Suggestions for Folk Dancing
by Haley Brill
If you need a philosophical reason for why folk dance would be a worthy addition to your homeschool curriculum, I recommend reading an article by Joshua Gibbs from Circe Institute- For the Love of God, We Need More Dancing.
These are simply some practical suggestions to hopefully help you implement the ‘how-to’ aspect of teaching folk dance.
Learning to dance is best done in community, because it is the fundamental nature of dances to be danced with others. That said, I have some suggestions at the end as to how you can dance at home with just your own children. In my opinion the ideal number for teaching a new dance to novice dancers is to have 4-12 dancers (2-6 couples) and can certainly include moms as well as children. Of course, you can have more dancers, but any less than 4 dancers will usually have to have modifications, especially with the switching of partners. Before the music starts for a dance it is customary to honor your partner, gentlemen give a slight bow, ladies a slight curtsey. This is also a chance to explain to the dancers that folk dancing involves showing courtesy to everyone dancing because no couple is dancing in isolation, but rather each couple affects the dance for every other couple.
It is also helpful for the caller/teacher to assign partners in the beginning. I recommend using gender neutral terms (such as larks and wrens, or reds and blues) instead of gentlemen and ladies to refer to dancers simply because you will probably have an unequal distribution of gender and by necessity have two girls or two boys partnering each other. Gender neutral terms will hopefully allow for less confusion.
To help you find music for the dances it is good to know that the music often has the same name as the historical dance. Good places to find music are YouTube, streaming services, and the public library.
Suggestions for teaching with more than one family or a co-op
4 to 12 dancers (2-6 couples), including moms, is ideal
Caller/teacher should not be a dancer.
Write down steps on paper before class
Focus on teaching dance etiquette before starting a dance
Assign partners
Use gender neutral terms
Draw lines on floor if possible
Teach one step at a time and practice several times before adding next step
After all steps are taught, walk through dance several times before adding the music
Suggested equipment
Someone to “call” the dance or play a YouTube video that has a caller
Bluetooth speaker
A way to mark lines on the dance floor: sidewalk chalk or painter’s tape (not necessary,
but is helpful to novice dancers)Music (usually the music will have the same name as the dance)
YouTube
Streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, or Amazon Music
Public Library
Cds
Hoopla
Freegal
Suggested Dances for younger students, including preschoolers
Suggested Dances for older students, approximately ages 8+ (although younger children can certainly enjoy these dances also)
Virginia Reel (You can choose to skip the step “Reel Down the Set” if it is overly confusing, the dance will work just fine without it)
After a term/semester or several months of learning dances, it can be fun to host a dance where everyone comes to dance what has already been taught. My family has enjoyed both a dance with other moms and homeschool children during the day, as well as an evening or weekend dance that includes dads and extended family. Usually, adults who have not been part of the lessons can pick up the dance steps quickly if everyone walks through the dance one time without music. While it can be fun to host these dances in a decorated indoor space with people wearing dressier clothes (like what you might wear to church), it is also just as fun to keep it casual and have the dance in the backyard or at a park and just enjoy dancing together.
Suggestions for hosting a dance
Invite families who have also been learning the dances o Can be as small as just a couple of families
Backyards or parks are wonderful locations that won’t cost extra money
An evening or weekend dance that can include dads or extended family is a fun idea
Briefly go over the steps together before each dance
Ideally you don’t want to teach the dance, just a quick reminder
At home I have had to make modifications to make the dance work for us. If the dance calls for a change of partners we usually don’t change partners at home because we don’t have enough dancers. I have also had my children dance with an imaginary partner so that we have more “couples” to create a set. Also, please include your preschoolers as much as they are interested and want to participate. My toddlers love to dance with my school aged children.
Suggestions for practicing at home
Mom writes down the steps before practicing
Keep it short, between 5-10 minutes
Play music that includes a caller unless Mom is very comfortable calling steps
Make modifications as necessary, examples below
Exclude partner changes
Dance with imaginary partner to have more couples
I would like to conclude by encouraging you to create a small community where you can teach folk dance to your children. The hardest step is simply to begin. Also, if you are interested in dancing in the wider community here are some organizations that host folk dances:
I can only attest to their historical dances- Barn Dance, Buccaneers Ball, etc. My children and I enjoyed these dances very much.
I attended two Ceilis pre-Covid and thoroughly enjoyed them.
Phoenix International Folk Dancers
I have not personally danced with them, but I would like to this coming year.