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Dance Classes

Swinging

Writer and dance caller Mark Matthews will not only walk you through the dances but also tell you the history behind the various styles. Beginners and experienced dancers are welcome.

Swinging Through American History

Come swing through the history of early American dance and learn the background and the steps to a variety of dance styles that formed the basis of American culture from the seventeenth century up to the early nineteenth century.

The first sessions will focus on the English country dance which crossed the Atlantic with early British colonial settlers; the second session will feature the French cotillon and quadrille which dominated American ballrooms from the late 1700s to the Civil War; session three will introduce the New England contra dance - a descendant of the country dance that remains alive and vibrant in many modern communities; and last, we will dance the figures of the American square dance - both in its western and New England forms - as well as some other American dance inventions of by-gone eras such as the ragtime era African-American cakewalk and the Big Apple from the 1920s.
  • For all classes, please bring soft-soled, non-marking, pair of shoes to wear at the dance. 
  •  Enter via front door at 301 E. Main St.
  •  Be on time; door locked at 7:30 PM!
     
REGISTER
Info: Section: 1363400-03
Location: Old Public Library, 301 East Main
Tue
sday and Thursdays
04/11/2023, 04/13/2023, 04/18/2023, 04/20/2023
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
$30.00

You must preregister with Missoula Parks & Rec - See below.  
Global Dance Party
Folk Dancing
The Global Dance Party class (International Folk Dance Level 2) will be for people who have taken the Introduction to International Dance class, for those experienced in IFD, and for people comfortable learning to dance with brief instruction and demos. The purpose will be for us to dance and enjoy the dances we have already learned in the Introduction to International Dance class without spending a lot of time on instruction, and teach a new dance each week at a slower pace so we build repertoire.

Susan Morgan, Instructor

REGISTER
Global Dance Party (International Folk Dance, Level 2)
Section: 1363400-04
Location: Old Public Library, 301 E. Main
Tue and Thurs
05/09/2023, 05/11/2023, 05/16/2023, 05/18/2023
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
$30.00
You must preregister with Missoula Parks & Rec - See below.  
  • For all classes, please bring soft-soled, non-marking, pair of shoes to wear at the dance. 
  •  Enter via front door at 301 E. Main St.
  •  Be on time; door locked at 7:30 pm!
Class Register
3 ways to register with Missoula Parks & Rec for classes
  1. In person, at Currents Aquatics Center in McCormick Park, 600 Cregg Lane, Missoula.
  2. By telephone, during business hours, at 721-PARK (7275)
  3. Online:
    1. Create an account first by going to this link.
    2. Then, back here, click on --

Check the Dance Calendar for info on upcoming Contra Dances!  

 

Subscribe to the MFS e-newsletter for info on other dance & music events in and around town.  Typically the newsletter has the latest info before the website.

Last updated: April 3, 2023

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