"Where the World Comes to Dance" Friday Dance Party 7:30pm-11:00pm-ish Central + Post Dance Discussion (Sound Checks/Music: 7:00pm – Repertoire Workshop: 7:30pm – Dance Party: 8:00pm – Discussion: 11:00pm-ish until …)
VDR sessions are free, however we greatly need & appreciate your donations that offset operating costs, including Zoom & internet fees, increased facility rent, equipment replacement/repair costs and funding for musicians and dance workshop instructors.
We suggest a donation of $10 per person per session (or best effort) or between $20 and $25 per month when you attend.
Check out the two GREEN BUTTONS on the right to review donation options.
The GREEN button (below) is for the VDR / DCFF GoFundMe Fundraiser
The BLUE button (below, scroll down) is for regular VDR regular VDR Donations
We've initiated a GoFundMe Fundraising Drive to support VDR and DCFF activities that runs from 1 March through 30 April 2024.
Click this GREEN button below to participate in the VDR / DCFF GoFundMe Fundraising Drive
Click this GREEN button below for the usual multiple ways to donate to the VIdrual Dance Room
If the VDR provides you with any amount of enjoyment and entertainment, please take a minute to click this link to review our request for your financial support.
To view various online and offline donation options for the VIRTUAL DANCE ROOM, click this Green Button
Upcoming VDR & Other Dance Events - Save These Dates
Advanced Notice - Some Upcoming Events - Save These Dates
Apr 20 (Sat) - Peninsula Dance Council's Monthly Global Folk Dance Party
Apr 20/21 (Sat/Sun) - Dance More at VDR's Late Night Global Dance After-Party
Apr 20 (Sat) - 5:30pm & 8:30pm CDT A re-creation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1st broadcast of the WLS National Barn Dance in Chicago
Apr 19-21 (Weekend) - Annual Lyrids Folk Dance Festival near Vancouver, BC Canada
Apr 25-27 (Thu-Sat) - 14th Annual Verea Bulgarian Festival - Chicago, IL Area, Performances, Parties, Art Exhibitions
Apr 27 (Sat) - Annual Dancers of the Fox Valley Workshop - Catherine Rudin - Appleton, WI
Apr 26-28 (Weekend) - Roberto Bagnoli Workshop, Boulder, CO
May 10-11 (Weekend) - Zlatne Uste Golden Festival 2024 in Astoria, NYC
May 12-14 (Sun-Tue) Chicago Area Workshop(s) w/Yannis & Polyxeni Konstantinou (Greek-Macedonian) - watch for developments
May 18 (Sat) - Peninsula Dance Council's Monthly Global Folk Dance Party
May 18/19 (Sat/Sun) - Dance More at VDR's Late Night Global Dance After-Party
May 30-Jun 2 - IFDA 60th Anniv Celebration & Folk Dance Oldies Weekend - St Louis, MO
Jun 13-16 (Weekend) - June Camp with Roberto Bagnoli in Lake Forest, IL
Jul 12-14 (Weekend) - 45th Annual Door County Folk Festival (Tentative)
Jul 25-8 (Weekend) - New Mexico Folk Dance Camp with Shmulik Gov-Ari
Fred Bear invites you to Czech out these links to many International Folk Dance Events! - (Save these dates!)
Mar 29-Apr 20 (Tour) Jaap Leegwater Teaching Tour with Filip Filipov (Accordion)
A re-creation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1st broadcast of the WLS National Barn Dance produced by the Chicago History Museum and WFMT-FM-98.7
At the Hideout, 1354 West Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642, 773.227.4433 - Tickets: https://hideoutchicago.com/
Two performances recorded for broadcast in May by WFMT
5:30pm - First Performance
7:00pm - Audience participation Square Dancing called by Paul Collins
8:30pm - Second Performance
Apr 19-21 (Weekend)
Annual Lyrids Folk Dance Festival near Vancouver, BC Canada
Annual New England Folk Festival Association - In Person & Zoom
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, Marlborough, MA
NEFFA attracts over 2000 attendees from all over the country and overseas and features close to 1000 performers. The Festival is unique because of the participatory nature of the events. Not only are there concerts and performances, but there are also opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with music, dance, and folk arts culture.
If the VDR provides you with any amount of enjoyment and entertainment, please take a minute to click this link to review our request for your financial support.
To view various online and offline donation options for the VIRTUAL DANCE ROOM, click this BLUE button
The Mystery Dance Theme Challenge of Friday, October 29, 2023
We planned a "Mystery Dance Theme" for all music used in sets 50 and 100.
Accidentally, all music for sets 200 and 400 followed this theme.
All dances except 1 in set 300 followed this theme.
Unfortunately, no one guessed the theme this time.
Instead of usinga lot of alternate music for doing dances on Halloween (other groups did that) we put the Halloween mood into the program by using only music in a minor scale or modal scale (Mixolydian, Lydian, Phrygian, Dorian, etc.)
I think we did this theme a couple of years ago and will try it again sometime.
The Mystery Dance Theme Challenge of Fridays, July 21 and August 4, 2023
The Mystery Dance Theme was continued on August 4th from the Friday July 21st dance
Barbara Bleisch (St Louis) guessed correctly (on the 21st) that all the dances had movements into the center and out / or forward to the center and back
We wanted 1 or 2 or more prize-winners, so the theme continued on August 4 and all hosts (Melissa, Theresa, Barbara-B) included theme dances in their sets
Erika Nadas (Chicago, IL), a fellow dancer and college mate of mine, got a 95% noting that all dances had movement into and out of the center - Erika also suggested that the dances seemed to then progress around the circle, but several did not.
Don Weeda (Austin, TX) took a look at the list and sent an email guessing that all dances had backing up, but not all went forward - which was only half correct. Besides, Besides, Don did not actually login, so he gets a 50% (and an honorable mention) but no fabulous prizes.
Special VDR Life Celebration Dance Party of July 28, 2023
This event was a great success
Thanks to all of the 40+ International Folk Dancers and Bulgarian Folk Dancers and Musicians who attended in person and to the 75+ participants who attended virtually
We used this occasion to celebrate the lives of several dancers who've had an impact on Chicago International Folk Dancing and who've recently passed away
Jeri Lynn Banina Sherby (regular dancer at EDC & the VDR for many years)
John Kuo (leader of Balkanske Igre and organizer of the Spring Festival)
Mary Garvin (Twin Cities dance leader who taught regularly at DCFF)
If the VDR provides you with any amount of enjoyment and entertainment, please take a minute to click this link to review our request for your financial support.
To view various online and offline donation options for the VIRTUAL DANCE ROOM, click this BLUE button
Door County Folk Festival (DCFF) Information
Door County Folk Festival (DCFF) Followups
Aug 20, 2023 (Sun) - Richard "Dick" Miller Celebration of Life in Middleton, WI
Aug 20 (Sun) - 1:30pm-5:00pm CDT
Celebrate the Life of Richard (Dick) Miller
We invite you to celebrate the life of Richard "Dick" Miller (Middleton, Wisconsin) who passed away on January 7, 2023 while on vacation visiting relatives and friends in Nevada.
Dick and Miriam Miller played VERY IMPORTANT ROLES by leading extremely fun and creative Youth/Children's Activities for the Festival.
Please visit the "Celebrating the Life of Dick Miller" Page on the DCFF website, where you'll find
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