The Richard Powers Waltz Weekend returns, after four years!


The 2023 Richard Powers Waltz Weekend will take place October 13-15, 2023.


Registration is now open!


Click here to register

About the Waltz Weekend

The primary focus of the workshop will be waltzing, including cross-step waltz and rotary waltz. The weekend will be held at the Russel Acton Folk Center in Berea, KY (about 40 miles south of Lexington).

The weekend will start with a class at 7:30 pm Friday and conclude on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Attendance is by preregistration only and will be role-balanced. The prerequisite for attendance is knowing any form of basic waltz (rotary, cross-step, box, Viennese...). As in past years, this year in addition to the traditional roles of "lead" and "follow", we will offer the role of “either” exclusively for those comfortable dancing both roles and who can easily switch roles in order to help role-balance the room in case of cancellations.

Tuition is $95. A limited number of full-time students will be accepted at $45, and a limited number of scholarships will be offered--if interested in a scholarship, please contact us by email to apply. Because space is limited, and we expect registration to fill quickly.


2023 Likely Weekend Schedule

Friday,
Oct 13
Check-in6:30 - 7:30
Dance Classes:7:30 - 10:00
- Two dance classes
Saturday,
Oct 14
Practice Time9:30 - 10:00
Dance Class:10:00 - 1:00
- Cross-Step Waltz, new and favorite variations
Catered Lunch1:00 - 2:00
Dance Classes:2:00 - 4:30
- Two dance classes plus review of the day's dances
Dinner on your own4:30 - 8:00
Evening Social Dance8:00 - 11:00
Sunday,
Oct 15
Practice Time9:30 - 10:00
Dance Classes:10:00 - 1:00
- 3 dance classes



2019 Weekend Schedule - For reference only

2019
Friday
Check-in6:30 - 7:30
Dance Classes:7:30 - 10:00
- Waltzing for Waltzers
- Bachata
2019
Saturday
Practice Time9:30 - 10:00
Dance Class:10:00 - 1:00
- Cross-Step Waltz, new and favorite variations
Catered Lunch1:00 - 2:00
Dance Classes:2:00 - 4:30
- The Kirov freestyle waltz variations
- Cross-Step Waltz Mixer Variations
- Review of the day's dances
Dinner on your own4:30 - 8:00
Evening Social Dance8:00 - 11:00
2019
Sunday
Practice Time9:30 - 10:00
Dance Classes:10:00 - 1:00
- The original Madison - full version
- 1960s Jazz Waltz Mixer
- Review of some of the weekend dances

Saturday Lunch: Dancers are welcome to bring their own lunch or head to a local restaurant, but a catered lunch will be provided to those who pay in advance.

Ample refreshments will be available at all events.

Folk Center Berea KY exterior

About Richard Powers


Richard is an expert in American social dance, noted for his choreographies for dozens of stage productions and films, and his workshops in Paris, Rome, Prague, London, Venice, Geneva, St. Petersburg and Tokyo as well as across the U.S. and Canada. He has been researching and reconstructing historic social dances for over thirty years and is currently a full-time instructor at Stanford University Dance Division.

A collection of Richard's writings about dance

About Angela Amarillas


Angela and Richard have travelled the world teaching dance and performing together. Angela shares Richard's passion for historical and vernacular dance, and has a dance minor from Stanford University.

Saturday Evening Dance

Deejayed by Richard Powers

The Saturday night dance is included with your weekend registration. The Saturday evening ball will be proctored by Richard Powers using his selection of recorded music. We will enjoy dances from several vintage eras, from the 1800s to the early 1900s, as well as contemporary music.

The Saturday night dance theme is "Waltzing Around the World," and we recommend you wear your favorite international attire or connect to the dance theme in some other creative way.

If you are not registered for the entire weekend, you may still attend the Saturday evening dance at a cost of $10.

Registration

The registration link will be provided here when registration opens.

To be confirmed, all applicants must pay for the weekend within 7 days of notification of tentative acceptance.

Also, since we match all leads with follows, we encourage all dancers who are not comfortable switching roles to specify a registration partner on the registration form. Those leads and follows who do not specify a partner, will be put on a waiting list and matched with a person of the complimentary role in order of registration. We will notify you when we confirm your acceptance.

If you cancel before September 15th, we will refund your fee minus $10. Cancellations on or after September 15th will be refunded minus $10 only if we are able to identify a replacement from the waiting list. When registration reaches capacity, we will keep a waiting list.

Step 1: Register

Registration is open!
Register here


Step 2: Pay only after tentative acceptance

We will notify you by email when your registration is tentatively accepted. For online payments, we use an online service provider called Stripe which uses most stringent level of certification available in the online payments industry. You may pay with almost any credit or debit card or electronic funds transfer from your bank. Alternatively, you may simply mail us a check via the US Postal Service by sending a check made out to "Lexington Vintage Dance" to:
Lexington Vintage Dance
c/o Jan Pearce
3477 Scaffold Cane Rd.

Berea, KY 40403


With any of these choices, we offer a 7 day grace period for you to pay after receiving notification of your tentative acceptance to the weekend. Hence, your particular payment choice will not alter your acceptance status. Any checks received before acceptance, will not be cashed until you are tentatively accepted.

Location & Directions

The Waltz Weekend will be held at the Russel Acton Folk Center at 212 Jefferson St., in Berea, Ky.

Parking is available and free at the Folk Center.

Directions & Map:

From Louisville, Cincinnati and points North: Take I-75 South to Exit 77. Follow signs to Berea. At Ellipse St./Pirate Pkwy turn right. At Jefferson St. turn right. Folk Center is half block away on the right.
From Nashville, Knoxville and points South: Take I-75 North to Exit 76. Follow signs to Berea. Immediately after crossing railroad overpass, turn left on N. Broadway. At Jefferson St. turn right. Folk Center is half block away on the left.

View Larger Map

Housing

A limited number of homestays are available to out-of-town participants. You may request this on the registration form. The deadline for requesting a home-stay is September 15th. Or you can make your own reservations at one of Berea's near-by hotels, including the famous Boone Tavern Hotel. If you have any questions about housing, send an e-mail to lexingtonvintagedance@gmail.com.


Historic hotel within walking distance:

Boone Tavern Hotel

Other Options:

Other hotels by distance AirBnB


Being A Host

The sharing of your home can help make a dance weekend really wonderful for someone. If you can host one or several of the visiting dancers at your home in Berea or Lexington, please email lexingtonvintagedance@gmail.com with your name, address, number of people you can host, and any other information your guests may need to know (type of beds, children, pets, smoker, etc.)

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact Jan Pearce:

Jan Pearce
3477 Scaffold Cane Rd

Berea, KY 40403

lexingtonvintagedance@gmail.com

(859) 813-0956

You can also visit the Lexington Vintage Dance's homepage to learn more about upcoming events