Dancing at Folklife 2016, Seattle Center over Memorial Day Weekend! Meet the world's cultures one dance at a time

Dear dance friends,

Ah, the wild, magical and chaotic beauty of Folklife!  Where else can you dance nearly every kind of dance you can imagine, all for the cost of a daily donation? ($10 per day requested, pay as you can) .

 Mark and I are looking forward to seeing many many friends, and making new acquaintances, at Seattle Center this weekend.  Since it can be overwhelming as well, here's a condensed schedule for familiar partner dances + a couple performances featuring friends (like us!  and Left Foot Boogi-ers). 

Savoy Swing Performance Troupe at Folklife 2015.  Photo by Laura Livingston, use with permission

All the items in red are dances / events we're counting on attending, with this caveat:  I leave room in my plans for serendipitous discoveries, intuitive diversions, and generally being led astray by happy interactions that can never be anticipated.  Maybe you'll find yourself dancing with a stranger and the chemistry is too good to leave until the end of that set.... or you find a string band doing improv with an opera singer... or you slide into a seat at one of the theaters and become mesmerized by the experimental film you're watching... or the sea shanties being sung in the beer garden are as intoxicating as your stout!  

Here's one of my strategies for enjoying Folklife:  after I've already used my earplugs well while beating a drum in the rhythm circle, and joined an impromptu parade, and danced my socks off, I migrate over to the Back Porch Stage, (map on pg. 24 of the program guide) also known as the Northwest Court area.  This is the home of wonderful indie + traditional acoustic music, with room to dance on the concrete plus visual arts and the crafts booths nearby.  

Lastly, PLEASE consider going green, as green as you can, this year. This is the microcosm of the world in it's finest light; let's bring our best, too.  Some ideas:  

Getting there:  carpool down, take Metro or enjoy a special deal from Folklife for trying Lyft, an Uber-like service; click here for more details:  Folklife transportation and parking

Bring Your Own: reusable drink / coffee cup, plasticware, cloth napkin, snacks (fun to share, and cheaper than buying all your food there, although who can resist a good foodcourt, or the annual elephant ear :) , and ground cloth for sitting on wet grass.  I bring a backpack and check it at the Roadhouse, or loop it around a chair leg.  Umbrella, too... looks like a good chance of some rain. 

Enjoy!  xox Margot

The Participatory Folklife Dance Schedule

Folklife is an amazing experience of music and dance over Memorial Day weekend. Here is the   dance schedule!  (click this link for more details at the 2016 NW Folklife site! ). 

Note :  Contra dance is a lot of fun, and it's the most popular dance form at Folklife.  Give it a whirl!  Basically any time you're at Fisher Pavilion / Roadhouse between other forms of dance, it'll be Contra dance time.  It's like Square dance, with a caller, but takes many forms and uses a wide variety of moves / patterns.... it's also a bit like riding a bumper car without a steering wheel, if it's your first time; embrace the chaos! 

Friday May 27

Armory Court: 

3 High School Jazz/Swing Bands 3:30–6 pm

3 Blues/ Swing Bands 7–9:45 pm  (lesson w Ari Levitt at 7:45 - 8)

Fisher Roadhouse (Pavilion ) : 

Two Cajun /Zydeco Bands 8–10 pm

Contra 11 am-8 pm

Fountain Lawn Stage: 

Blues 4:30-5:45

Saturday May 28 

Armory Court: 

Hula showcase and lesson 2 - 2:45 pm

3 Tango Bands 3-6 PM

Fisher Roadhouse: 

6-8pm  Jazz age partner dance / Swing dance  

    Jodi + Dean Patton teach One Step from 6:50 - 7 pm

Contra 11-1,   3-5   &  8-10 pm

Armory Loft: Dance Workshops all day

* Intiman Theater ?:  Annual Performer's Party (check in at Hospitality upstairs in the Armory to find out details, if you're performing - one year, this was the highlight of our weekend! )

Sunday May 29 

Fountain lawn    12-2pm  Zydeco

Fisher Roadhouse  1-3 pm  Western Swing 

1:40 pm  Left Foot  Boogie Swing performance troupe 

2- 2:45  check out Wylie & The Wild West, highly recommended!  

3-5pm  Cajun and  Zydeco  (lesson w MaryLee Lykes! at 3:50 )

8-10pm Waltz
8:40pm  Left Foot Boogie  Waltz performance troupe 

Monday May 30 

Armory Court: 
11-1pm  Cajun and  Zydeco

3-5pm  Swing

3 and 4pm   Savoy Swing Performance Group  (This is our troupe! and there's a Swing lesson, too  from 4 - 4:15) 
6-9pm  Salsa

Coastal Jam and Traditional Powwow, Sunday and Monday at Folklife