Welcome to Charleston Folk
Get your tickets for Beach Ball in the Fall!
September 25-27, 2026
Let’s contra dance by the beach at beautiful Seabrook Island, South Carolina!
Bands: Mean Lids and Tea & Whiskey
Callers: Beth Molaro and Charlotte Crittenden
Dance, meals and lodging at Camp Saint Christopher for the full weekend!
More info here.
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Please join us at our upcoming Contra Dances:
Get your tickets for Beach Ball in the Fall!
September 25-27, 2026
Let’s contra dance by the beach at beautiful Seabrook Island, South Carolina!
Bands: Mean Lids and Tea & Whiskey
Callers: Beth Molaro and Charlotte Crittenden
Dance, meals and lodging at Camp Saint Christopher for the full weekend!
More info here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please join us at our upcoming Contra Dances:
Saturday, April 18, 7:30 pm (Doors open at 7:15) Lettuce Prey with Amanda and Rob Setili calling at Lance Hall, Circular Church, 150 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Beginner lesson at 7:30, easy to learn, fun for all ages, no partner needed! Free parking at meters after 6 pm.
Lettuce Prey is dynamic father-and-son duo Joey Dorwart on percussion and Jojo Dorwart on fiddle. Amanda and Rob Setili are callers from the Atlanta contra community.
See our full calendar of upcoming dances here.
DANCE INFO AND PRICES:
Admission is $15 cash, check, or Venmo (@chscontra $15.50 on Venmo). Doors open at 7:15 and the dancing begins at 7:30 pm with a beginners' walk-through (highly recommended!). Children aged 6 to 12 accompanied by a paying adult dance for $5. Children 5 and under are free. Teens 13 and over pay full price, still a deal at $15. Family Rate: $40 for one or two adults and their children under 18. Children 12 and under must be supervised by an adult at all times. Children who are not able to participate in the dance must stay off the dance floor.
Please wear non-marking, soft-soled shoes. Bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Wear your name button!
COMFORT and SAFETY: We are a community and want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable. If you have a suggestion, comment, concern or question, please bring it to one of our board members (wearing a board member button at the dance) or email us at [email protected].
HEALTH POLICY: Masks welcome and optional. Please stay home if you are sick!
A TIP FOR NEWCOMERS: Don't dance with another newbie! Ask an experienced dancer to show you around. Anyone can ask anyone to dance. It is customary to ask a different person for each dance. By the end of the evening, you will have danced with everyone in the room, and you will see why contra dance is so much fun. : )
SNACKS! Our dance community takes turns bringing finger-food snacks to each dance. Please consider bringing something to contribute to the snack table at the back of the hall.
Lettuce Prey is dynamic father-and-son duo Joey Dorwart on percussion and Jojo Dorwart on fiddle. Amanda and Rob Setili are callers from the Atlanta contra community.
See our full calendar of upcoming dances here.
DANCE INFO AND PRICES:
Admission is $15 cash, check, or Venmo (@chscontra $15.50 on Venmo). Doors open at 7:15 and the dancing begins at 7:30 pm with a beginners' walk-through (highly recommended!). Children aged 6 to 12 accompanied by a paying adult dance for $5. Children 5 and under are free. Teens 13 and over pay full price, still a deal at $15. Family Rate: $40 for one or two adults and their children under 18. Children 12 and under must be supervised by an adult at all times. Children who are not able to participate in the dance must stay off the dance floor.
Please wear non-marking, soft-soled shoes. Bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Wear your name button!
COMFORT and SAFETY: We are a community and want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable. If you have a suggestion, comment, concern or question, please bring it to one of our board members (wearing a board member button at the dance) or email us at [email protected].
HEALTH POLICY: Masks welcome and optional. Please stay home if you are sick!
A TIP FOR NEWCOMERS: Don't dance with another newbie! Ask an experienced dancer to show you around. Anyone can ask anyone to dance. It is customary to ask a different person for each dance. By the end of the evening, you will have danced with everyone in the room, and you will see why contra dance is so much fun. : )
SNACKS! Our dance community takes turns bringing finger-food snacks to each dance. Please consider bringing something to contribute to the snack table at the back of the hall.
Volunteer opportunity: Get in free by helping the board host at the front desk. We have two shifts, early (6:30-9) and late (8:30-11). You can dance and then work, or work and then dance, and the dance portion of your evening will be free. Duties are arriving early or staying later for setup or cleanup, assisting the board host with the box office as people arrive, and managing tasks as they come up. Emily Rettberg is coordinating this – if you can help out, please visit signupgenius to choose the dates you can volunteer. THANK YOU!
To get on our email list, send an email to [email protected] (no message needed) and then click on the link in the email confirmation you receive.
Learn more about contra at ABOUT CONTRA DANCING or LOTS OF TIPS. Check out some great contra videos and photos here.
Join our Facebook group to receive updates and event invitations. Follow us on Instagram.
If you are interested in playing or calling at a Charleston Folk dance, here is more information for Bands and Callers.
Charleston Folk is a non-profit, CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) affiliate organization with a mission to promote, sponsor, and encourage participation in American folk dancing and music traditions among people of all ages in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Please note: Due to our concern for the environment, Charleston Folk will not provide glowsticks at our dances. In lieu of glowsticks, we suggest the use of neon body paint (if desired) for techno contras, and festive clothing. Thank you, and our planet thanks you!
Learn more about contra at ABOUT CONTRA DANCING or LOTS OF TIPS. Check out some great contra videos and photos here.
Join our Facebook group to receive updates and event invitations. Follow us on Instagram.
If you are interested in playing or calling at a Charleston Folk dance, here is more information for Bands and Callers.
Charleston Folk is a non-profit, CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) affiliate organization with a mission to promote, sponsor, and encourage participation in American folk dancing and music traditions among people of all ages in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Please note: Due to our concern for the environment, Charleston Folk will not provide glowsticks at our dances. In lieu of glowsticks, we suggest the use of neon body paint (if desired) for techno contras, and festive clothing. Thank you, and our planet thanks you!
Love dancing and want to dance some more? Look here for a list of other nearby dances.
