Our Folkdance Group
Ann Kyle and Ken Charkow founded Calgary Folkdance Fridays 35 years ago. Originally, the group danced out of the University of Calgary. After several venue changes, we found a home at the Evergreen Community Spaces. We are both a multigenerational and a multicultural dance group. We are a mixture of experienced dancers and absolute beginners. The ages of our members spanning six decades! We have a core group of about 20 regular members, and many others who drop in as the dancing spirit moves them.
To get to know us a little better, you may want to join our Calgary Folkdance Fridays Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/128483373844960/
We post videos, suggestions, jokes and comments on our fb page.
What is International Folkdance
Centuries old circle folk dances come from Europe and the Middle East. Dances range from slow and simple to complex and lively! Some dances are centuries old, but we also choreograph new dances all the time. We dance in a circle holding hands most dances. Therefore, dancers do not need a partner.
Folk dances are done to the ethnic music of their country of origin and reflect the identity of the people from that region. Folkdance Fridays is unique in bringing a variety of dance cultures and styles to its members. International folk dance clubs became popular in the 1970s and spread across North America. Many major cities now have international folk dance groups, often under the umbrella of “Folkdance Fridays”. Our repertoire is weighed towards Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. However, we also do dances from China, Japan and Latin America. Our current selection consists of over 250 dances. We also host dance experts for weekend workshops from time to time.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_folk_dance