Meetup Online in EDC's Virtual Dance Room (VDR) - Fridays & 3rd Saturdays

Ethnic Dance Chicago / Virtual Dance Room

Meeting online (via Zoom)
Meeting in-person (Color Club, 4146 N Elston, Chicago, IL 60618)
Session Leader: Paul Collins

Watch for In Person Chicago Winter Dance Festival on Fri, 1/5/2024
Watch for In Person 10-Week Dance Class beginning starting 1/12/2024

VDR meets most Fridays (following the in-person DSL Class) and 3rd Saturdays for wonderful evenings of Ethnic Dancing & Conversation !
(Exceptions: Fridays: 1/19, 1/26, 3/22 - Saturday: Sat 1/27)

• Fridays: 8:00pm until 11:30pm Central
• 3rd Saturdays: 8:15pm until 3:00am Central
• Zoom Meeting URL: https://zoom.us/j/8478468139
• Register to get Zoom password (required):
• Registration: https://virtualdanceroom.net/register-meetup/

Typical Friday schedule (Central Time Zone)

• 7:00pm - 8:00pm – Dancing as a Second Language Class with Paul Collins
• 8:00pm – 8:50pm – Set 100 – Programmed & Request Dancing
• 8:50pm – 9:20pm – Set 200 – Guest Host #1 – Teaching and Review
• 9:20pm – 9:50pm – Set 200 – Guest Host #2 – Teaching and Review
• 9:50pm – 10:20pm – Set 300 – Guest Host #2 – Teaching and Review
• 10:20pm – 11:20pm – Programmed & Request Dancing
• 11:20pm – 11:30pm – Last Dance Set
• 11:30pm – until – Post-Dance Discussion

Typical 3rd Saturday schedule (Central Time Zone - no dance teaching)

• 8:15pm-ish – 3:00am – 30 min sets led by 18-20 dance leaders/musicians
• 3:00am – until – Post-Dance Discussion

About Friday Guest Hosts (some play live music)
• Each Guest Host has a set to lead a set of 6 dances
• We rotate Guest Hosts, selecting 3 or 4 at a time
• Weekly agendas, playlists on website – https://virtualdanceroom.net
• Guest Host Team – https://www/virtualdanceroom.net/announcement/

3rd Saturday Guest Hosts are a mix of dance leaders and musicians

About the Dance Programs

• The diversity of our virtual audience is far beyond our usual local/regional boundaries, so we'll play fun dances from the broader perspective of a global audience
• The teaching and review sessions provide opportunities for us to share a wider variety of dances from a diverse group of participants, reaching beyond the limits of our local repertoires.

About Post-Dance Discussions

• We'll continue to hold post-dance discussions for those who'd like to
• socialize afterwards
• This has been almost like going out for coffee, dessert, snacks,
• drinks, etc. after dancing...
• On occasion, we’ll schedule specialized discussions

Support the Virtual Dance Room

• Make A Donation to Support the Virtual Dance Room
• While there is no charge to participate, please make a donation to support production of the Virtual Dance Room.
• You may donate using PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, a major credit/debit card or a check via snail mail
• Donation Options: https://virtualdanceroom.net/donate/
• Thanks for your participation and support!

Virtual Dance Room Website: https://virtualdanceroom.net

EDC/VDR YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ethnicdanceguru/
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ethnicdance/

Facebook Discussion Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ethnicdance/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ethnicdanceguru/
Meetup Group: https://4142298.xyz/ethnicdance/

Contact: Paul Collins - [email protected] - (847)-846-8139

Background:

Prior to the pandemic, Ethnic Dance Chicago (EDC) was meeting in-person at the Chicago Latvian Center (now the Color Club) every week with 20-40 participants - many of whom were not Meetup members.

With the start of the pandemic we transformed EDC into an online group (The Virtual Dance Room) meeting & dancing online on Zoom and drawing between 90 and 130 participants each Friday (weekly dance) and 3rd Saturday (Global Dance After-Party)

Now that the covid-19 issues are somewhat under control many folks look forward to getting back to in-person dancing.

NOTE: It will take a little time to get used to the different types of ethnic dance and ethnic music, so you're not expected to get everything on your first night - there is a lot to be learned, and in the end it's worth the effort.