Author: Sola Grantham

  • Spring Family Dances

    Family Week in snack-sized bites

    It was delightful to see both familiar and new faces at our last dance in San Francisco. Here are our next gatherings coming up this spring.

    Palo Alto Family Dance

    April 18

    Join us once again at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto where Alan Winston will call simple dances from 2-4pm with crafts at the break led by Lorraine Kostka. The band is the Opporchoonists with David Hansen on guitar, Ernes Kinsolving on fiddle and Paul Kostka on winds.

    Admission is free; donations will be cheerfully accepted to help pay the caller and musicians.  

    Alameda Family Dance

    April 25

    Save the date for a family dance from 3-5pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Alameda with caller Doe Taryn. Peter Feltman joins family week favorites Anne Goess and Talitha Amadeo Aho in providing joyous live music to accompany the dance.

    Admission is free; donations will be cheerfully accepted to help pay the caller and musicians.  

    Please reach out if you would like to help us continue to put on these afternoons of music, dance, and community. We can often use a hand with snacks, break activities, and folks to welcome people at the doors.

  • San Francisco Family Dance

    Easy to get to on public transit

    Join us on February 21 from 2:30 – 4:30 pm for a Family Week hosted family dance at the Polish Club in San Francisco.

    Lark Finnegan will teach easy-to-learn folk dances suitable for all ages. We will dance to live music featuring Craig Johnson and Michele Mašek.

    If you’ve been to Family Week before, wear your Family Week name badges or T-shirts if you can find them!

    If you have been thinking of coming to Family Week, but aren’t yet sure about committing to a whole week, this is a wonderful chance to meet many of the folks involved and get a taste of family dancing and some of our other activities.

    The cost is $20/family or whatever you can afford.

  • Electro Contra Meltdowns

    Dec 5th & 6th

    Join us for an evening of “Electro Contra Meltdown”. 

    With Doe Taryn calling, this is a pair of special contra events on the evenings of December 5th and 6th in Santa Cruz and Oakland respectively. Electro Contra Meltdown is a medley style contra dance complete with disco lights and live music overlayed to M’Gilvry Allen’s DJ set. Scott Ferreter will be playing guitar and thumpy kick-pedal. 

    The first hour of the evening will be a traditional contra dance. 

    This event is great for teens, ‘tweens, and the whole family! An exciting deviation from traditional contra with Family Week familiar faces: Doe Taryn and M’Gilvry Allen. 

    Santa Cruz Contra

    https://www.santacruzcontra.com

    Live Oak Grange Hall
    1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz CA

    Fri, December 5th, 2025
    Introductory lesson: 6:30 – 7 p.m. 
    Dance: 7 – 10 p.m.

    Oakland’s Circle Left Queer Contra

    https://www.queercontradance.org/circleleft.html

    Lake Merritt Dance Center 
    200 Grand Avenue 
    Hall 1, upstairs 

    Sat, December 6th, 2025
    Introductory lesson: 6:30 – 7 p.m. 
    Dance: 7 – 10 p.m.

  • Help Attract New Families to Family Week 2026

    Family Week 2026 will be June 21-27

    Do you have a local music or dance studio that has a community board? Are you attending a dance that has a flyer table? Is there a Waldorf or parent-participation preschool in your neighborhood?

    We are always looking for ways to reach families that would enjoy joining us in music, dance, arts, and laughter under the redwoods. Please feel free to print out the poster here and help us let people know about our camp.

  • November Community Dance

    Sunday, Nov. 2 2:00–4:00

    Free Family Dance 2:00–4:00 Sunday, Nov. 2 at 5951 College Ave, Oakland

    Join many of our favorite Family Week staff in coming together to dance and play at the College Ave Presbyterian Church (in the gym).

    Caller Doe Taryn will teach easy-to-learn folk dances suitable for all ages. We will dance to live music featuring Anne Goess on fiddle, Craig Johnson on accordion, Talitha Aho on bass and Pete Feltman on guitar/banjo.

    This event is open to all, whether they’ve been to camp or not. And it’s FREE. (Donations to BACDS Family Week are always welcome.) Please come, and if you or your children have friends that you think would enjoy this, please invite them. Wear your Family Week name badges if you can find them! 

  • October Palo Alto Family Dance

    Saturday, Oct. 18 2:00–4:30

    Free Family Dance 2:00–4:30 Saturday, Oct. 18 in Palo Alto – UUCPA at 505 E. Charleston Road

    Many members of the Family Week community will again be gathering for an afternoon of dancing, crafting, singing, stilting, and socializing. Come join us as we bring a taste of Family Week to the peninsula.

    Hosted at the UUCPA, this family dance will be called by Susan Petrick with music by the Opporchoonists. Susan will teach easy-to-learn dances from American and British Isles folk traditions suitable for all ages.

    This event is open to all, whether they’ve been to camp or not. And it’s FREE. (Donations to BACDS Family Week are always welcome.) Please come, and if you or your children have friends that you think would enjoy this, please invite them. Wear your Family Week name badges if you can find them! 

  • Pictures from 2025

    Fun inside and out

    Highlights from Family Week 2025

  • Upcoming Family Dances

    Sun, Sept 21 and Sat, Oct 18

    Save the dates for two upcoming family dances around the Bay Area.

    Susan Michaels will be calling a family dance as part of the Berkeley Old time Music Convention. The dance is at Ashkenaz on Sunday, September 21 at 11:00 am.  See https://www.berkeleyoldtimemusic.org/kids-and-families for more info. Note that this is not a BACDS Family Week hosted dance, but it should be well worth attending!

    On October 18, BACDS Family Week will co-sponsor a third family dance at the Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 2pm. More info coming soon.

  • Family Week Reunion Party

    Sunday, Aug 10 2:30–4 pm

    Are your kids telling you that they wish Family Week could last all summer? Are you curious about this family-friendly community of dancers, musicians, and stilters that your friends have told you about? Have you come in years past and miss the friends you met there once upon a time?

    Family Week 2025 is over, but here’s an opportunity to sample some of the fun that happens at camp.

    Join us August 10th before the Hayward Contra to reunite with Family Week friends, former and future! This event is open to all, whether or not you’ve been to camp.

    Sunday, Aug. 10
    Reunion Party 2:30–4 pm
    Hill & Valley Club
    1808 B St, Hayward

    Reunion Party is FREE (BACDS Family Week donations welcome). Contra dance, starting at 4pm, is $20/adult, $10/youth, or pay what you can.

  • Information for 2025 Campers

    Go print out your forms!

    Information for 2025 Campers

    Camp is in less than 2 weeks! Go check out what you need to pack and prep for an amazing week.

  • Sebastopol Family Dance Series

    Monthly through June

    The North Bay Country Dance society is hosting a series of monthly family dances. For more information, go to https://nbcds.org/family-dances/.

  • Spring Into Motion Family Dance

    Welcome Spring!

    Spring Into Motion Family Dance

    The BACDS Family Week committee is partnering up with California Revels to host another family dance event in Berkeley to celebrate spring’s arrival.

    All ages welcome, no dance experience required.

    Learn fun, easy to learn traditional dances with Revels teaching artist Susannah Mackintosh.

    Dancing together, we create community through celebration.

    WHEN: March 22nd, 3:00 – 4:30PM. Doors open at 2:50 PM

    WHERE: Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1606 Bonita Ave, Berkeley

    COST: $25, kids join for free. More information and advance ticket purchase can be found at https://noevenable.lpages.co/revels-spring-into-motion/. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

    WHAT TO BRING: Water bottle, comfy clothes and shoes to move in. Optional: Potluck food or beverage to share

    We’ll have time at the end to socialize.

  • Spread the Word

    Post me!

    Do you have a local music or dance studio that has a community board? Are you attending a dance that has a flyer table? Is there a Waldorf or parent-participation preschool in your neighborhood?

    We are always looking for ways to reach families that would enjoy joining us in music, dance, arts, and laughter under the redwoods. Please feel free to print out the poster here and help us let people know about our camp.

  • Registration 2025 is open

    Sign up now!

    We are proud to announce that registration is open for BACDS Family Week 2025.

  • Winter North Bay Family Dance

    Sat, Jan 25     2–4pm

    240 Channing Way
    San Rafael CA 94903

    Enjoy Family Dancing with us in the North Bay!

    Caller Celia Ramsay will lead us in easy and welcoming community dances to the live music of Craig Johnson (piano), Erik Hoffman (guitar), and Anne Goess (violin).

    During the break, enjoy a craft project, join us in song, try out stilt-walking, and/or learn some body percussion. Snacks provided.

    Dance is co-sponsored by the North Bay Country Dance Society and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin. Suggested donation $10/adult or $20/family.

    Please, share the word to families with small children!

  • Fall Palo Alto Family Dance

    Saturday Oct 12         2-4pm

    505 East Charleston Rd Palo Alto CA 94306

    Join us for our second Palo Alto Family Dance!

    Caller Doe Taryn will lead us in family dance frolics, to the music of Mary Tabor (fiddle), Craig Johnson (piano) and Paul Kostka.

    During the break, enjoy a craft project, join us in song, watch a juggling presentation, or try out stilt-walking. Snacks provided.

    Dance is co-sponsored and located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto. Admittance is free. Donations welcome to help cover costs.

    Please, share the word to families with small children!

  • The Family Dance fun continues…

    on Saturday Oct 12 in Palo Alto in the afternoon

    The August 24th dance in Berkeley was a blast. Over 50 people attended with a wonderful mix of ages. We enjoyed dancing, singing, stilting, and socializing. Save the date for our next dance in Palo Alto on October 12. More info coming soon.

  • Berkeley Family Dance

    Saturday Aug 24   2:00–4:00pm

    We had so much positive feedback about our two family dances in the spring that we are planning on holding several more this coming year. Our first is coming up in Berkeley, August 24, 2–4pm. Let us know at familyweek@bacds.org if you’d like to help us make these happen.

    Christ Church, 2138 Cedar St, Berkeley

    Come on out to our next Family Dance! All ages welcome.

    Caller Kelsey Hartman will teach easy-to-learn dances from American and British Isles folk traditions, accompanied by live music from Craig Johnson (piano), Richard Page (winds), and Anne Bingham Goess (violin).

    At the break, sing along with Revels members, explore the instrument petting zoo, and/or try your hand at juggling or stilts. Snacks provided.

    Suggested donation: $10/adult or $20/family

    Please, share the word to families with small children!

  • 2024 Photos

    A smattering of the many joyful moments

    Family Week 2024 was more amazing than ever. If you have photos you’d like to share—or would like to help us figure out a way to create an online album for campers to view—please contact Sola at familyweek@bacds.org.

  • Lost & Found

    Claim me!

    Thank you to everyone for being so diligent about packing up and labelling your items Friday and checking the lost and found on your way out. Very little was left without a home. If you are missing any of these items, let us know before Sept 1, and we’ll endeavor to return them to you.

  • Getting ready for camp

    New information is unmasked!

    The time has come to start prepping for camp. As such we have unveiled lots more useful information including a packing list, maps, forms, and even a preliminary schedule on the For Campers page.

    This is also your last chance to convince more friends to join in the fun this year. Registration will close on June 13, 2024.

  • Palo Alto Family Dance

    Saturday May 18         2:30-4:30pm

    We had so much fun gathering and dancing in Berkeley last month that we want to do it again, this time featuring some of our Peninsula and South Bay talent.

    505 East Charleston Rd Palo Alto CA 94306

    Join us for the Palo Alto Family Dance!

    Susan Petrick will lead us in family dance frolics, to the music of Valerie Rose (fiddle), Craig Johnson (piano and accordion) and Ben Saylor (Irish flute).

    During the break, enjoy a craft project with Lorraine Kostka, watch our camp “cranky” presentation, check out cool live instruments, and try your hand at juggling or stilting. Snacks provided.

    Dance is co-sponsored and located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto. Admittance is free. Donations welcome to help cover costs.

    Please, share the word to families with small children!

  • Spread the Word!

    Post me!

    Do you have a local music or dance studio that has a community board? Are you attending a dance that has a flyer table? Is there a Waldorf or parent-participation preschool in your neighborhood?

    We are always looking for ways to reach families that would enjoy joining us in music, dance, arts, and laughter under the redwoods. Please feel free to print out the poster here and help us let people know about our camp.

  • Spring Family Dance

    Saturday, March 23     2:30-4:30pm

    Curious about what “Family Dance” is? Want to meet some of the campers and staff who regularly attend the summer Family Week?

    Christ Church, 2138 Cedar St, Berkeley

    Come on out to the spring Family Dance!

    Kelsey Hartman will lead us in family dance frolics, to the music of Anne Bingham Goess (fiddle), Craig Johnson (piano and accordion) and Paul Kostka (accordion and tin whistle).

    See rapper sword dance, check out cool live instruments, and try your hand at juggling at the break. Snacks provided.

    Please, share the word to families with small children!

  • Registration 2024 Open

    Sign up now!

    We are proud to announce that registration is open for BACDS Family Week 2024.

  • New Website

    Yay!

    Our website is getting an overhaul this year for better info and more recent pictures. If you have suggestions or feedback on what you find here, now is the perfect time to let us know by writing to familyweek@bacds.org so we can continue show folks about the special summer event that is BACDS Family Week.