Because waltzes and some other couple dances (hambo, schottische) are played at the beginning of a dance evening or just before or after a break, I have made a list of groups and dance series which appear, on description, to be as informal in attitude as the crowd you'll see and meet at a contra dance. That means, for the most part, I have not included groups that appear to have an emphasis on attire, manners, etc. (Regency, Vintage), tend more toward dance performances or dance competition. It does not mean that simply because a group includes tango and swing along with waltzes during an evening, that I have not included them (there have been plenty of times I've heard a contra dance band strike up a swing tune after the last waltz). These inclusions and exclusions are not meant to place a value on any type of dancing, just that I have to limit, at some point, what types of dancing I will include on these lists. This is an adjunct page to my links about contra dancing.

Many of these groups will have lessons as part of an afternoon or evening of dancing or includes a separate class schedule for different types of couple dances. Some groups always have live music, others a mix and still more others play recorded music (which allows for a wide variety of tunes for waltz, for instance).

As always, if you have additions or corrections for this list, please e-mail me.

New links are simply new to me, not necessarily new to the World Wide Web. Change in URL means that a link has changed its WWW address or URL.

Waltzes and more

• Alaska, Anchorage: The Dancing Bears hold workshops for couple dances on Tuesday nights as part of the contra dance program and have a holiday waltz party in December.
• California, Los Angeles: Ballroom Dance Club and International Folk Dance Club at UCLA holds dances and lessons including waltzes.
• California, Oakland: Friday Night Waltz (but on Saturdays) features mainly waltzes, along with other dances like polka, one step, swing, cha cha, Lindy, schottische, mazurka, merengue, samba, and tango. 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Some live music dates.
• California, Palo Alto: Friday Night Waltz features mainly waltzes, along with other dances like polka, one step, swing, cha cha, Lindy, schottische, mazurka, merengue, samba, and tango. 1st and 3rd Fridays. Some live music dates.
• California, Sacramento: Sacramento Ballroom Society holds dances with mostly ballroom (waltz, but also swing and latin (bolero, salsa, tango, rumba) on 2nd and 4th Fridays. Change in date (March 16, 2008)
• California, San Diego: Waltz & Such with classes on Friday (recorded music?). They are dedicated to spreading the joy of vintage social dance through weekly informal classes, practice sessions, and special dance events. Their focus is on having FUN, and dancing with musicality. More towards the vintage side. New entry (March 9, 2008)
• California, Berkeley: Vintage Invasion has dance parties on the 4th Friday of the month including waltzes and polkas with classes on Tuesdays in Oakland and Wednesdays in Davis. Change in location and date (March 16, 2008)
• California, Stanford: Stanford Waltz Week (and Weekend) covers a wide range of waltz variations (traditional and contemporary forms side-by-side) plus tango, swing, Latin, ballroom, vintage and club dances in late June. Slight change URL (March 16, 2008)
• Colorado, Boulder: Waltz Dances on 5th Fridays. Live music.
• Colorado, Boulder: Waltz Etcetera including waltz, swing, polka, tango, foxtrot, hambo, blues, etc. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month.
• Colorado, Boulder: Tea Dances on the 2nd Sunday of the month including tango, waltz, foxtrot, one-step, or just dance cheek-to-cheek to the original music of the American social dance. Live music.
• Colorado, Fort Collins: Ballroom Dance Evenings with waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, rumba, samba, cha-cha-cha and iive with occasional Charleston, Merengue, Polka, etc.
• Connecticut, East Hartford: Mostly waltz, usually 1st or 2nd Sundays. Three of every four dances are waltzes. Live music.
• Connecticut, New Haven: Social waltz on 2nd Fridays including waltz, tango, schottische, lindy hop, one-step, polka, hustle, samba and foxtrot. Recorded music.
• Florida, Gainsville Waltz Gainsville has dances which include waltzes and some other partner dances on the Sunday following the 3rd Saturday. There are associated dances on Tuesdays.
• Georgia, Atlanta: WaltzPlay holds regularly scheduled dances every Sunday afternoon. In addition to waltzes of various tempos, they do many other types of dances also: swing, ragtime tango, one-step, polka, Hambo, etc. Some dates with live music.
• Georgia, Covington: WaltzPlay Fall Retreat in late October-early November with two dance tracks offered, a waltz (i.e. cross-step, latin fusion, smooth jazz era, ragtime, hesitation and rotary) and non-waltz track (i.e. Swing, 20s Charleston, Rhumba, Salsa, Night Club 2 Step). Saturday night a masked ball will be hosted. New entry (April 25, 2008)
• Illinois, Urbana: Evening of Waltzing and More about once every three or four months sponsored by the Central Illinois English Country Dancers, the Dance Club and the Urbana Country Dancers with live music. New entry (February 18, 2008)
• Kentucky, Lexington: Mostly Waltz - A Vintage Sample on the first Friday of each month with live music. Each event includes lots of waltzes, plus an occasional polka, schottische, tango, one-step, foxtrot, blues, or other favorite dance. Live music.
• Maryland, Glen Echo: Waltz time on 1st and 3rd Sundays.Included in the day of waltzing are always a few other couples dances, including swing/lindy, tango, hambo, zwiefacher, schottische and polka. Live music.
• Maryland, Glen Echo: Folk Waltz Fundamentals on Thursdays. This class will teach you the joy of a turning folk waltz and the romance of Argentine Tango. (This is one of several classes on Thursdays including swing and Charleston and Blues Dancing--CAS).
• Massachusetts, Greenfield: There are occasional waltz events at the Guiding Star Grange on various dates with live music. New entry (January 29, 2008)
• Massachusetts, Mansfield: New England Folk Festival in late April includes a number of Scandinavian dance events in its programming.
• Massachusetts, Medford: Mostly Waltz, generally on the last or next to last Sunday. A variety of waltz tunes and tempos will be played, and every third number will be a different couple dance - polka, hambo, schottis, swing, tango, one-step, zwiefacher, etc. Live music.
• Massachusetts, Whately: Whately Dance Barn holds occasional Mostly Waltz dances with live music.
• Minnesota, Minneapolis: Tapestry Folk Center hosts occasional Mostly Waltz events with live music.
• Missouri, St. Louis: St. Louis Vintage Dance Society holds dances on 2nd Saturdays with about 2/3 of the dances are waltzes, with the others being a mix of polka, tango, schottisch, hambo or ragtime. Live music.
• Missouri, St. Louis: Childgrove Country Dancers hold waltz parties with waltzes and other social dances on 2nd Sundays. Live music.
• North Carolina, Durham: Although the evening (early evening on 3rd Saturdays) is dedicated to mostly waltz, the mix will also include a few tunes from other dance styles such as Swing, Charleston, Tango, One-Step, Blues, Foxtrot, Polka, Schottische, etc. New entry (July 10, 2008)
• Ohio, Cleveland Heights: Waltzes on 2nd (or thereabouts) Sundays. Change in dates (November 7, 2007)
• Ohio, Dayton: an hour of waltzing before the 1st Friday contra dance. New entry (February 17, 2008)
• Ohio, Wooster: Ballroom dances with swing, waltz, fox trot, salsa, tango, cha cha, polka and more plus mixers on 4th Saturdays.
• Oregon, Portland: Waltz Eclectic occasionally indulges in swing and latin dances that are performed in one place on the dance floor, but our basic passion is for dances that travel while spinning and whirling about until we are giddy (including blues, various types of waltzes, tango vals, one-step, foxtrot and polka). Every Thursday to eclectic CD music, some Sunday brunches and potlucks to CDs and various live music dates.
• Ontario, Toronto: Waltz and Swing Weekend in early April with Richard Powers. New entry (March 9, 2008)
• Pennsylvania, Broomall: Mostly Waltz, usually on the 4th Sunday and occasional other Sundays with a program which includes other couple dances, such as polka, one-step, schottische, swing, tango, etc. Live music. Also 2nd Mondays with recorded music and a series of lessons on Mondays during the spring of 2008. Updated information (March 9, 2008)
• Pennsylvania, Pocono Manor: Pocono Waltz Weekend from October 31 through November 2, 2008. Updated dates (March 16, 2008)
• Virginia, Charlottesville: Waltzing with Gaye on various Wednesdays to live music. Updated date (March 16, 2008)
• Virginia, Greenwood: Waltzes on various 2nd and 4th Sundays just before the Greenwood contradance with live music. New entry (January 24, 2008)
• Washington, Seattle: Seattle Mountaineers Folk Dance, every Tuesday with taped international folk dance music that includes waltzes, schottisches, polkas and more.
• Washington, Seattle: Waltz, etcetera weekly Monday dance. (Sounds like its a variety of types of dances, but nothing specified outside of dancing to the blues--CAS). Some live music dates.
• Washington, Seattle: Sonny Newman's Dance Hall on the 2nd Friday of each month with live music and recorded music during the breaks. Waltz lesson before the dance.
• Washington, Seattle: Dance for Joy! features classes, workshops and events in Waltz, Swing, Zydeco and Blues. New entry (March 9, 2008)
• Wayne Albright and Gaye Fifer, waltz instructors and dance callers.

Scandinavian

Again, I have tried to emphasize groups and dance series which are not performance oriented and appear to be as informal as the crowd that you'll see and meet at a contra dance.

• Event listings: The Hardanger Fiddle Association of America lists events preserving and promoting Norwegian Hardanger fiddle and related traditions of Norwegian music and dance. New entry (March 16, 2008)
• Event listings: Northern California Spelmanslag has Scandinavian Music and Dance Events Elsewhere in the United States. New entry (March 16, 2008)
• Event listings: Skandia Folkdance Society's calendar of events in the Pacific Northwest and other locations. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• British Columbia, Vancouver: Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver dance schottis, waltz, hambo, polka, etc. on Wednesday nights. Some live music dates.
• California, Mendocino: Scandia Camp Mendocino is an annual week-long residential camp in June which presents participants the opportunity to learn in depth about the folk music, dance and cultural traditions of Scandinavia.
• California, Northern: Northern California Spelmanslag consists of a central organization and four member groups: Nordahl Grieg Leikarring, Nordic Footnotes, Mid-Peninsula Scandinavian Dance Group, and Scandiadans. It organizes and presents festivals which include extensive instruction in both folk dance and folk music, concerts with dance demonstrations, and dance parties.
• California, Southern: Bob's Dance and Music aka Dancin-Fool.com has information about Scandinavian Dance & Music in and around Los Angeles. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• Colorado, Boulder: are a performance group promoting the dance and music of Scandinavia including a monthly social dance on the 2nd Saturday of each month, and also an annual Spring workshop with teachers from Sweden or Norway, teaching both dance and music. New entry (March 16, 2008)
• District of Columbia: The Annual Spring Springar Spree occurs in May with a weekend of couples dancing to fiddle music. New entry (March 16, 2008)
• Illinois, Downings Grove: Scandinavian Turning Dance Basics Class on Sunday evenings with live music for most classes. (Last classes mentioned were in 2007) New entry (May 4, 2008)
• Maryland, Bethesda: Beginning and Advanced Scandinavian dance classes on Tuesday (and some Thursday) nights including hambo, schottish, waltz, snoa, zwiefacher, and other couple turning dances and dances from Boda, Orsa, RŠttvick, Follinge, Viksta, Varnas, Telemark, and Valdres, as well as others, including your requests.
• Maryland, Greenbelt: Scandia D.C. is dedicated to the enjoyment of Norwegian and Swedish couple turning dances. 3rd Saturdays except summer. Gammaldans such as hambo, schottish, snoa (polka), mazurka, pols, reinlender, and Scandinavian waltz. Also bygededanser (regional and village dances such as Telespringar, Rżrospols, Bodapolska, Bingsjšpolska, etc.) from many different parts of Norway and Sweden. Live music.
• Massachusetts, Arlington: Speledans is the Boston area's Scandinavian folk dance organization. Dances on 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 2nd Sundays and 3rd Fridays (check ahead for Friday dances). Dances includes hambo and schottische.
• Massachusetts, Montague: Scandinavian dance, music for traditional couples dancing on 3rd Sundays. Live music.
• Minnesota, Minneapolis: Tapestry Folk Center hosts 1st Friday Scandinavian dancing (including waltz, schottish, polka, and snoa) with live music.
• Minnesota, Minneapolis: Scandinavian Sunday (generally 2nd and 4th Sundays) social dance (dances include gammaldans (waltz, polka, schottische, mazurka, and hambo) plus polskas, pols, springars, mixers and more. Live music. No dates listed after 2006 (March 16, 2008)
• Minnesota, Nisswa Nisswa-Stamman is an annual Scandinavian Folk Music Festival which includes some dancing and is held in June. New entry (March 16, 2008)
• Missouri, St. Louis: Scandinavian Bygdedans (village dancing), or general international couple dances on various Sundays. Dances are occasionally taught or reviewed. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• New Jersey, Bound Brook: Thursday evenings. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• New Mexico, Socorro: Southwest International Folk Dance Institute's Folk Dance Camp in August includes Scandinavian dance as a major part of its offerings. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• New York, New York: Wednesday nights with gammaldans favorites (schottis, waltz, hambo, polka), and featured polskas or other bygdedans (regional dance) variations from Sweden and Norway with live music. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• Oregon, Portland: Scandieclectic does un-choreographed social dancing on many Sundays, mostly waltz, as they do at Argentine vals tango or Waltz Eclectic dances, based on the fundamental traveling rotary ideas of traditional scandinavian folkdances, combined with cross-step waltz--danced to an eclectic mix of traditional scandinavian, folk-waltz, and modern music.
• Oregon, Portland: Norske Runddansere sponsors dances every Monday night except holidays with an hour of instruction during non-summer months and workshops and special dances at various times throughout the year. New entry (March 8, 2008)
• Salem, Portland: Norske Runddansere includes listings for the monthly Scandia of Salem's Fourth Friday (but not always) dance. New entry (March 8, 2008)
• Washington, Seabeck: Springdans Northwest, annual dance and music weekend held in April. New entry (March 8, 2008)
• Washington, Seattle: Skandia Folkdance Society holds dance parties on the 1st and 3rd Fridqys of the month (sometimes 5th Fridays) along with classes and other events at other times.
• West Virginia, Capon Bridge: Nordic Fiddles & Feet, a week of Swedish and Norwegian music and dance in late June/early July.
• West Virginia, High View: Buffalo on the Danube weekend which includes Scandinavian and other international music and dance. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• Wisconsin, Dodgeville: Folklore Village Farm hosts occasional Scandinavian dance and music events.
• Wisconsin, Dodgeville: Hardanger Fiddle Association of America Annual Workshop and Meeting in July. New entry (May 4, 2008)
• Bands: Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley and Charlie Pilzer are featured artists on recordings such as "Hambo in the Snow". New entry (April 21, 2008)
• Organizations: Hardanger Fiddle Association of America.
• Organizations: American Nyckelharpa Association.

This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:

http://www.contradancelinks.com/waltz.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
This page last updated on July 10, 2008.