Changs International Folk Dancers

More great Fridays coming up in September!

2008-09-07T00:09:00.001-07:00

Join us for the following fun:

Friday, September 12 - Member/Teacher Luiselle Yakas teaches us Sfarlis, Samiko and other wonderful Greek dances

Friday, September 19 - Last Gasp of Summer Party: more dancing to unexpected music, possible beach balls, etc. Bring a dish to share at the end of the evening.

Friday, September 26 - 7 pm Family Folk Dance Night; 8:30 pm Requests and general dancing

Stay tuned for October's Greek Party details (you might want to take your toga out of mothballs now).

What a Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. The 70th birthday party was a huge success. With more than 150 people in attendance, two live bands, kids, balloons, food, cake, and DANCING for four solid hours. What could be better?

Celebrate with Us! Changs Turns 70!

2008-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Join us to celebrate

the 70^th Anniversary of

Changs International Folk Dance Club

Friday, June 27, 2008

7 – 11 p.m.

Janet Pomeroy Center Gymnasium

207 Skyline Blvd., San Francisco

Lots of recorded favorites,

plus two live bands:

Pochti Gotov

Vecernica

$5 per person at the door; $10 per family with kids

Please bring a dish to share (ready to serve).

For more information, call (415) 310-3217

or email estherlandau@yahoo.com.

2008-05-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

This the joy of Opsaj Diri. You might never see adults with such childlike expressions...

Maypole 2008

2008-05-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

This Friday, it was time once again for our Maypole dance. The kids started and then the adults arrived and had their chance...

Swing party on May 16th with Carol Hom

2008-05-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great time learning the basics of East Coast Swing with Carol Hom. Here are a few shots of the evening...

Dancing on April 25

2008-04-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Another great time! Michel taught our dancing families, and then we had a great time doing Karamfil, Godecki Cacak, Japanese Soft Shoe, etc. Most of my shots are of the families, but then I got a few nice ones of the grownups, too. Enjoy.

Flowers of April Party Night (April 18)

2008-04-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun last night. Cathy Jair programmed the party, so there were lots of couple and set dances, but she was wide open for requests too. Dances included the hambo, Paraliakos,
Niguno shel Yossi, Chu Ku Wu and Ma Navu (a request from our young guest, Roxy).

Pictures from March 28

2008-03-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

We had Family Folk Dance Night last night with Michel Hardbarger teaching. Lots of fun. Then we had our regular Changs crew. Here you'll see us doing some Tango Poquito and then Ciuleadra (aka the "baby eggs" dance).

Pictures from Much About March Party

2008-03-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

This was a really fun party. Vecernica played. We danced, ate, chatted, had a great time!

March Party - Friday 3/21

2008-03-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

THERE IS
MUCH ABOUT MARCH
TO CELEBRATE

VERCERNICA IS PLAYING !!!

SWALLOWS RETURN TO CAPISTRANO - 3/19
THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING - 3/20
DR. SEUSS'S BIRTHDAY - 3/2
ALBERT EINSTEIN'S BIRTHDAY - 3/14
HARRY HOUDINI'S BIRTHDAY - 3/24
PERSIAN NEW YEAR - NOUROUZ
MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS MONTH
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
GREEK INDEPENDENCE - 3/25
AND
THE VERNAL EQUINOX !

PICK A TOPIC
SEE WHO CAN GUESS WHAT MARCH EVENT YOU'RE HONORING.
KEEP GREEN IN MIND AND SPREAD THE WORD

Changs Turns 70!!!!

2008-03-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Dancing Friends,

Save the date! On Friday, June 27, from 7 pm until 11 pm-ish, we will dance the night away to celebrate the 70th anniversary of America's oldest continuously operating folk dance club: Changs!!!.

We're starting at 7 pm so our dancing families can attend with their children. We'll have TWO live bands playing (not simultaneously): Potchi Gotov and Vecernica. We'll share delicious food, and there will be plenty of club history to check out while you're resting or eating - a slide show, photo albums, articles. Come learn about Song Chang, the founder of the club, and how it has survived all these years. As a friend of Changs, you are part of folk dance history now, too! Help us spread the word so we get a big happy crowd.

If you have ideas for the party, or you'd like to help out in some way, just let me know. Here are the basic details:

Friday, June 27
7 pm - 11-ish
Janet Pomeroy Center Gymnasium
207 Skyline Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94132

More details will come as we get closer to the date (directions, admission charge, etc.) but mark your calendars now!

Best,

Esther

Family Folk Dance Night with Greacian Goeke

2008-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 22, 2008
7 p.m.

Spread the word! Our sessions with Greacian are always lots of fun.

Pictures from Carnaval

2008-02-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a little of the levity...

CARNAVAL DO BRAZIL FEBRUARY 15

2008-02-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Brazilian Carnaval is a time to indulge your fantasies and enjoy yourself before Lent arrives.

"Costume revelers writhe at street parties and gala balls to the seductive samba beat... Deprive Brazil of music and you will see it die. The Brazilian feeds on music and sweats music. For a Brazilian, life is not life if cannot be sung."

At CHANGS FEBRUARY CARNAVAL PARTY, the samba and frevo music and dance will be represented. You will hear a famous old samba, TRISTEZA, as our Portuguese royalty welcomes us to Carnaval. The words say Sadness please go away. let it leave forever. Let my lips sing again. From this day on my days are of sun and roses. My life is a carnival of song.

You will then dance to a frevo, carnival music of northeast Brazil. Half of us will make a circle and the other half will go inside to dance. A whistle is blown when the groups change places. We will change a couple of times. You can put together your own dance. You could use steps you know: the grapevine steps, the scissor steps of Jove Male Mome, the reda, the spins of Bastan Dantza
or you could just walk while waving your arms. You can do whatever best expresses you.

You will then hear a drum-led samba to wind our way around the room in a conga line. This is a follow-the-leader dance so listen for the leader to signal with a whistle to change the step. We will break for announcements and then go back to regular dancing. There will be Brazilian music for the last dance, another follow-the-leader in a circle dance.

Your costume can express your fantasy. In Brazil every group picks a theme but you will each pick your own theme and express it with as many or as few clothes as you wish. Remember, Brazil represents African, Portuguese and Indian populations so you could dress in one of those directions. You could let an interesting aspect of yourself (even if it's your inner banker) come out in costume.

Maybe its best to put aside everyday life and think beaded necklaces, feathered hats or headdresses, scarves or sashes around the head, neck, shoulders or hips, sequins, masks, glitter, animal or tropical prints. It's probably too cold to wear a thong but summer whites, bright and light colors are good. Face painting is good too and with glitter it's even better.

So we will dance out our saudade (feelings of melancholy) as the Brazilians do and create a memory of alegria (happiness) to carry us through the week. Such is the theme of our samba FEST DO INTERIOR.

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS
VIVA CHANGS

Where?

2008-01-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

San Francisco, California
Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church
417 31st Ave (between Clement and Geary)

Use side entrance on 31st Ave
Parking on the street within a block or two is generally easy to find
You can MUNI (1 California, 2 Clement, 38 Geary)

View Larger Map

Regular Schedule of Events

2008-01-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

First Friday - General dancing, teaching and fun (8:00 to 10:30)
Second Friday - General dancing, teaching and fun (8:00 to 10:30)
Third Friday - Theme Party, General Dancing, Requests (8:00 to 10:30)
Fourth Friday - Family Night (7:00 to 8:30), General Dancing follows

A History of the Folk Dance Movement in California

1970-02-01T23:37:00.000-08:00

by Larry Getchell
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING On a foggy evening in February, 1938, three couples, including Song Chang and his new bride, Harriet, met at Bryl Wyneck's studio in the Montgomery block, Washington Street near Montgomery They were to enjoy with Song Chang a new style of dance that would encompass, in just a few years, as many as 400 folk dance clubs in the State of California. Such a phenomenon was the last thing on the minds of this small group as Song taught them plain Schottische, Norwegian Mt. March, Ace of Diamonds and some waltzes. In a 1944 "Let's Dance" Song Chang wrote an article titled, "International Folk Dancing in the West" in which he makes only short reference to that first meeting, mentioning names and simply remarking that the number of dances he present were quite an order for the first night. In our search for more detailed information on the first meeting including names that were possible, found a short history in the April, 1948 "Let's Dance" written by Robert Lamont, under the heading, "TEN YEARS WlTH CHANGS." From Bob's article, there is no clue to determine if he actually interviewed Song Chang but it states with authority names, dates and places. According to Robert Lamont, three couples met with Song Chang and his wife, Harriet, at the Washington Street address, that foggy night in February, 1938. He further states that on this first night a coppersmith, a Chinese American and his Scandinavian bride, a commercial sandblaster, a puppeteer and several artists gathered at the studio on Washington Street. He then identified these various individuals is on Harry Dixon, Song Chang and his wife, Harriet, Stillman Clark, John McCarthy, Bryl Wyneck and a few others. Possibly the names mentioned by Bob could add up to three couples, including Song Chang and Harriet, but in any event the numbers are close. Following the first meeting or so, which we assume took place on a weekly basis, others did join, including one in particular, Grace (Churcher) Perryman. Why did Song Chang become interested in these dances of various nations? Here we must make sure fiction does not interfere with fact. Referring back to Robert Lamont's article, Song Chang's interest in folk dancing dated back to 1931. While touring Europe he was impressed with the warm feeling of camaraderie, the disdain for racial barriers and the fun spirit, all too rare in those depression-swamped days. The seed for future action was planted. Returning to San Francisco, Song visited "Mama Gravandar's School of Swedish Applied Arts," 2020 Pacific Avenue. Here, once a week, after showing their art objects visitors were invited to join them in the basement for an evening of Swedish dancing. During this time, Song and Harriet promptly taught folk dances to polyglot mixture of people of different races, seemed proof he was on the right track. The honeymoon over, Song and Harriet promptly rounded the folk that met at Bryl Wyneck's studio that February night in 1938. It would not be long before others joined in and folk dancing was on its way as you already know. Referring to themselves as Changs Folk Dancers, they moved to larger quarters in the Green Lantern, a bar and restaurant, 740 Kearny Street. Here Virgil Morton, to be joined later by Grace Churcher Perryman, helped Chang with the teaching. They taught simple dances, suitable for beginners. Song supplied the equipment while dancers and spectators donated money for records. Their stay at the Green Lantern abruptly terminated the same year and Grace thinks it was due to the folk dancers thrifty ways. They didn't spend for drinks. Late in 1938 they moved to 415 Broadway and began to function as a club. One of the new members was Buzz Glass. Members now began to take turns doing various jobs. As there were still no dues, they sometimes passed the hat.
This History is the sole property of the Folk Dance Federation of California. This excerpt is published with the permission of the Folk Dance Federation of California, Inc. Copies of the entire book may be purchased.