"There is evidence of late-night social dancing in America, going back at least as far as the 18th century. John Quincy Adams noted such events in his diary 1787: “…At about seven o’clock we met at the dancing hall, and from that time till between 3-4 in the morning we were continually dancing.” "

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/VBwk6m7gG1PTvZLY6

Full Weekend Tickets: 

• $120 Early Bird ($90 low income) through May 25 
• $135 Regular Price  ($115 low income)  May 26 -July 25
• Enjoy 17 hours of dancing, 7 hours of transformative workshops, emazing music, bonfires, food, and friends 
• Come early Thursday for some extra free workshops, just pay for 1 extra day of lodging
• No a la carte tickets will be sold at this time, we want to encourage people to come for the whole journey with us!
• Payments will be through venmo or checks can be mailed. More info on the registration form. 
• Full refunds available for anyone who needs to cancel their ticket, at any time
• Email waltzforjoy@gmail.com with any questions. 

We are going to try something different. No bands. That's right. Each contra set during the Dawn Dance will be about 1 hour and will look and feel different each time. A different caller will call each set and a different lead musician will pick the style and tunes while being joined by an ensemble of other talented musicians. So each set will have a unique flavor to make sure you can keep your feet moving till Dawn! 

Our lead musicians are Edward Howe, Bennett Konesni, George Paul, Rob Zisette, Sammy Wetstein, Samuel Foucher, Alex Wilder, and Logan Duys. We are expecting a few surprise guests as well. Bios can be found here.

Our callers are Bob Isaacs, Terry Doyle, Sue Gola, Kenny Greer, Amanda and Rob Setili, Stephanie Marie, Elijah Jaime, and Katie Zanders. Bios can be found here. Calling terms will be Larks and Robins. 

Thursday

Welcome to arrive early to explore the area and/or take some extra fun workshops with us. See Workshop section for more details. 

Friday

9:00a Folk School Opens to Dancer Arrivals 

12:00-4:00 Workshops/Self-Organized Excursions

4:00-6:30 Dinner

6:30-8:30 Contra Medley #1

8:30-9:00 Snacks/Waltz

9:00-10:30 Contra Medley #2

10:30-12:00a Bonfire/Songs/Snacks

Saturday/Sunday

9:00a-10:00 Waltzing

10:00a-12:00 Contra Dance

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-4:00 Workshops

4:00-6:30 Dinner/Rest/Quiet

6:30-7:00 Stretch and Fun

7:00-11:45 Dawn Dance Contra

11:45-12:45 Break

12:45-7:00a Dawn Dance Contra

7:00a-5:00p Stay and Rest, Depart by 5:00pm

Bring your instrument and play some tunes with us for one set of the dawn dance! Tunes will be selected from this list. Come early to practice a little before the dance.  

You know how when you go to a dance weekend or a festival, and you have these important life conversations with folks, somewhat randomly? Sometimes these unplanned conversations about relationships, life, and struggles can lead us to make different decisions in our lives. We wanted to create a weekend where we dance, eat, and talk together intentionally about things that matter. Workshops will be led by multiple people to provide a variety of topics to dive into. More details to come. 

Topics will include dance techniques and culture, as well as personal development discussions such as finding your groove in life. The intention is to be reflective and explore your personal development to discover some ways to live a more joyful life off the dance floor. Workshops will be held Friday and Saturday Afternoon*.

*There will be a few extra workshops Thursday starting at 1:00pm throughout the evening,  if you would like to come early. There will be on a variety of topics in art, life, and movement. On the registration form just pay for one extra night of lodging.  Hope to post details by June! 

We encourage folks to eat locally (restaurants 5 min from the folk school) and to bring your own food to eat and maybe create some potluck style meals with each other and share your favorite recipes ;) There are kitchens available for cooking and food storage. We are working on a food truck/catering onsite, let us know if you are interested when you register.  

The Appalachian Folk School, 3142 Divide Rd, Mountain City, TN 37683. 

Mountain City is situated northeast in one of the highest valleys in the state of Tennessee.  It is surrounded in lush forests and mountains. Very close to the White Mountains, which has one of the most beautiful views in the US. The city also has an interesting history. One fun fact is that the town is the site of the first Fiddlers Convention, which is considered a landmark event in the modern history of Appalachian music, and contributed significantly to the development of country music.

Closets Airport is the Tri Cities Airport in Blountville, Tennessee. 

There are a few options where you can stay:

• Onsite Camping - $30 per tent/car/small van. All RVs that need a hook up need to stay off site. 
• Onsite Bunkhouse - $30 per person. Shared space, single bed in bunk, bring your own linens and pillow. Let us know of any additional needs/preferences on the registration form. 
• Local Air BnBs and hotels. More info to come. 

• Traditionally, contra dances are not alcohol and drug centered
• Come healthy so others can stay healthy too
• We love contra dancers because they are respectful, aware of others' needs, and are there to have fun and promote community
• We want to promote a safe and fun environment. Any concerns can be emailed to the organizers  Ed Howe groovatic1@gmail.com or Tami Howe waltzforjoy@gmail.com

It takes a village! Help us pull off this event in exchange for a reduced ticket. There are many ways to contribute through

• set up/break down
• onsite extra hands
• photography
• video
• creative writing
• or any other gifts you can share to elevate this experience for people.  
• https://forms.gle/xZGub9uZTa6k1Dir9

This event is inspired by the Dawn Dance that was hosted in Battleboro, VT for many many years. Read the interesting and well documented history of the dawn dance here. Here is an excerpt -- "There is evidence of late-night social dancing in America, going back at  least as far as the 18th century. John Quincy Adams noted such events in his diary in 1787: “…At about seven o’clock we met at the dancing  hall, and from that time till between three and four in the morning we were continually dancing.” Numerous other references to after-midnight dancing can be found over the next two hundred years."

Come dance till dawn with us!