Join us for fun, laughter, exercise, community and joy. Everyone is welcome to the class. No experience or partners are needed.
Join us every 2nd and 4th Saturday evening from 7:00-8:30 pm for International Folk Dancing led by Sandy Helperin and Teri Hoffman, two very experienced teachers.
My introduction to dance was at a folk dance festival in 1988. I had never danced before, but was immediately taken by the wonderful music and the sense of camaraderie among the dancers. I started dancing five nights a week even though I worked full time and was raising two boys. Over the years I attended many festivals and folk dance camps. n around 2000, I finally got up the nerve to try teaching at Westwood Folkdancer’s. Since then I have taught in a senior living community, briefly at a charter school, and have been teaching at the Culver City Senior Center since 2022.
Folk dance for me is so many things. Besides mental and physical exercise it is a community. The people who dance with me have become like an extended family. When I teach, it is not for perfection, but rather for joy. I want anyone who comes to my class to feel comfortable and to know that we are there primarily to have a good time.
— Sandy
I started folk dancing in 1975 in Santa Barbara at the invitation of a co-worker. The music and warm connection between the dancers got me hooked! I have been dancing since then in recreational dance groups and eventually in a Polish and in an international performing ensemble. More recently I have started helping Sandy Helperin teach international folk dance at both the Culver City Senior Center and here at the Unitarian Church, hoping to share the joy of the dance with others, and maybe even get them “hooked” too.
— Teri
The dances Sandy and Teri teach are mainly Balkan — Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian, Albanian, Macedonian, Moldovan and Greek. However they also do dances from Israel, Turkey, England, Bolivia, Africa, the US, and more. Most of the dances can be seen on YouTube, so the more serious dancers can practice the dances by going online. The dances will be taught and then reviewed for several weeks in a row.
Please wear comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes. Bring snacks to share if you wish. Contributions will be gratefully received.
This is a class for beginners, but please be 16 or older.
Please park on Santa Monica Blvd or Wilshire Blvd and enter via the alley entrance.
It’s lots of fun; come dance with us! Email AdultRE@uusm.org for more information or to register (not required).
International Folk Dancing
Forbes Hall 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesJoin us every 2nd and 4th Saturday evening from 7:00-8:30 pm for International Folk Dancing led by Sandy Helperin and Teri Hoffman.
International Folk Dancing
Forbes Hall 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA, United StatesCome dance with us! Join us every 2nd and 4th Saturday evening from 7:00-8:30 pm for International Folk Dancing led by Sandy Helperin and Teri Hoffman.
