What is Ethnic Dance Chicago?

• Ethnic Dance Chicago (EDC) is a multi-ethnic group of people of all ages who enjoy the dances and music of many countries from around the world.  You might say the participants regard "Dancing As A Second Language".   Ethnic Folk Dancing is a great social mixer and an aerobic workout of which even your personal trainer would approve. 

• Since 1987, EDC (a not-for-profit organization) has promoted the enjoyment, sharing, understanding and preservation of the dance and music heritage of Chicago's many ethnic groups as well as the heritage of traditional American dance and music. 

• Join us at our weekly Friday dances.  We offer dance lessons between 8:00pm and 10:00pm.  Ethnic dancing is a lot more than doing the "Chicken Dance" or the "Macarena".  You will learn and enjoy dances with strange names such as Oro, Kolo, Csardas, Drmes, Jarabe, Tsamikos, Halay, Kujawiak, Highlife, Pravo, Debka, Syrtos, Dansul, Krakowiak, Hambo, Jota, Polska, Briul, Ondo, Racenica.  You will also encounter dances with more familiar names such as Schottische, Polka, Reel, Jig and Waltz. 

• You can find more detailed information about ethnic dance and music (including a calendar of events, travel directions, and some music to play while you surf) at: http://www.EthnicDance.Net

• Ethnic Dance Chicago meets most Friday evenings throughout the year. Beginning October 3, 2003 EDC moves its dances to new locations: EXCEPT on Last Fridays we dance at the Chicago Latvian Community Center, 4146 N Elston Ave in Chicago, SW Corner of Elston Ave (NW Diagonal) & Hamlin Ave (3800W). On Last Fridays we dance at the Portage Park Center for the Arts, 3914 N Menard in Chicago, SW Corner of Menard (5800W) at Dakin (3950N).  (click here for directions)

 
• Be sure to check EDC Website for schedule changes (http://www.EthnicDance.Net/calendar.html) and for directions to EDC dance locations (http://www.EthnicDance.Net/directions.html)
  
  
• The cost for the evening is $5.00 per person with a discount full-time students and children under 12. It would be hard to find a better return on investment for your entertainment dollar.

• Participating in dance and music celebrations is a strong unifying factor among the many ethnic groups. One of the world's best-kept secrets is that there is a segment of the population that finds its own unity in learning, doing and enjoying the dances and music of other cultures - that is, cultures not necessarily part of their own heritage and experience. 

• Ethnic Dance Chicago provides a safe haven where all folks (and sometimes their pets too) are accepted and no one has to give up their own ethnicity to participate. Besides, as a participant you can:

• Keep in touch or re-establish contact with your own roots
• Learn and do dances and songs of different traditions
• Enjoy the cultural celebrations of others
• Experience good physical and mental exercise
• Meet an interesting variety of people you might not otherwise encounter
• Be challenged by new and unusual musical rhythms and dance forms
• Get some exercise
• Have fun

• If you're interested in ethnic dance and/or ethnic music and you live in the area, or are visiting or passing through Chicago, why not drop in and see about making dance your second language? 

• The first night you attend, you might feel overwhelmed by the variety of material presented.  You'll probably think that all the other folks there are expert dancers.  But many of them started from scratch years ago.  If you give yourself time to learn the language of ethnic folk dance, you too can become quite competent.

 
• After a few weeks, you'll start to recognize that there are many common elements in dances from different cultures and some unique elements of style in each dance form.  You'll also begin to recognize dance and music forms, styles, names, tunes and countries of origin.  You'll also notice that many of those you once thought of as "dance experts" are just plain folks, like yourself.

• No, you don’t need to have any background in dance. You just need to be willing to try and to learn. 

• We offer a teaching session early in the evening followed by an open dancing period.  If you stick around for the open dancing, you'll learn a lot more by trying things that you haven't yet learned by getting in between experienced dancers or by following behind the lines. 

• In general, easier dances are taught early in the evening and more challenging dances are taught later. During the open dance program, previously taught dances and other popular dances requested by the participants, and some occasional "old chestnuts" are done until about midnight. 

• While we do accept Visa and MasterCard for payment, we don't accept the statement: "I don't know how to dance" as an excuse!

Month-end Parties

• We celebrate the last dance of each month with a party, where people bring food and beverage to share. On most weeks, participants bring refreshments anyway, and that's allowed. NOTE: The last dance of a month is not always the last Friday.  On occasion, we may offer live music for dancing at the parties.

Group Dinners

• If Friday night dancing is pre-empted by another activity, we may organize a group dinner at an ethnic restaurant or nightclub, where there is good food, music and entertainment and possibly some ethnic dancing.  Many "real" ethnic people are surprised (yet pleased) to find that people outside of their own ethnic group know something about their homeland and culture.  Recent excursions have included dinners at Turkish, Uzbek, Greek, Japanese, Romanian, Bulgarian and Ecuadorian restaurants in the Chicago Area.

 

• Ethnic Dance Chicago co-sponsors one of the Midwest's most fun-filled ethnic dance/music weekends, the Door County Folk Festival (DCFF), held in the resort towns of Sister Bay and Ephraim, Wisconsin. The 2005 DCFF dates are Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10. Details can be found at: http://www.DCFF.Net

• Ethnic Dance Chicago sponsors weekend ethnic dance workshops, dance parties with live and recorded music, dance/music concerts and catered ethnic dinners. EDC will also cancel some dance dates in order to support other groups' events. Be sure to check EDC calendar for special events and schedule changes: (http://www.EthnicDance.Net/calendar.html)
   
• Folk Ball Festival in Madison, Wisconsin (late January)
• Balkanske Igre Spring Festival in Chicago (mid March)
• EDC's Chicagoland Spring Fling (TBA)
• Regional "June" Camp in Mukwanago, Wisconsin (early June)
• Door County Folk Festival in Sister Bay and Ephraim, WI (early July)
• EDC's Chicagoland Fall Ball (TBA)

Dance Workshops

• Ethnic Dance Chicago often sponsors workshops featuring choreographers, instructors, ethnographers, researchers, musicians, singers from the area, from the U.S. and Canada and from overseas.

Do you need a dance performance for your event?  Ethnic Dance Chicago will demonstrate ethnic dances at schools, community organizations, festivals, etc.  Many of our dancers participate in these events because they enjoy performing and learning new dances, plus it demonstrates how much fun ethnic folk dance can be to new audience.  We can also include dances for audience participation in our programs.
 
• 2002 Events
• Apr: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Oct: Performs & teaches @ Lifelink Adoption Agency's International Fest at Glenbard East HS
• 2003 Events
• Feb: EDC, Mazurka Wojchiehowska & Sloboda Serbian Folklore Dance Ensemble present "Balkan Fest" @ Arlington Heights Public Library
• Feb: Performs & teaches @ Illinois Institute of Art's International Student Association Culture Fest
• Apr: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Apr: Teaches In-Service Staff Workshop @ Des Plaines Public Library
• May: Performs & teaches dances @ Sheboygan County (WI) High School Diversity Conference
• Jun: Performs and teaches at the St Josaphat Parish SummerFest
• Oct: Performs & teaches @ Lifelink Adoption Agency's International Fest at Glenbard East HS.
• 2004 Events
• Mar: Teaches Chicago Girls Scouts for Greek Dance Performance
• Apr: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI
• May: Performs for Bulgarian Performance @ Budlong School in Chicago
• Dec: Performed & teaches at Walker School Holiday Party in Evanston, IL
• 2005 Events
• Apr: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Sep: Performs Greek dances at John Hancock Center
• Oct: Performs for Italian Heritage Festival at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ilinois
• 2006 Events
• Jan: Performs and teaches for Cradle Foundation Adoption Agency @ White Knight Restaurant
• May: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Aug: Performs Greek dances for Holley Court Terrace Senior Center in Oak Park
• Jul:   Performs Italian dances for American Contract Bridge League Tournament
• Sep: Performs and teaches for International Day at Lake Forest College
• Oct: Performs & teaches @ Messmer High School in Milwaukee WI
• Dec: Performs Klezmer dance with Ensemble M’chaiya @ United Center
• Dec: Performs for Cradle Foundation Fundraiser @ Chicago Cultural Center
• 2007 Events
• Jan: Performs and teaches for Cradle Foundation Adoption Agency @ White Knight Restaurant
• Feb: Performs and teaches @ Wheeling Park District’s Passport to the World celebration
• Mar: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Chaney-Monge School in Cresthill, IL
• Apr: Teaches students to perform @ International Festival at Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, WI

Would you like someone to teach ethnic folk dancing or to call for contra or square dancing at your social, school, church, community or corporate event? Several members of EDC excel in making various forms of dance fun and accessible to new or inexperienced dancers: 
 
• EDC teaches various styles of ethnic dance using live or recorded music
• EDC teaches and calls traditional American square and contra dances with live or recorded music


Clients have included: community organizations, public & private elementary and high schools, colleges, universities, churches and religious organizations, fundraisers, social clubs, weddings, birthday parties, special events, government agencies and corporations. Clients have included: Notre Dame High School, University of Illinois at Chicago, Leo Burnett, International Festival at Spring Hill Middle School (Wisconsin Dells), the Children's Museum of Chicago, Glenbard South High School, Old Town School of Folk Music and the City of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Art and St Josaphat Parish, Des Plaines Public Library.  

• April 2002: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells
• September 2002: EDC teaches Chicago Children's Museum Staff in an In-Service Workshop
• October 2002: EDC teaches dances to participants at Lifelink Adoption Agency's International Festival at Glenbard East HS.
• November 2002: EDC teaches students dances to perform at their International Festival at Notre Dame High School in Chicago
• February 2003: EDC lead students in participatory dancing at the Illinois Institute of Art's International Student Association Culture Fest
• April 2003: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells
• April 2003: EDC teaches Des Plaines Public Library's Staff in an In-Service Workshop
• May 2003: EDC performs & teaches dances to high school students at the Sheboygan County Diversity Conference at Lakeland College in Plymouth, Wisconsin
• June 2003: EDC performs and teaches at the St Josaphat Parish SummerFest
  
• October 2003: EDC teaches dances to participants at Lifelink Adoption Agency's International Festival at Glenbard East HS
• March 2004: EDC teaches Greek Dances to St Edith's Girl Scout Troop
• April 2004: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells
• May 2004: EDC teaches ethnic dances to International Association of Public Practitioners (IAP2) Conference in Madison, Wisconsin
• April 2005: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells
• May 2006: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells
• October 2006: Performs & teaches for 200+ students @ Messmer High School in Milwaukee WI
• April 2007: EDC teaches 100+ 8th grade students for dance performance at Spring Hill Middle School International Festival in Wisconsin Dells

EDC members have taught various forms of ethnic and American dance to large groups of the general public at city-wide festivals at Navy Pier, Daley Plaza, Grant Park, the Cultural Center and other neighborhood venues and events including: 
 
• ChicagoFest
• A Taste of Chicago
• Chicago SummerDance
• Millennium Park WorkOut
• Chicago Winter Dance - AbonDANZA!