"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: Please find the registration form here. 

Full Weekend Tickets: 

• $120 Regular Price ($90 low income) We decided to keep it at $120 to be affordable
• Come early Thursday for some extra  workshops, just pay $15 extra on the registration form 
• 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. 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. 

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 start on Thursday 12:30 pm throughout the evening,  if you would like to come early it will only cost $15 extra on your registration. 

DETAILS ON WORKSHOPS BELOW.

 Thursday (pay extra $15)

12:30-5:00 Nature Hike 

2:30-3:30 Breath and Motion

4:00-5:30 Art Build nPlay

4:00-5:30 Musical Groove

8:00-9:00 Rhythm Jam

Friday 

10:00-12:00 Specialty Workshops TBD

1:00-1:45 Movement Medicine 

2:00-3:30 Self-Leadership

3:30-5:00 Tension Tango

6:30-7:30 Waltzing

7:30-9:30 Contra Medley

Saturday/Sunday 

9:00-9:30a Grace Remembered

9:30-10:00a Waltzing

10:00-11:30a Contra Dance

12:00-1:30 Life Design 101

12:00-1:30 Fiddle Tune Play 

2:00-3:00p Finding Community

1:30-3:00 Flourishing for Fun 

3:00-6:30p Pre-Dawn Pause

6:30-7:00p Ground and Stretch

7:00p-7:00a Dawn Dance

7:00-8:00a Afterglow - Rest and Unwind

8:00-3:00a Rest and leave by 3:00ish

MORE DETAILS BELOW

Once you have registered, you have access to carpool form to help coordinate rides! 

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 Whitetop Mountain, Mount Rogers National Rec Area, and Grayson Highlands (wild horses) some 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 - or Asheville. 

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

• Traditionally, contra dances are neither alcohol nor 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 <3
• 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

This event is inspired by the Dawn Dance that was hosted in Brattleboro, 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!