contra Sonic, Cabaret Sauvignon, the Morrison Brothers with Robbin Marcus, Waverly Station with Joseph Pimental, Open Band with Greg Frock, Sugar Beat with Janine Smith, Frog Hammer with Michael Barraclough. More detail...
The Friday night dances are brought to you by the Friday Night Dancers, Inc (a nonprofit, community-based organization) in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, the National Park Service, and Montgomery County, MD. Dances are held every Friday evening from 8:30 to 11:30 in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard , Glen Echo, Maryland 20812. Admission is $9. Contra dance is a type of folk dance for all ages and a social dance in the most literal sense. It is a great way to meet lots of new people and potentially make new friends. You do not need to bring a partner. Bring proper attire.
Dance all evening to top quality live music in an alcohol-free environment. Music may be traditional or modern inspired by folk tunes. For examples of what Contra dance music sounds like, visit Robert Cox's contra podcast page.
Beginners are always welcome! There is a beginner's lesson every Friday from 7:30 pm - 8:15 pm which is included in the price of admission. Beginners learn faster and have a better time when they dance with experienced dancers, rather than other beginners. We encourage beginners to ask Dance Buddies to be their dance partner. Dance Buddies are experienced dancers who enjoy dancing with beginners and who volunteer to help beginners have a fun experience. They are identified by the name tag with a happy face sticker or a button that says “Dance Buddy.” Dancers who wish to be Dance Buddies should inquire at the admission desk.
There is always a Dance Manager on hand every Friday to answer questions and solve problems that arise during the evening. If you need to speak with the manager on duty, ask the person at the admission table to locate the manager or another Board member.
The Friday Night Dance is now a recurring "Special Event" at Commuter Connections. Commuter Connections is a free service that will present potential carpooling matches based on where you need to leave from and where you want to go. You must register to use the service. Go to: https://tdm.commuterconnections.org/mwcog/
On the second Friday of each month, the "Fabulous Glen Echo Open Band" provides the music for the dance. Both amateur and professional musicians are welcome to sit in and are admitted free. One of our Open Band members, penny-whistler Jim Stahler, has compiled an 18-year list of tunes played by the Glen Echo Open Band and how many times they were played. Newer members are encouraged to download the shorter list of recently played tunes so they can practice the most frequently played tunes. Both lists are Word .doc files. Here is a podcast that offers the sets of songs along with the page info in some of the popular books such as the Portland Collection and Fiddlers Fakebook. For more information regarding the open band, check out the Open Band FAQ or send email to Jim Stahler: jstahler at earthlink dot net. If you would like to play or call for a Friday Night Dance, send email to FND Booking at: fndgigs at petml dot com.
The Friday Night Dancers are accepting applications for volunteers to help out at dance activities and with behind-the-scenes tasks. Applications are available at the desk by the door at every dance or send an email to info at fridaynightdance dot org (copy and paste the address into your email page).
Help expand the contra dance community in the Washington, DC area. Download, print and distribute the Friday Night Dancers (FND) contra dance flyer. The continued growth and success of the Friday Night Dance is dependent on the growth of our dance community. Post the flyer in your office, health club, local coffee shops, bookstore, school, grocery store, library, etc. Note: many establishments have rules regarding the posting of materials. Please ask permission from management before posting.
If you have shot photographs or movies at a recent dance and would like them to be posted on our website, please send us an email and a link to them.
Most of the more recent photography is from Charlie Tupitza.
Join hundreds and get weekly announcements about upcoming dances and other news for the Friday Night Dance Community sent to you automatically by email: info at fridaynightdance dot org.
In case of severe weather, if Glen Echo Park is closed then the dance is cancelled. Call the Glen Echo Park hotline at 301-320-2330 after 3pm for more information.
To subscribe to FNDWeekly or if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the Friday Night Dance at Glen Echo or about contra dancing, please send an email to the FND Board at Info at FridayNightDance dot org or fndgigs at petml dot com (performers).
At-large Board Members
Vickie North, President
Jackie Hoglund, Vice President and Volunteer Scheduler
Michael Barraclough, Band Booking
Dominique Dancourt, Webmaster
Jim Faruki
Steve Kaufman, Publicity
Kevin Mabon, Caller Booking, Button Making
Rod Rowan, Sound
Mame Templeton, Dance Manager Scheduler
Cat Tucker, Secretary
Jay Wells, Treasurer
Last modified: May 12, 2012